Do you think shooting porn is the road to riches?
 

If you're thinking shooting porn is the road to riches or even to making a living read this, it might save you some money and time.

I would like to state this is to help those who are determined to become porn producers and deter those who think it's easy.

Firstly, porn is a saturated market. The last figures I heard for the US was 16,000 videos released in a year, that's over 44 a day. An average magazine every month receives 10 times the amount of content they need.

The Internet is probably the least saturated section but look around at some of the prices people are working for. People are offering content to us at prices we cannot produce it for, we don't buy it because we know we can't sell it. Because the bottom of the market is flooded.

So if you're still determined to follow read on.

First decide what niche to shoot, you need to know something about the niche as those buying it, the surfer, will definitely have a clue, there is no niche called "Crap Pornography". Research, research and research again. Then learn about what you researched.

Buy decent equipment, otherwise you will look like an amateur to the models and your work will suffer. The better your cameras and lights the better your work will turn out. Crisper, cleaner, better lit, better color balanced, in focus images or video will sell. Content shot on cheap equipment is everywhere and being practically given away most of the time.

If you don't have a budget of $5,000 minimum for equipment forget about it. Even that budget is pushing it.

Now learn how to use the equipment. The new digital photography age makes life so easy. There is absolutely no excuse for out of focus, poorly lit and bad color pictures. Calling it amateur is not an excuse.

So now you know your niche and equipment. Next is your market. Take some time to research it look at what people at the top are publishing. You will never enter the market at this level, this is where you're aiming for. Be very careful what you post or email, because people will start to ask to see samples.

Next stop is models and this is the tough part. Where are they going to come from, what kind of models can you find, what will they do, what will they want to earn? All these factors need to be resolved where you are, not asking me about how I do it. Models in Czech will do more, do it better and be more plentiful than models in Afghanistan or even New York, they also tend to be better looking. Your models situation will need to be resolved by you locally.

Learning how to make a model who is only there for the money and with no intentions of fucking anyone, look like she would fuck for a pizza is the real gift of a pornographer. Each model is different, needs a different approach, different direction and different motivating. If I have to explain how to do this I seriously suggest you go practise for a year until you get this right.

This is the tough part. Learning how to get the maximum out of a model when they intend doing the minimum is the hardest part of my job. Any pornographer will tell you they are part photographer, part pornographer, part psychologist and part wet nurse, with a little bit of favourite uncle or lover thrown in. And if you think this is an easy way to get laid, forget about it.

Remember the bottom of the ladder is crowded and saturated. If you think it's going to be easy with 100 other people producing content no better or no different from what you can do then think again. If you think you can compete and make the money we make, then look at www.paulmarkham.com. This is what you need to equal to earn what we earn.

finding and using models has to be the toughest part of being in this biz full time....a good model is hard to find, and a hard model is good to find ;)

Paul, I luv ya man.

But I hate to say that I disagree. I've made a good living, with no photography training, shitty equipment, and flying by the seat of my pants the whole time.

The trick to making it in this biz is doing what you love. Pick one thing you do well, and love to do, then do it better than anyone until the money starts flowing. Heart goes a long way in this biz. The most successful people in adult usually started as hobbyists!

Steve Lightspeed

I can teach someone to take a decent photograph in a couple of days and a video in an afternoon. It takes years to learn what to shoot.

No need to disagree.

The difference is you have the gift, can't teach that.

We only see the guys who succeeded and it's best to start any business out of something you love doing.

Do you think you could of started today and be where you are now by 2012?

all these years of experience and you still fear the competition

maybe the problem is that there are a lot of people doing the same old tired looking porn

no matter what its going to take time,hard work,experience and alot of luck to become successfull

Paul, I have to disagre also, and agree with Steve.

Steve is a genius and successful operator because he knows his niche market, he's built the Lightspeed girl brand, knows how to find new talent, and is a sharp marketing wiz.

You don't need to be a pro photographer to make it in porn. You need just need to create images that people want to buy and be a master of your niche.

A lot of surfers don't like pro looking porn. They'd rather be on a site that looks like a college student shot picks of drunk naked girls in the dorms with a Kodak Instamatic because it conveys the real deal, no studio setups.

Flying by the seat of your pants is what gives uniqueness to a site and that is what is selling well in the market.

example and it's doing amazing

http://www.bikiniscam.com/maintour.php/11/28/A

The most stupid post so far.

What makes you think I fear competition? Justify your words and explain how you arrived at this conclusion.

If I feared competition I would let them start up and fail without telling them the road to where I got is tough and needs a lot of hard work, a lot of talent and some skills.

Could not agree more. Some many people are fed up seeing this glamour airbrushed photography, real is better.

I would have to post links to other forums. I have often called you out for this very thing, always trying to discourage the newbie photographer. That tells me you must fear the competition. :2 cents:

Where in what I posted did I say amateur porn is not a good seller?

