This barely scratches the surface to what we shooters do. Not just us, all good shooters.
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Here are a few pointers to those thinking about shooting porn. This is a very long post so sit down and make yourself comfortable. Anyone who thinks I'm trying to put people off can tell us how much content that shoot and give their advice to how it should be done.
After nearly 30 years shooting porn, I know it can be fun and profitable, if you follow a few simple and basic rules.
The first thing to decide on is equipment and which is usually dictated by your budget. Thankfully good digital cameras are getting better and cheaper. My favourite for the budget conscious is Nikon D70, but I hear they now have the Nikon D50. So go do some research. What ever camera you buy make sure the images are not "buffered" before they are written to the external memory. Test the camera out before you buy it, go to the shop and try it out with your compact disc, then take it home and compare the results.
Excellent place to compare.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/
Lighting. Invest in two strobe flash lights, slave unit, stands and umbrellas and budget more for these than the cameras. Cheap lights are a crap shoot and when they blow up because you over used them you will find the money you saved disappear in the profit of one ruined days shoot. A flash light metre is also a handy thing to have but not essential. Do not use Tungsten lights for stills photography. They give a bad light, get hot which upsets the models and are too bright for a models to keep their eyes open all the time.
Video camera. To be honest I know very little about videos cameras, we use the Sony V2000 but I'm sure there are cheaper makes. For lighting use the lights builders and handymen use, with some umbrellas or bounced off the ceiling they're adequate for video.
Now spend a few days experimenting and getting to know the cameras and lights. Don't suddenly discover a button is not working, as it should, in front of a model. Credibility is everything with models. Seen the pictures where the model is looking at you as if they thinks you're a loser? That's what they thought of the photographer who took those pictures. Or even worse bored, that's because they has been waiting twenty minutes for him to figure out how the camera works. Get very comfortable with the equipment even if it's only shooting the cat. If you can get your wife, girlfriend or boyfriend to pose even better. It's about learning to use the camera and lights. This is a good time to get down to your local bookstore and buy a couple of books or local library.
Budgeting to spend around $3,000 for cameras and lights. It can be done cheaper, but this is about doing it right. If you are going to improve you will not do so by cutting corners. Read the books and manuals that came with the equipment. Then practise some more using the equipment. Lighting is crucial and you can only learn this by trial and error and a good book on lighting. Even amateur lighting needs some thought. With a digital camera it's possible to check the results immediately after taking the shots.
Now decide what to shoot? This is easy. Look under your bed for all the porno mags and videos, check out your favourite paysites and ask yourself "What do I like" If you do not have any STOP. Think about it, would you buy a steak from a vegetarian? Gays shoot gay content; boob guys shoot big tits, etc. your favourite niche is what you understand and if you haven't had many years "enjoying" porno, how the hell are you going to produce something for anyone else to enjoy?
Anyone can point a camera at a naked girl and say smile, but you will find this tough to sell. Because pornography is to stimulate someone into thinking erotically you need to capture more than the flesh. You need to capture the fantasy, how much easier is it if you understand the fantasy as well? Study the porn more than the photography.
Look at the poses, study them, memorise them, the settings and the progression/order they appear in. Remember which position and action that caught your attention, commit to memory the things that turn you on.
Never ignore magazines, for stills content and top selling DVDs for video, at this point they are essential. Just make sure thay are in the same style/niche you intentd shooting. They have been satisfying men's fantasies for years. Every day an editor's mailbag is full of readers letters commenting on the girls, poses and settings. This is how they know, what's popular, what to include and what to leave out. DVD sales are built on people coming back to see the next months edition. It's simple, those who survived in this market did so because they are good and not because of the traffic they could drive.
The Internet is just a new medium delivering to men what we've been looking at since we started painting on walls. It's usually the excuse of the failed that say, "This is a different market where the normal rules don't count". Or "I'm trying to do something different" usually means "This is all I can do" Yes I know you want to bring in your own style and "signature" to the work, that is for later when you know a more. Learn to crawl first and walk before you run.
Here's the best piece of advice I have for you. I've been shooting years and still use posing books. Display folders, with all the poses, for a style and situation (solo-Girl Girl-Boy Girl-Girl), all laid out in shooting order. All photographers lose the plot or dry up during a shoot and the folder becomes very helpful. For the novice it's essential. How many times do you see a set on the Internet containing 120+ images? however when you view the thumbs you find the shooter has repeated every picture 3-6 times and in truth the set has 20 different poses. This is the biggest fault with the "Amateur" photographer. Shoot a minimum of 100 different shots; it's easy if you plan it.
Now we have to think about the settings and props. Setting are important. It has to fit the fantasy. Again look at magazines and DVDs; too many "Internet" photographers completely ignore these mediums. Their work usually suffers because of this. Look at the style of the scene and the setting. An "Amateur" magazine will pose a housewife in the kitchen, Playboy fly girls to the Seychelles or hire a multi million dollar house for their shoots. Sounds like common sense, so I don't need to say anymore.
Think about the setting, clothing and props together and have them all ready. Dont shoot pale girl in white underwear on white sheets. Changing underwear or bed linen does not make it a different set. The guys doing this are usually trying to shoot 10 sets in three hours to keep the cost down. Why do they need to keep the costs down? Their work does not sell. No prizes for why, it's a chicken and egg situation.
Never assume a model will turn up with a suitcase full of clothing suitable for the assignment. People model because they need money. Be ready to provide whatever is required for them to wear. Before booking ask what size they are and get the appropriate clothing and underwear for the shoot. Whatever style the pictures are, the clothing must fit. The bottom line is UNDERSTAND WHAT IS BEING CREATED. 18+ is not about a girl in full make up and stockings and suspenders, Fem/Dom is not a cutie in white socks. Of course for shooting "housewives style" none of this applies. Tell her to bring NORMAL clothing. But be careful because she may turn up with all the Sunday best clothing.