[Architekt]

I love photography - I took photos non-stop last night until the camera ran out of battery. Worst time, too, I was chatting to a female DJ that performed just before...

Girls love having their photo taken. If you look like you know what you're doing (preferrably, you actually know what you're doing), girls literally come to you just for that reason. Great DHV and opener. Also, walking up to a girl and getting her to take a photo of you always sets the frame for you being in control of the interaction.

Quote:

Do not discount the iPhone's camera. You can do some fantastic work with it if you know what you're doing.

In "This is gonna hurt," Nikki Sixx's autobiography, he talks a lot about his photography. At some stage he says something along the lines of

"It doesn't matter if you're using the most expensive camera in the world, or a shitty iPhone camera, that picture might never be there for the taking again"

Obviously meaning: If you like to take photos, then take photos, regardless of what tools you have at your disposal. As you can imagine, carrying around large amounts of camera equipment all the time is pretty impractical, so having things like a camera on your phone can actually be useful. Too bad people abuse it and just take pictures of ducks and hamsters all day

[germanico]

(06-20-2013 08:57 AM)Architekt Wrote:  

"It doesn't matter if you're using the most expensive camera in the world, or a shitty iPhone camera, that picture might never be there for the taking again"

Great quote.

[anamericaninbangkok]

(06-20-2013 08:57 AM)Architekt Wrote:  

I love photography - I took photos non-stop last night until the camera ran out of battery. Worst time, too, I was chatting to a female DJ that performed just before...

Girls love having their photo taken. If you look like you know what you're doing (preferrably, you actually know what you're doing), girls literally come to you just for that reason. Great DHV and opener. Also, walking up to a girl and getting her to take a photo of you always sets the frame for you being in control of the interaction.

Quote:

Do not discount the iPhone's camera. You can do some fantastic work with it if you know what you're doing.

In "This is gonna hurt," Nikki Sixx's autobiography, he talks a lot about his photography. At some stage he says something along the lines of

"It doesn't matter if you're using the most expensive camera in the world, or a shitty iPhone camera, that picture might never be there for the taking again"

Obviously meaning: If you like to take photos, then take photos, regardless of what tools you have at your disposal. As you can imagine, carrying around large amounts of camera equipment all the time is pretty impractical, so having things like a camera on your phone can actually be useful. Too bad people abuse it and just take pictures of ducks and hamsters all day

Photographer Michael Christopher Brown has had numerous fantastic iPhone photos from Libya and the Congo published in Time Magazine. He may have said it better than Sixx...to paraphrase, "it's not always the technical quality of a photo that is most important, sometimes what is more important is the idea that is conveyed to the viewer of the images." I've managed to takes some excellent iPhone singles - I may go to Pakistan in the next 6 months and when I do, I definitely plan to use my iPhone.

[The Fantasist]

Let's talk about the idea of the travelling female / nude photographer and practicalities.

If you wanted to travel the world photographing the women in various states of undress, what equipment would you need. Let's get real for a minute and forget the 'i-phone photographer' idea. What would you need to take quality shots and give the fright impression that means you are taken seriously and can then translate it into dates and bangs?

Obviously a decent camera with a couple of lenses. Which lenses 30 and 50 mil? Which camera? The 5d is stupid expensive but you can get a Canon 60d for under a grand, any good? What else in terms of lighting and those umbrella things I see them use? Tripods? Can it all be folded down into hand luggage size? Do you even need that gear or as Rivalino says in his thread should you just use natural light and dispense of it all? And what sort of cost are we talking to be set up to take quality shots and appear professional and not another 'sleazy photographer'? All in for $5000 including camera? I suppose you would need a laptop and good editing suite too with you?

Let's get down to the nuts and bolts of this if we can.

[Architekt]

Vorkuta: Check out Andy Lindy (He's the guy that was doing the travel bum series)

[rudebwoy]

Vorkuta - I am looking at trading in my Canon rebel for either a 60d or a used 5d based on recommendation from this forum.

As for lenses, 50mm seems to be the standard. I had some pics taken with a 35mm and they were pretty good, actually they were passport photos.

Tripods or those poles are a must as is a decent flash.

I am still a novice but I am loving this thread .

[iknowexactly]

iPhones now have HDR, and sometimes do better than my $1000 Canon.

Where they would fail is in very low light, where their very small lenses are just too tiny to collect enough light.

[The Fantasist]

(06-21-2013 09:35 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  

Vorkuta - I am looking at trading in my Canon rebel for either a 60d or a used 5d based on recommendation from this forum.

