Hope at the interview

Hope responded to a classified ad I placed on a popular free classified website. I had posted ads once or twice a week for the previous few weeks. The ads stay up for a couple of months, so there were about ten ads up. Hope responded to all ten, so I assumed she was probably hitting all of the ads she could find, what I call shot gunning. A model appearing uncommitted can be a yellow flag, so I needed to determine how deep her interest was. I responded quickly to Hope, knowing she was eager to get started and might soon be busy with other photographers. Here is the e-mail she sent me:
“Hi, I am interested in being the nude model for your photography. I am an artist myself and have painted some nude portraits so I understand. I would like to meet beforehand and maybe know a little about you before. I will attach one or two photographs of myself in semi-nude to see if I might be what you are looking for. I will check my email often for a reply. Thanks, Hope”

As it occasionally happens, Hope’s photos were not large or clear enough for me to determine her suitability for my projects. It was obvious that she had some attractive features, and the photos she sent me were unusually creative in their lighting and poses. This was substantially encouraging. Nevertheless, I still had some questions about her appearance that were difficult to answer via an e-mail exchange. From the small, dim shots, I could not see if her skin was smooth or if her muscles were toned. I was also concerned about her apparent shotgun approach. I decided an in-person interview would solve these uncertainties, as well as verify her interest and commitment. My reply to her first e-mail read, “Hello, Hope. I like what I see. I’m pretty flexible with time this weekend. If you send me your number and tell me when you’re available, we should be able to do something.”

I called her, and we agreed to meet at a coffee shop that was convenient for both of us. Hope was on time to the meeting and lively when she got there. She was, in fact, easily identifiable as the most attractive woman in the shop. On that note, I typically do not worry about how I am going to spot a model at our first meeting; if I cannot find her in a crowd, she’s probably not what I’m looking for. I introduced myself to her while she was standing in line. I bought coffee for both of us, and we sat. Hope reiterated that she was an artist, and concerning nudes, she said, “I get it.” She was emphatic, and I could sense she had zero qualms about creating images with me. After a few minutes, I suggested we step outside to see how well things worked with her, my camera, and me. We walked into the parking lot, and I retrieved my camera from my car and snapped a few quick shots, one of which appears on this page.

I did two shoots with Hope before she unfortunately had to move four hours away. For months, we did not do any shoots. I kept in touch with her through Facebook and we have continued to work together. I have traveled up to work with her over a weekend and she has come to me on occasion. When visiting her, we traveled to some of her mountain haunts, including some amazing waterfalls. She has posed with classic cars and at an abandoned Buddhist monastery. Hope is good at making a single prop work, whether it is a rope, chain, scarf, or bottle filled with water. I have photographed Hope at least eight times, each with spectacular results.

More about Hope and additional recruiting diaries appear in my book Up to My Eyeballs in Nude Women.

Modeling is competitive and the world of the figure model is no exception. If you work out three times a week, you may lose your next audition to the model who hits the gym five days a week. If you run two miles a day then treat yourself to fried chicken, there’s the girl who runs six miles and never sets foot in a fast-food restaurant. Here are some ideas to stay in shape, showcase your talents, and make sure you stay on top of the list of models who get called back for more work.

1. Fix your portfolio. Choose recent photos. It’s okay to keep one favorite, but old photos send the message that you’re not hired much. Choose photos that show how good you look; not how good the Photoshop is. Retouched photos make it look like you’re trying to hide something. Remember, it’s not an art exhibit, it’s a visual résumé.
2. Tone up. You’ve got to work out more than the competition if you’re going to beat them. Find exercise you enjoy so you won’t quit doing it.
3. Take care of your hair. Baby it. Don’t abuse it. Depending on its length, the ends of your hairs have been hanging around for a year or more. Don’t ruin your hair in one night with harsh chemicals.
4. Take the interview seriously. If you show up looking like you just rolled out of bed, you won’t get the choicest gigs.
5. Junk food is the enemy. You can lie to yourself, but your body will not lie to the camera. Treat junk food like a terrorist. Don’t negotiate with junk food. Drinks with whipped cream, anything fried, anything that drips grease, or has added sugar should not pass your lips. Whole, natural foods build a healthy body.
6. Keep a steady pace. Model regularly and in amounts that you can handle. Don’t overbook and don’t take extended holidays.
7. Fade those tan lines. Wear a variety of beachwear so you don’t have such a bad lines. Use tanning salons, but don’t overdo it. Buy one or more tan-through swimsuits. Use sunscreen. Avoid deep tanning.
8. Don’t smoke. The link between being smoke-free and a healthy, sexy look shouldn’t have to be explained.

