What are the telltale signs of a good photographer?
 

Lighting, of course. Appealing backgrounds, yes. If you're also the one who recruits the models, then choosing the right model for the shoot is important too.


But in my experience, one of the best telltale signs of a good adult photographer is when your single girl photos cause people to wonder if you fucked the model after. I used to get people asking me that all the time when I was shooting content full time..... "Holy shit, you MUST have fucked her, just look at her!"


Thoughts?

I have seen a lot of people here talking about making photography but mostly you forget about 1 important thing.Shooting naked girls needs no great skills at all.Yes there are some better and some shitty photographers but I have seen just a few (adult photographers)who I can call Photographers - and its not Paul MArkham or AaronM or any of photographers around for sure.
ok here is what I call unique photo technique and art skill.Fucking talented Czech photographer - worldwide famouse and respected
http://www.saudek.com
:2 cents:

Yes, that guy is a skilled professional.... but the fact is, I <i>AM</i> talking about guys who shoot adult modelling content. Of course any schmuck can pick up a camera and take pics of naked chicks..... that's not the point.

The point is.... when you look at photos and photosets, what are the qualities that reflect there being some skill involved beyond the basic amateur level? As I posted above, I think one of them comes from the ability of the photographer to bring out the true sexiness in the model herself, which causes the viewer to wonder if the photographer actually fucked the model. It's a look, a feel, to the images. It's not something that "just happens".


Clearer?

On occassion "it" does just happen. Some models just have "it" and any person with a camera will capture it. Ussually they do not though and the sign of a good photographer is being able to make "it" come out.

The model should not look bored, tired, fed up, stoned, placed in position, or whatever. She should sparkle and be able to disguise any photography setbacks a photographer may have due to lack of money such as bad sets, lighting, ect.

I just add my :2 cents: - didn't want to argue or fight
also I am happy you like that work.I am always happy to take a look on some good non adult pics

This is.. thank you very much. :) Shot her yesterday!

http://www.perfectiongirls.com/images/whit4
http://www.perfectiongirls.com/images/whit5
http://www.perfectiongirls.com/images/whit6

Perfection, that particular shot is a little blurry, no? (the one posted before you removed it and posted the above 3) I like it though, nice girl too. What a pic like that says to some viewers is that it makes them want to see more of her. THAT in itself is the whole point of what we do, really. The above 3 are great.


By all means post more examples. :thumbsup

http://www.kymberlyrenee.com/sample.JPG :thumbsup :thumbsup

Ok.. lol you ask for it! Shot a couple days ago.. we are shooting like crazy over here.

http://www.perfectiongirls.com/images/danny
http://www.perfectiongirls.com/images/danny1
http://www.perfectiongirls.com/images/danny3

mm nice girls perfection


<p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">
__________________
<a href="http://www.sucker.com"><img src="http://bestpornhost.com/gfy/jay.png" border="0"></a>

Yeah, it was alittle soft, but by design for the most part.. It was heavy, defused lighting which will make pics appear a bit soft. I'm going to upload a couple other examples within the same set so you can check them out.

This was the original pic I posted.

http://www.perfectiongirls.com/images/whit

Jim, she looks like you <i>ALREADY</i> fucked her. :1orglaugh :thumbsup





So what are the exact skills/qualities of the shots you guys are producing that would indicate
you are a "good" photographer? I'm not saying world-class professional photographer,...
just good. What do you put in to make your shots better than the next guy's?

lol i never said i was good
im a hack, i just get lucky from time to time.

Here are a couple other examples from that set.. CD.. check below.

http://www.perfectiongirls.com/images/whit7
http://www.perfectiongirls.com/images/whit8


I would not say mine are better or worse then anyone elses. I'm sure not "world class" at all.. IN fact.. Ive just been learning and trying to improve as much as I can. Its really all about lighting and making people want see more... Pulling surfers in with there eyes is always a good thing. With what i do.. (solo and amateur girl sites) its all about getting the surfers attention and making them what more. I've been leaning on the "prettier" side of things of late anyways.. Seems to really pull people in when offered up with some porn along with the pretty.

Is there anything special you do to capture that exact right moment when a girl has "the look".... you know, that undefineable look that a lot of models get, it flashes across their face for a split second then it's gone. You can't just ask them to reproduce "the look".... it's something that just happens all by itself.

I've had models themselves look at the pics I've taken of them and say "how did you make me look so good??"

you guys ever get that? Or anything else along that line?

i tell them to relax, be theirself and flirt.
only way i know to do it.

Another important ability to have when dealing with models is the ability TO PAY HER!

On time, every time!

:1orglaugh

Yes.

