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Some pretentious ramblings.............. Some years ago, I was prompted to start
this website when female friends expressed the view that they wished
that they'd had some 'sexy' photographs taken while they were younger and before
gravity and cellulite became overwhelming challenges.........But how could they
go about
being a glamour model in a safe and non-seedy way? Having long been an
admirer of the female form, I set out to improve my photographic skills, both
theoretical and
practical. Local colleges provided an insight into the artistic & technical aspects of
photography and digital image manipulation, and a succession of pro, semi-pro
and amateur models let me practice without inflicting too much embarrassment. My
first photo shoot with a professional glamour model was the most surreal experience of my life.
After almost 30 years of having seen only my wife in the flesh, to have a
complete stranger calmly taking her clothes off about five feet away caused a
degree of camera shake that could not be explained away as soft-focus! I've also received
much solicited and unsolicited advise from other photographers via website
message boards - all most welcome. The
major dilemma I had to
face was the morality of it all. What is Glamour modelling all about? Where do
you draw the line between Glamour and Porn? Is anyone being exploited? You must make up your own mind without being judgmental.
In principle, (most) men find naked
women attractive - isn't nature wonderful! In my experience, most
women strive to be attractive and sexy, they enjoy the process and the end
results, and they enjoy being admired - thereafter it's only a matter of degree.
The (relatively) recent advent of Boudoir shoots provides a degree of
confirmation. My
increasing experience of meeting real-life models convinces me of two things:- At the level I've explored, and with one exception*, no-one is really being exploited. The ladies I met model primarily because they enjoy it - yes, it can provide an income, but they really enjoy what they do. Very often, they fit in modelling alongside a conventional, Monday to Friday job, but they deal with nudity in front of complete strangers in a totally matter-of-fact and professional way. Without exception, they have been genuinely charming, caring & super to work with. Undoubtedly there are other levels where sexual gratification
is a key element (for the photographer, the model and/or the model's partner),
but it's fairly easy to spot, and
therefore avoid. *Perhaps most exploitative are the so-called agencies that, for a fee, provide 'portfolios' to naive young women who aspire to be models, when really their best friend should have told them they had no chance. Amongst consenting
adults, any line you want to draw to define porn is strictly your line, and not
necessarily anybody else's. Images of the female form have existed in one form
or another ever since Man began to scratch pictures on the wall of his cave, and
art galleries are full of nude pictures. Like it or not, the porn industry has
been a significant driver behind every advance in media technology - home
video, digital photography, the internet - and an analysis of internet usage
demonstrates clearly that it's more than a minority interest. |