Fine Art Nude Group

[gr82bart]

Hello and welcome to the Fine Art Nude Group!

Regards, Art.

 

[arigram]

Its very hard for me to find models and nearly impossible to convince them to take their clothes off for the camera, but I remain positive. It is a small, relatively conservative society where people know what each other is doing and many succumb to shyness and false modesty to protect their good name...

 

[Falkenberg]

In Denmark it is not very hard to find models. Most work for free or for at copy of the artwork. There is a website that have models for croquis and photography. It covers all of Denmark. Maybe You could do something similar. This is the site: http://www.croquis-tegning.dk/ I can translate if You need to know what it says.

 

[don sigl]

Hi all:

I have been away from APUG for quite awhile. its nice to see that a group has been formed that aligns with the type of photography that I specialize in. I look forward to the sharing of ideas and information.

Regards,
Don Sigl

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Just checking to make sure you have the parameters set the way you want them, since it says "This is a public group" while the description says "This group is not public."

You've got the box checked so that people must join the group to view the content, so that's so far so good.

Then you've got three options--public, moderated, or invite only. Public I think means that anyone can join and post. Moderated I assume means that the moderator has to approve new members and probably new posts, but I'm not sure. Invite only I'm guessing must be invite required to join, but maybe once you join, you can post anything?

I'll ask Sean if he can clarify.

 

[Sean]

Just fyi- there is a bug with the 5 latest group posts on the groups homepage showing private group messages when it should not. Trying to get this fixed today.

 

[gr82bart]

Hi Folks,

I think I've got the settings right now. Let's post! First, let me begin ... Most of you, I'm sure are familiar with these two links: Dead Link Removed and http://www.communityzoe.com/

What links do you have that you want to share?

Ari,

I really sympathize with your plight, though it surprises me a bit as I always assumed Greece to be much more liberal with respect to nudity.

Regards, Art.

 

[Ian Grant]

In the UK it's very easy to find models but finding a good one who is reliable is harder.

Ari, there are quite a few UK models who holiday/work in Crete, and might be prepared to model while there. Try the Netmodel website.

Ian

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I've had mixed success with ModelMayhem - a lot of the folks there are total amateurs (actually, calling them amateur is a discredit to the origin of the word - more like the british term punters). Some are serious, and take their promises to show up and pose seriously, others are total flakes. But, the ones I've actually worked with have been really good for the most part, and I at least got some useable images out of each shoot. You'll have to do some convincing of any models you find through the internet though that what you're looking for is not tawdry Maxim/Playboy type stuff, because most of them have THAT in their heads as the definition of nude photography.

 

[don sigl]

To FlyingCamera's point; Model Mayhem is more like a myspace site than an actual professional model/photographer site. There are good people there though. But most of them are on sites like OMP as well. I have found OMP to be the best online source for professional models. I have worked with some excellent people that I found there. Of course, if you're looking for people who will work TFP, OMP is not your best source. Quality, experienced models cost money. I pay $100/hr with a 2hr minimum. I also chip in for gas if the model is coming from a location greater than 30 miles.
It is important to establish a good working relationship, with any of the professionals you work with. There is a significant model network out there, and they can do a lot for you when it comes to locating quality people. Most models I work with these days contact me after contacting other models. Booking this way ensures I get professional, quality people.

 

[Rolleiflexible]

I just found an invitation to join this group.
It looks like a very scary group in here.

I've not figured out these APUG groups yet.
Does it consist entirely of this one thread?

FWIW, Don, I would have agreed with you
last year regarding OMP. But I've found that
MM is the source of most of my models now,
and I can't remember the last time I shot
someone who found me through OMP.

Sanders

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I had a membership to OMP, but I found their fee structure to be burdensome, and the site navigation to be challenging. I also had a hard time finding the kinds of models I wanted there- not that there are a plethora of male models willing to pose for art photography on MM either, but there do seem to be more. If you are looking for female models, you're going to have to start paying for them rather quickly, because the ones who will work TFP, especially for nudes, are few and far between.

 

[Rolleiflexible]

Scott said: "If you are looking for female models, you're going to
have to start paying for them rather quickly, because the ones
who will work TFP, especially for nudes, are few and far between."

That depends very much on the model and the photographer. A
lot of photographers do not pay, yet get a steady stream of (nude)
volunteers because their work is great -- see, e.g., Chip Willis, or
James Graham, or Aeric Meredith-Gougon, or Daniel Norton, or Barron
Claiborne, or George Pitts, among many others. I don't think any
of them pays, yet they attract first-rate subjects for their work.