A lot of people don't realize that a lot of things have to come together properly before a good shoot can take place. For another thing the model has to show up, and show up ON TIME. That alone can put a photographer off his game.


Jim's right on the money..... lightening the mood and putting them at ease is good, especially if it is their first time posing. Most new models aren't sure of their looks or if they really qualify to even BE a model, so instilling a little confidence in them has worked wonders for me in the past as well.

<img SRC="http://members.shaw.ca/billy1-99/pics/smokeythebear.jpg">

So true, never forget to pay the models, cuz if you don't they might take it personal :winkwink:

I'll never understand why so many so-called "photographers" insist on chopping off the tops of heads or the tips of toes.

a great photographer for the adult market shoots the model in a different way, a way that makes people want to spend $ to see the images.

he shoots the girl with some imagination, the camera looks at her the way a 12yearold boy looks at a naked girl for the first time---looking at her eyes, and mouth, and nipples, and the way the panties crease the camel toe, etc. etc. and he uses light and color and texture and sheen to create visually stunning images, searching for the beautiful parts of the girl, he uses different lenses, and different shooting positions, he experiments with lighting to add visual interest, if he shoots gonzo he simulates reality, he uses a plant sprayer to simulate sweat on a girl's face as she's fucked from behind, he makes sure the girl's labia is wet, etc etc. --- a great adult photographer pays attention to the details of each shot. he edits in the finder before he snaps the shutter, and he does not snap the shutter until he likes what he sees--- a great adult photographer is an experimenter, he does not care much about technique or formula, his goal is to create interesting images, images that have never been seen before.

he does not stand across the room and set the lights and shoot 150 redundant images and call this a photoshoot, not if he intends to have anyone pay to see the images.

look at fashion photography, if only people would shoot hardcore in an inventive way.

almost anyone with a good digicam can create an acceptable image of a very beautiful girl.

but the very beautiful girl is rare.

usually you are dealing with flaws. the great photographer shoots a girl to maximize has appealing qualities, and minimize or camouflage her less appealing qualities.

i saw some images today of some girl (not this thread) that some guy shot. the girl has a big nose, and the guy shoots her with a standard lens, so now the nose dominates the face, and to make matters worse he uses poor lighting technique which now has the big nose casting a big shadow on the side of her face.

if only he understood that he should be shooting that face with a very long lens, he could have made her attractive, instead he creates a throwaway shot that no one will pay to see.

the great photographer discards anything that isn't "good enough" and no one ever sees it.

i could go on, but no one here will understand.

Wrong.


I agree with everything you wrote and was just about to quote it and say "good post". Stop worrying about what the local know-nothing masses of basement kiddies think. Those that have actually produced some content as well as those smart webmasters who have an eye for it will understand all too clearly what you were trying to say.


If you have anything else to add to it please do so.

Latina touched on one small subject regarding digital photography.... that being the "fishbowl effect" that a lot of pics end up having. That slightly stretched look which makes noses look bigger, makes feet look bigger, makes legs look way huge etc etc.

There are some easy techniques to combat the fishbowl effect, just as there are ways of preventing redeye. (something which some content producers are notorious for)

One method is to stand further away from the model and then zoom in to the shot you want. Easy enough, and that minimizes the fishbowl effect or negates it altogether.

what i'm trying to say is most girls (average girls) can be photographed in an erotic manner.

and i'm not trying to be negative of denigrate other folks' work.

but shit, the models cost the same whether you shoot great photography or photography that just doesn't sell. look, the adult business is in the dumps, and mediocre content is the reason.

mostly the guys that can really shoot don't sell content, and the guys that are in the content "business" are continually have "blowout sales". that tells you something right there.

my emphasis is on BUSINESS.

just getting a girl naked would work on the adult web in 1995.

problem is, most "content producers" think that just getting the girl naked and banging off some images will get the job done.

not for today's surfers.

certainly i'm not going to say i'm the world's greatest shooter.

but i will try to do what i think is obvious.

the first time i meet a girl i will have her strip down entirely naked, and i'll look at her body critically and jot down all the parts of her body that are interesting, and all the parts that need to be shot around. and i'll ask her to smile, and i'll look at her teeth, and check if she has visible fillings that might reflect the strobe, and i'll have her hold her arms above her head and see how her breasts hang, and have her perk her nipples up, and check carefully her genitalia, and how her pubic hair is trimmed, and check for pimples on her ass, and bad tattoos, and scars, etc. etc.