As for lenses, 50mm seems to be the standard. I had some pics taken with a 35mm and they were pretty good, actually they were passport photos.

Tripods or those poles are a must as is a decent flash.

I am still a novice but I am loving this thread .

Rudebwoy what kind of prices are you finding on used 5d's over in Canada? They seem to be the best rated semi realistically priced camera ( the 1d I saw was stupid expensive ).

A girl I know lent me her 50d recently to try out for the day and the quality was fantastic, blew my Nikon d40 out of the water so the 5d with a fixed focal length lens would probably take incredible shots.

[rudebwoy]

I saw two for sale body only for $599 and $750 on this site Henry's.com. I am sure they are cheaper here than he UK, aren't they?

Is the 5d better than the 50d?

[Nomad77]

There is an old saying: it's not the camera but the man behind it that matters When you focus on equipment you neglected developing the skills to really put it to use. And yes, I am speaking from experience.

[The Fantasist]

(06-22-2013 11:06 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  

Is the 5d better than the 50d?

Yes especially the new 5d mark three that is out. I read that the 60d is a great choice if you don't need all the extra features or mega pixels of the 5d ( or the higher cost ) but still want great quality.

Personally I think I will go with the 50d or 60d and with the money saved buy a top quality 50mm prime lens. I have never used a prime lens but have been told that difference in sharpness and quality between using one and the standard stock lenses is stark.

Photo game thought: I met an incredible looking girl on Friday night and swapped numbers but she said I was too old for her ( she's 19 ) so my thinking is that with portraiture skills and a decent camera instead of me inviting girls like that out for a drink and her understanding the meaning of that and possibly saying no due to our age difference with photo game I'd just call her up and say something like "hey it's Vorkuta. Listen you know I told you I was a photographer, well I'd be interested in shooting you. I think you have an incredible bone structure that might result in some great shots. Check out my website and if you like my work then let's set this up. Even if the camera hates you we'll still have a laugh". What chick would say no to that? I've bypassed the 'date' idea so our 20 year age difference trigger won't be activated. So she looks at my website sees my photos of attractive women in different world locations, sees my bio page that has been enhanced with a light sprinkling of bullshit about winning certain photography awards etc. I've DHV'd already. So she gets to the apartment a little apprehensive still, am I a sleazy type. But I'm completely professional with her, I tell her funny stories as I shoot her about past shoots and future travel plans. I say "you know what I know a waterfall in Brazil where I'd love to shoot you as you have the perfect look for what I envisioned when I saw it" and you leave it there, let her hamster get to work. You flirt a little and shoot her but you don't get sleazy or ask to shoot her naked as she was possibly expecting, just head shots and regular poses. Then afterwards you sit at the computer and go through the shots together, touch them up in Lightroom together, laugh at the bad ones, coo at the good ones. All the time you're getting her used to you touching her non sexually and being in such close proximity to you. You promise to send her copies and get her email address. When finished you say lets go grab a post shoot drink. You go to a bar, recount more travel tales about shooting such and such a model. You say "I had fun with you, you have a fresh vibrancy that I like and that translates well to the camera. Models often having boring personalities but you're kind of cool. I'd like to shoot you again sometime". She's thinking how she has never met such a guy before or had such a fun time or felt so special. Her usual lays are with milkmen and mechanics who have never done anything interesting but you're something else, you're interesting, urbane, have travelled, lead a fascinating life, are artistic. She is thinking of being at the Brazilian waterfall with you. It's in the bag. I'm buying that camera.

[anamericaninbangkok]

Vorkuta - you would be surprised what you can do with an iPhone's camera, some decent light, and the right software. With this and a small tripod, beanbag, or whatever, the right photographer can work wonders with it. You're never going to get the highest quality out of the current iPhone but you'll get artsy, usable photos.

You can get some decent 50MM lenses for $125-$200. I have a 5D and a Fuji XE-1 and several other film cameras that I still use. One of which is a cheap Nikon EM that was my mothers and is around 35 years old. It was given to me three years ago and it was in pristine condition. I get some great shots out of it and for me, nothing beats using film and the depth it brings out.

I would not recommend a 5D to a beginning photographer.

Get the 50D or 60D and a couple of decent lenses and use those to get better. My tastes have changed over the years which is why I have a Fuji now. Also, I am buying a couple of new cameras shortly, Nikon F5, Leica M6, and possibly another Canon 5D.

Most chicks won't have a clue regardless...and anyway, the majority of photographers shooting models are not using 5D's anyway.