Nude model outdoors. Model: Hope S.

You can find nude models in many places and with a variety of methods. One that is surprisingly effective is free classified advertising offered by sites such as Craigslist.org and Backpage.com.

I’ve found that free online advertising yields better and more reliable models than social networking sites that are specifically designed to hook up models and photographers such as modelmayhem.com or modellocate.com. I’m not sure of all the reasons but they probably include the fact that the classified ad sites have greater reach than the modeling sites and do not require an account in order to respond to castings.

There are some tricks to advertising and I will give you some tips to help you be more successful. In general, post regularly but don’t post too often. I post less frequently than the sites’ rules allow. But some degree of repetition (about once every week or two) is good.

Craigslist

Craigslist has a lot of rules about posting to their site. Make sure you read and follow all of them. Craigslist does not allow adult ads in the U.S. anymore, so be careful your ad mentions that you are looking for models. I often use the term figure modeling or undraped art model instead of “nude modeling” so that it’s clear that I’m not running some kind of webcam service or other prohibited activity.

The site may also check your IP address to make sure you are posting locally. The problem with using your IP to determine your location is that the method is terribly unreliable. If Craigslist gets your location wrong, your post will not appear and you will not receive any kind of notification that it is not posted. In fact, you may receive a message that your post was successfully posted when in fact it is not (this is called ghosting.) I advise using an IP lookup service like ip2location.com to make sure your IP corresponds to your actual location. When I loop up my IP location it is sometimes listed as being over a thousand miles away; for example it could say I’m in Florida or it could say I’m in Illinois. I’ve found that by switching off my router and switching it back on, my service provider will assign me a new IP address. You may have to complain to your Internet service provider, or even change services, if you are unable to obtain a local IP address.

Craigslist has a system for reporting inappropriate ads. Sometimes this system results in legitimate ads being removed from the site, though Craigslist claims the occurrence of this is very low. I find that ads I place in the evenings are never flagged for removal, though ads placed first thing in the morning sometimes were. I’m not sure of the reasons. If you have trouble with flagging, read the terms of use carefully, and try posting again in a few days.

Craigslist likes your ad to be unique, so type your ad from scratch every time. Don’t copy and paste from another window; CL may even use software to detect pasting.

Backpage

More robust and easier to use than Craigslist, Backpage.com unfortunately does not have as much reach. Depending on where you live you may have better success with Backpage, although Craigslist is more popular in many places, including where I live.

Backpage allows you to easily upload photos to your ad for free, and provides a number of paid upgrade services. Backpage doesn’t do any ghosting or IP checking, so there is no confusion about whether your ad will be posted or not. The site does some keyword checking, but is upfront about it, producing a message if you use words that indicate that your ad may be inappropriate or mis-categorized.

Backpage does allow users to report inappropriate ads, but is not subject to erroneous or competitive flagging

Success Stories

Shown below are just a few models I’ve recruited through Craigslist: Tawny, Hope and Michelle.

Tawny, responded to an ad on Craigslist seeking nude models

Nude model Hope, recruited through Craigslist

Michelle, Nude model found on Craigslist

Cover of the book Lights, Camera... Nude!: A Guide to Lighting the Female Nude for Photography. Model: Hope S.

Title page of the book Lights, Camera... Nude!: A Guide to Lighting the Female Nude for Photography. Model: Hope S.

Back cover of the book Lights, Camera... Nude!: A Guide to Lighting the Female Nude for Photography. Model: Narzahni

This guide shows you how to use light to photograph nude female models and create various moods and effects. From the plainspoken to the artistic, each lighting configuration is diagramed in painstaking detail. Learn the art and skill of using light and controlling shadows from the author of True Confessions of Nude Photography. For those who loved the lighting section in the first book want even more, this follow-up book concentrates purely on the author’s nude lighting style with updated images, text and diagrams.

Sample pages from the book Lights, Camera… Nude! showing accent lights, separation lights, and the effect of angle of light. Including examples of back light, kicker, and rim lights.