A Little Myth

As a male photographer taking photographs of everyday women, you have to develop a professional relationship with your client built on trust.  This is especially true if you wish to enter into the realms of boudoir and fine art nude - something that I would like to do.  In fact, I have recently completed a boudoir course,  and in this course, they highlighted the additional challenges faced by some men.  Not that they can’t be overcome, but they are many myths about what happens when men take photographs of women in underwear or swimsuit wear which doesn’t really help.

Photoshoots themselves though, are not exactly arousing events.  When the model is getting ready for a photoshoot the photographer is setting up lights and props.  He (I am)  is more consumed with thoughts of camera settings, quality, and character of light, modifiers, backgrounds, foregrounds, color, exposure, and composition.  Sort of boring stuff to the non-photographer but very important to ensure that the images turn out the best.  And it doesn’t stop there. During the actual shoot, you (the photographer) focus on trying to take a photograph that either the model or you imagined, and want to create. 

During the shoot, you are also trying to give direction and guide the model to a particular pose and expression, whilst the model is focusing on trying to follow the direction. There is a lot of backward and forwards communication happening all the time.

The reality is, it’s about working together to make truly great photos within the amount of time reserved for the shoot.  

There may be some people who think only with their swimsuit regions,  but these people rarely make it for long, because stories of behavior, good or bad, get out quickly, particularly in these days of social media and #MeToo.