Article on Michael Christopher Brown in Libya

[rudebwoy]

Vorkuta - those prices I quoted were for the 5d, not the mark version. I can only imagine how much fun you would have running that game in south of France or in Russia, those beauties would eat that up. Shit you could tell them you are David Bailey's son.
I will probably go for the 50d since it will be new, I can get one with a decent lens for a$1000 cdn and of course I will get a discount for my trade-in.

[Soma]

What do you guys think of the Fuji X100S?

[Soma]

(06-21-2013 10:46 PM)iknowexactly Wrote:  

iPhones now have HDR, and sometimes do better than my $1000 Canon.

Do you know if anyone has figured out a way to pull the RAW images from an iPhone?

[anamericaninbangkok]

(06-23-2013 10:42 AM)Soma Wrote:  

What do you guys think of the Fuji X100S?

I've shot with the X100 and if you want an inconspicuous, non-intrusive camera, it's excellent. The photo quality is very good too. The S is supposedly even better. As I said, I have the XE-1 and it's one, if not my favorite camera. My only complaint is it isn't weather sealed and can't be used in really rough, rugged environments.

Zack Arias - Greatest Camera Ever Owned

Fuji X100 - Steve Huff Review

[BoneDaddy]

(06-23-2013 10:42 AM)Soma Wrote:  

What do you guys think of the Fuji X100S?

The Fuji X100s is a phenomenal little camera that can create extremely high-quality images. I've shot with both the X100 and the X100s. The X100s corrected a few of the quirks that plagued the X100.

It would be a fantastic travel camera, its small enough to carry anywhere you go.

Having said all that, its not the best (IMO) tool if you're interested in doing portraiture. Its a fixed-lens camera and you're limited to it's 35mm focal length which isn't optimal due to the issue of perspective distortion.
To create flattering portraits, you're better off with a longer focal length where you can back away from your subject.

It's also fairly expensive at ~ $1300 USD. For less money, there are better tools for portraiture. For travel and general walkabout shooting, the X100s is fabulous.

For portraiture, my go-to recommendation would be a used Canon 5D ($500 to $700 used) and a Canon 85mm F1.8 lens ($425 USD new)

[Pilgrim37]

Learn from Pierre Woodman..nicknamed the Spider!

Psychological persuasion photographers game...works mostly Eastern Europe and Russian girls
Must bang more hot young girls through photography than anyone!
Changes their psychology towards sex

[MikeinMKE]

This topic really interests me.

I have the money to take some classes, buy some legit equipment, and my warehouse loft condo has an art-studio type vibe that would lend further credibility. I also have inherent style in regards to dress, furnitures, feng shui, etc. I feel like I'd be somewhat of a natural.

Advice for best place to start learning? Professional photography classes? Summer classes at a local community college? Could somebody recommend some equipment (digital only, please) that would be a reasonable deal?

If I move to Chicago I'd have access to CL and BP as far as aspiring models and then once I got my lingo and confidence and a portfolio built up I'd be able to move to Model Mayhem where I could clean up.

The best thing is I don't need to make a cent off this - I just want top notch pussy. Model quality pussy while I'm still fit and handsome and in my 30's. Enough of the 7's - bring on the 8.5's and 9's.

what about photography meet up groups? That might be cheaper than classes (and more on-demand than waiting 3 months for the next semester of photog. classes to start). Moving to a major city like Chicago would also presumably give me better access to nude photography classes where I could learn even more of the lingo, etc.

[samsamsam]

Mike,

Go and shoot, classes are not that critical if you are using a newer camera. I am rocking a T3i. Been doing some headshots (for friends that have turned out well).

There is a lot to read out there. I wouldn't spend a penny yet until you have a clear plan. Money can be spent pretty quickly.

Check slickdeals.net, there is a photography category, some deals pop up.

Try this reddit thread http://www.reddit.com/r/photography/

Best thing is shoot, and figure out what you didn't like about the shot and try to learn how to fix it. A lot of pics are photoshopped, so you'll need a little of that to clean up stuff.

I took an intro class, and it was a lot to absorb. It was a free class at a camera store (and I didn't even buy my camera there haha). Better to try stuff and bring your manual and phone. When I was doing a evening shot, I wants to get the swirl of lights you sometimes see in pics. So I searched on the internet and found out I needed to play with the shutter speed. And it worked!

[Espresso]

(07-11-2014 11:49 PM)MikeinMKE Wrote:  

This topic really interests me.