People in the UK know these magazines, go look at Escort, Razzle and New Talent. We are one of their major contributors. Look at the readers wives pictures in the back of Club Confidential, we are the major supplier.

Amateur is a great market and we shoot for it all the time. But it still needs skills that I mentioned in my original post. Or did you miss this?

The hard part is to make the model look as if she was doing it for fun and not there to earn money. Steve has the gift and the love for what he does. the photography part is the easy bit.

Telling them it's tough and how to make themselves avoid the mistakes is me fearing competition?

Totally agree. The "Glamour" market is falling by the day and thankfully not a market I've ever made a lot of money in.

But real has to be the illusion she will fuck you. Plus if you get it in focus and the right color the surfer is more likely to sign up.

Or is Steve buying content from Max Candy because he's a crap shooter?

Good stuff and hits the niche precisely, from what I can see.

The content looks like what most guys would fantasise would happen in this situation. :thumbsup

There is nothing on these sites that contradicts what I posted. And if you think there is read it again.

http://main.terrylightspeed.com/res/...//tt/con/co/nc

http://main.courtneylightspeed.com/r...//tt/con/co/nc

http://main.heatherlightspeed.com/re...//tt/con/co/nc

If you think any of the content on these sites was shot by a guy who picked up a camera last week, please tell me what made you come to that conclusion.

If you want further advice on how to succeed in making it shooting porn hit me up on ICQ and I will give you the URLs on YNOT and the Pond where you can see the articles I wrote.

:1orglaugh

i dont know wether to congratulate you on your marketing technique or rent a bulldozer and shove your bullshit back at ya.

Rent a bulldozer or stop making posts with nothing to back them up.

Show me where the BS is in my posts.

The two programs shown as examples against my post both support it. I see nothing on those sites that lead me to believe they were shot with bad equipment. The content shows a good degree of knowledge in how to use the equipment in a proficient way.

But most importantly both sites have cracked the models management side. This is, as I pointed out, the tough part of shooting porn. Anyone can point a camera at a girl, it takes skills and talent to make it into porn.

Or are you saying these sites are successful because all they did is point the camera?

I agree, but you don't have to produce good content to make good money. I think the most part revolves around your skills (Marketing, sellling, etc...)

im speaking of the overall tone of your original post.

again, my interpretation - smart marketing and a load -


Successful people create oportunites, some look for it while most wait for it.

I've made my living for 6 years now with no training in photography, video, computers, html, design, or marketing. Pure drive which has lead me to where I am.

Teach me pls. Because I am shitty photographer!:thumbsup

happy is the man that can make a living from his hobby

Sounds to me like a fear of competition thread

There's enough "deterrence" threads bouncing around, Paul.

C'mon, smile -- baby -- you so lucky -- :winkwink:

I dont make not a bad living and it beats a day job.

:thumbsup

Can I get that on a shirt?

yeah... you can see it in many girls' eyes. Some have it and some don't.

As for the photographers, I see a lot of shitty content! Lightning and angels should be so easy to get right, but so many fails.

I seem to be doing awright.

http://www.ialien.com/laura/images/DPP_0005.jpg

I still don't know how to light a set right, although somtimes I do get it right. I'm not rich, but I'm making OK money...this job beats working.

There's plenty of business to go around no matter what your level of skill is :thumbsup

i'm just here to take a break while burning 30 dvds... :glugglug

www.howtomakeadultvideos.com is basically the class I teach for The Learning Annex---bottom line, there seems to be a product glut so one needs a niche or some special talent to excel; but, if a new wannabe producer with a recent inheritance from "Aunt Matilda" wants to still go ahead, the class tells them appropriate info which might give them a shot.

Dave

It's not the shot that sells, it's the story that it tells.

been in this game for 5yrs and I've done ok... I do my own thing. Fuck what others think, do what you believe and if you're having fun... $$ will come. I don't even look at the $$ anymore :2 cents:

Everything in life is easy, don't depress the young people in here.

No yours was

because you are the only person who tries to discourage competition, anyone who doesnt care doesnt make such shitty posts.

Bullshit, someone who doesnt care doesnt make such posts, they wouldnt even think of it.

by the way being an arse licker doesnt make you a profesional, it makes you an arse licker

I used to think so...

But now I know for sure that it is.

you have to know what to do with that conten.

very interesting post!

huf huf huf huf




sorry just trying to fear the competition a little bit :pimp

imagination, hard work, and dedication is the road to riches.

shooting exclusive custom content is a 'mom and pop' biz . . shooting like you and max candy is something all together different . . shooting like joa @ ama is different still . . . I can say one thing though with absolute certainty: most of the models I see on tours I would not be able to shoot . . .

Great post paul, ive honestly been thinking about getting into the content market and it's a lot harder to break into with quality stuff than what I had first thought.

you're right.

A great qoute from one of the great minds in this business. year after year Steve I do believe that you are right.

Paul is always entertaining.

Also don't forget luck.. :)