FWIW, I pay a token amount ($60) that basically covers taxi fares
and a meal. I feel it is important to pay something, because I do
not believe people should work for free, and it is work. But I won't
pay hundreds of dollars to photograph someone.

Sanders

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

When I say pay, I pay like what Sanders pays - between $50-100 per session, depending on how far someone has to travel. I guess I should clarify the comment about female models who want to get paid on model mayhem or on modeling websites. If you want to find some good professional models who are used to working with artists, try art schools. Also, don't be picky like I am Having a specific look in mind, when starting out, will make your life harder. Once you have the portfolio though, it does get easier.

 

[Rolleiflexible]

I added a picture to the group. Just because.

 

[gr82bart]

I pay as well, when there is a model I really want. Plus my images are pretty explicit. I don't have to deal with images for the model in this case and I'm clear about it up front. She signs an unrestricted model release and an age verification form up front.

 

[don sigl]

I'm not enthralled with OMP by any means. I am a bronze member so the expense is minimal. At this point, I use the site just for the new model notifications. As I mentioned, I am pretty well established within the model network, so most people contact me instead of the other way around. Being on OMP helps other models find me. From there they can link to my web site.
Sanders; Maybe its me, but I think MM is pretty much a waste of time. Just seems like the level of professionalism is lower. Not that there aren't good people on there. just that its more of a hassle to dig them out.
I pay reasonable rates. a 2-3 hr session will cost $200-$300 plus travel expenses and all my materials. I can't remember the last time I considered TFP. I can afford to shoot once a month.
When looking for people, I care a lot about the model's current portfolio. If I see a weak portfolio, or just a few grab shots, I almost always pass. The reason is that the model probably does not have enough experience. Of course these are the people who are the best candidates for TFP. But I guess I would prefer to pay for the experience. I just feel I have better opportunity to work through the ideas I have. It also provides a better opportunity for collaboration.
I haven't completely given up on MM, but I don't rely on it.

 

[Ian Leake]

Just found an invite...

From a UK perspective I find OMP is pretty much a waste of time because it's very US-centric. MM is also US-centric but there are a lot more good UK models there (finding them can be a bit difficult though as the search stinks). Net-Model is very UK-centric but is also very, very tacky (I even managed to find a stalker there for a while!). I've actually found most of my favourite models through artmod.org which caters for life models in London and has a different type of person to the sites that cater for wannabe glamour models.

Ari - I second the suggestion of posting a casting call on Net-Model for models who are on holiday. If you want I can ask around to see if any good reliable models I know are heading in your direction too. You'll most likely be quoted some outrageous fees. £40ph seems to be the target most models set for art nude over here, but if they know you or if your work is of high quality then most good models will quickly drop to much more reasonable rates. I typically pay £20 ph for a 3 hour sitting. I could probably get by with TFP models if I wanted to, but I prefer to work with the same person over and over again, and I'd rather pay a decent rate for all the hard work they put in. Paying also means that I can pick and choose who I want to work with and it also means I very rarely have no-shows.

 

[gr82bart]

What ever happened to Muse Cube? Anyone use that? http://www.musecube.com/ I almost forgot that I have a very, very old port there, I think.

There was another site called SoloModels that was being marketed heavily for a while too. http://www.solomodels.com/ much more high end type fashion oriented models.

Speaking of which Ujena Talent is another site: Dead Link Removed Not exactly geared to fine art nude models, and it's obviously linked to a specific swimwear comany, so there's a bit of an ad/shill on the entire site.

Regards, Art.

 

[gr82bart]

So. let's stir this group a bit ... what do you guys think of: http://www.met-art.com/ or http://www.errotica-archives.com/ ? Porn or art or both or neither?

Regards, Art.

 

[gr82bart]

An interesting read from JPEG magazine: http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/5746

Regards, Art.

 

[dpurdy]

soft porn is fine if you are using it to work yourself up erotically but I absolutely destest soft porn and glamour masquerading as art. It makes me want to give up nude photography entirely just to avoid being lumped in with that stuff.
Dennis

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I find 99% of glamour/soft-porn to be beyond cheesy, verging on tasteless. Frankly, I don't even understand how the spouses of women who pose for glamour stuff find it erotic, because it's so over- stylized.

 

[don sigl]

I went out to JPEG magazine and posted 10 images last week. I received quite a bit of positive response from members. The next day I received an email from JPEG informing me that they removed several of the images due to content that was not appropriate for their site.... I went online and deleted my membership. Guess they thought my work was too Met Art like.

 

[don sigl]

I've uploaded the 'Inappropriate" image