I have the money to take some classes, buy some legit equipment, and my warehouse loft condo has an art-studio type vibe that would lend further credibility. I also have inherent style in regards to dress, furnitures, feng shui, etc. I feel like I'd be somewhat of a natural.

Advice for best place to start learning? Professional photography classes? Summer classes at a local community college? Could somebody recommend some equipment (digital only, please) that would be a reasonable deal?

If I move to Chicago I'd have access to CL and BP as far as aspiring models and then once I got my lingo and confidence and a portfolio built up I'd be able to move to Model Mayhem where I could clean up.

The best thing is I don't need to make a cent off this - I just want top notch pussy. Model quality pussy while I'm still fit and handsome and in my 30's. Enough of the 7's - bring on the 8.5's and 9's.

what about photography meet up groups? That might be cheaper than classes (and more on-demand than waiting 3 months for the next semester of photog. classes to start). Moving to a major city like Chicago would also presumably give me better access to nude photography classes where I could learn even more of the lingo, etc.

Are you a complete beginner? Either way, don't really see a need to sign up and pay for classes. There is a tonne of good free info on various blogs and professional youtube channels that would explain concepts/techniques/examples starting from basics to pretty advanced stuff. Once you're up to speed, taking a specialized class might be useful.

Spend the money on some good glass instead. Depends on your budget, but you can start with:
Nikon D5300 body ($750)
50mm 1.8g nikkor lens ($200)

There are two types of DSLRs: crop-sensor (like the Nikon D5300) and full-frame (these are considerably more expensive). This is important because it changes the effective focal length of the lens, so the 50mm on a crop-sensor DSLR would become a 75mm on full-frame.

For portraits you generally want a long-ish focal length, say 75mm or above. Shorter focal lengths (=wide-angle) would not make flattering portraits generally as it distorts the facial features. 75mm is probably the minimum you should use (=50mm on crop-sensor). No hard and fast rule about the exact number, but 105mm is considered a classic, or you can go even much higher especially if you're doing head shots as opposed to portraits showing most of the body. One thing to keep in mind though is make sure your loft studio (which sounds sweet btw) is big enough because the longer the focal length the further back you're gonna have to stand from the model.

You would also need some studio lights. You can use off-camera flash units with softboxes (to diffuse the light making it softer). You can buy a cheap home-studio lighting kit of under $300, which would have 2-3 lights with a couple softboxes and stands to hold them. Or you can use natural light to begin with if your loft has some nice light coming in.

Finally, get Adobe Lightroom ($100) for post-processing, and you're good to go.

Enjoy.

[MikeinMKE]

Thanks for the two replies to my post, ya'll.

Find out today if I get my condo in Chicago or if I'm still going to be in Milwaukee. Fingers are crossed. I figure it would take me two months to get settled, and then I could select my semi-pro camera, cram in some tutorials, and use it for my 2 weeks in Europe and then come back and try to use it for game.

Oh and I need to step up my work performance or this will all come crashing down from underneath me. I'm so close to living my dream but my pesky career/day job keeps getting in my way. I hate it - just want to live my dream, not fukking WORK.

[lurker]

(07-12-2014 12:49 AM)Espresso Wrote:  

(07-11-2014 11:49 PM)MikeinMKE Wrote:  

This topic really interests me.

I have the money to take some classes, buy some legit equipment, and my warehouse loft condo has an art-studio type vibe that would lend further credibility. I also have inherent style in regards to dress, furnitures, feng shui, etc. I feel like I'd be somewhat of a natural.

Advice for best place to start learning? Professional photography classes? Summer classes at a local community college? Could somebody recommend some equipment (digital only, please) that would be a reasonable deal?

If I move to Chicago I'd have access to CL and BP as far as aspiring models and then once I got my lingo and confidence and a portfolio built up I'd be able to move to Model Mayhem where I could clean up.

The best thing is I don't need to make a cent off this - I just want top notch pussy. Model quality pussy while I'm still fit and handsome and in my 30's. Enough of the 7's - bring on the 8.5's and 9's.

what about photography meet up groups? That might be cheaper than classes (and more on-demand than waiting 3 months for the next semester of photog. classes to start). Moving to a major city like Chicago would also presumably give me better access to nude photography classes where I could learn even more of the lingo, etc.

Are you a complete beginner? Either way, don't really see a need to sign up and pay for classes. There is a tonne of good free info on various blogs and professional youtube channels that would explain concepts/techniques/examples starting from basics to pretty advanced stuff. Once you're up to speed, taking a specialized class might be useful.