and i will discuss this with the model, she knows her body better than me, and she will see that my intention is to make her beautiful, and she will point out other flaws she has, and then we will together think of a gameplan where the models will work together positioning their hands, and forearms to make flaccid breasts appear fuller, and hide certain tattoos, and to sidelight her labia so the genital wart is in the shadow, etc. etc. the goal is to try to minimize post-production photoshopping.

and all this will probably require clothing her a certain way, and undressing her a certain way.

and since i always shoot on location (i'm a gonzo guy) and the girls are always bringing a big bag of stuff (i just tell them to bring interesting colors and different underwear sets, and anything THEY think they look sexy in) we throw everything on a bed and choose the setups from outside clothes to lingerie.

and then i set my lenses out, and work with a checkoff list, using wide angle accentuate interesting body parts (or to make a guy's dick look like an elephant trunk) and longer lenses for a glamour look.

and i like to shoot in subdued lighting so the models' pupils open up for a more glamour look to the eyes, and all light is bounced, always.

gotta go, wife says american idol is on. gotta see my gal "fantasia"

With the exception of the genital wart image which grossed me out, I'll say this is another very good post. Any new people thinking of picking up a camera and having a go at shooting content could learn something from it, definitely.

What is being discussed is the diference between photography and pornography. And what worries me is some do not even recognise it.

When buying a set look at the samples and ask yourself, does this girl want sex, would she fuck you?

Some girls have the ability to open up in front of a camera, about 1 in 50. Mostly it's the photographers charm, personality and skill that makes it happen.

I've been in the business 25 years and when I started we were very restricted at what we could show, so the sex had to be in the girls pose and eyes. Now things are more open some think pornography is about how many things or people you stick in a girl, it's not. I also sell in a market that is very very competetive, yet with far fewer suppliers than Internet Content, magazines.

This is pornography the look in this girls eyes.

http://www.paulmarkham.com/sets/1567/thumb_02.jpg

http://www.paulmarkham.com/sets/1556/thumb_02.jpg

CDSmith is right, it's when the buyer looks at you and says, "You fucked her, you lucky old dog" that is when I know I made a sale. They said that when I showed them Evas pictures and they were right. :1orglaugh

What worries me about some people is they do not even recognise "the look".

You have a good photographer when people take out thier wallets and buy the rights to his work. Thats really the only way to tell.

well said.

100% of my content was sold to one company in Europe over the course of 3 years, from 2000 to 2002. Many thousands of pictures. Sale price worked out to just over $6.00 USD per pic.


I think I did okay.

Well, dont be shy... show us some. :)

Sold it all, exclusive. I still have some of it backed up on old cd's, but I'm disinclined to go digging for it right now. It was all pre-ordered as purely amateur-style, so all of the shots have a definite amateur feel to them.


some of my old stuff, optimized for galleries of course, is here: www.cdsmodels.com


Here's a girl I shot about 4 years ago... http://www.cdsmodels.com/models/g1/holly/holly_11.jpg

i fuck models after shoots all the time

CDSmith, since you started this thread, and i believe this subject is so important, i will continue, and i'm not familiar with your stuff so i will not opine on it, but i see some things in this thread.

Surfers have become jaded. only one girl in this thread would maybe entice when of my surfers to get the CC out and maybe buy a membership. only one. and it is not because of the girl.

it is because of how she's photographed.

maybe my surfers are different from everyone elses, but i don't think so.

and since it is so obvious to me i'll be blunt.

Paul Markham picks lovely girls. Beautiful skin, technically good photography, if you were photographing medical pathology or dentistry.

I could barely get my surfers to look at these images for free, let alone buy a membership to see the images.

If only he would photograph the girls differently, that would be ALL he would need to do for my surfers.

And i could tell you exactly how they should be photographed so even someone like me would buy his content.

but no one will understand, instead he will have the most beautiful girls in this thread and advertise "bargain content".

in erotica, the girls most be photographed in the lighting of erotica. NOT TOO MUCH FUCKING LIGHT! the surfer does not need to see some piss elegant chest of drawers and lamp or some phony backdrop.

few people fuck in the lighting of a dentist office. there's a reason boy and girl turn on the music and turn the lights down low before making whoopee, better to get the juices flowing.

create some fuckin' mystery with the lighting. we don't need to see every part of the girl in clinical detail like it's a fuckin' science project, a horrible waste of a modeling session.

and yet 80% of content that is available for sale is photographed this way.

and it is mostly given away for pennies an image.

a waste of beautiful girls.

Hey, I can honestly say I'm happy for you. The question is, do they look like you fucked them in the pics you take BEFORE you fuck them. THAT's where the money is.

who gives a shit what matters is whether or not you lay the bone on them

Then you're definitely in the wrong thread.

too bad... guess it would help if i was a photographer :glugglug