Spend the money on some good glass instead. Depends on your budget, but you can start with:
Nikon D5300 body ($750)
50mm 1.8g nikkor lens ($200)

There are two types of DSLRs: crop-sensor (like the Nikon D5300) and full-frame (these are considerably more expensive). This is important because it changes the effective focal length of the lens, so the 50mm on a crop-sensor DSLR would become a 75mm on full-frame.

For portraits you generally want a long-ish focal length, say 75mm or above. Shorter focal lengths (=wide-angle) would not make flattering portraits generally as it distorts the facial features. 75mm is probably the minimum you should use (=50mm on crop-sensor). No hard and fast rule about the exact number, but 105mm is considered a classic, or you can go even much higher especially if you're doing head shots as opposed to portraits showing most of the body. One thing to keep in mind though is make sure your loft studio (which sounds sweet btw) is big enough because the longer the focal length the further back you're gonna have to stand from the model.

You would also need some studio lights. You can use off-camera flash units with softboxes (to diffuse the light making it softer). You can buy a cheap home-studio lighting kit of under $300, which would have 2-3 lights with a couple softboxes and stands to hold them. Or you can use natural light to begin with if your loft has some nice light coming in.

Finally, get Adobe Lightroom ($100) for post-processing, and you're good to go.

Enjoy.

Beginner tactic:

1. Buy camera
2. Start shooting.

Everything you shoot will suck for a while. Then you'll learn more and more, and it will get better. At that point, you'll have figured out what other gear you might need.

It's remarkably like every other skill in the universe in that respect.

[cmrocks]

I'd avoid places like Model Mayhem. As others have said, it's a small community and for people who are serious about the industry. My fiancee models and uses MM. I asked her about the photographers and she said that everyone has been extremely professional always.

For what you're after, I would say get a small portfolio or website together where you can advertise yourself as a serious amateur. Also, try to get a shot of you "in action". Get someone else to photograph you while you're doing a shoot. Put these kinds of photos on your Tinder profile and I don't think you would have much trouble getting girls over for a session. Since it's casual, I think you'd have a better shot at gaming them.

I used to be into black and white photography quite a bit. I had my own darkroom etc. I always used to keep a stack of prints on my desk in my room during my college years. Any time I had a girl over, we'd always end up sitting on my bed and flipping through my photographs. Worked great.

[The Wire]

(07-12-2014 12:49 AM)Espresso Wrote:  

Are you a complete beginner? Either way, don't really see a need to sign up and pay for classes. There is a tonne of good free info on various blogs and professional youtube channels that would explain concepts/techniques/examples starting from basics to pretty advanced stuff. Once you're up to speed, taking a specialized class might be useful.

Spend the money on some good glass instead. Depends on your budget, but you can start with:
Nikon D5300 body ($750)
50mm 1.8g nikkor lens ($200)

There are two types of DSLRs: crop-sensor (like the Nikon D5300) and full-frame (these are considerably more expensive). This is important because it changes the effective focal length of the lens, so the 50mm on a crop-sensor DSLR would become a 75mm on full-frame.

For portraits you generally want a long-ish focal length, say 75mm or above. Shorter focal lengths (=wide-angle) would not make flattering portraits generally as it distorts the facial features. 75mm is probably the minimum you should use (=50mm on crop-sensor). No hard and fast rule about the exact number, but 105mm is considered a classic, or you can go even much higher especially if you're doing head shots as opposed to portraits showing most of the body. One thing to keep in mind though is make sure your loft studio (which sounds sweet btw) is big enough because the longer the focal length the further back you're gonna have to stand from the model.

You would also need some studio lights. You can use off-camera flash units with softboxes (to diffuse the light making it softer). You can buy a cheap home-studio lighting kit of under $300, which would have 2-3 lights with a couple softboxes and stands to hold them. Or you can use natural light to begin with if your loft has some nice light coming in.

Finally, get Adobe Lightroom ($100) for post-processing, and you're good to go.

Enjoy.

Nice post. I've been doing photography as a hobby for a few years, just landscapes and wanted to venture into this "model" world as well.

I pretty much have all the focal lengths covered with the following equipment already...

Sony RX1(I know expensive as hell for a fixed 35mm, but got a excellent deal on it)
Pentax K-5 with Lens; 77mm 1.8 prime, 18-55mm kit lens, 55-300mm


What type of shooting would you do in your apartment? What I mean is typical 2-3 light setup with standing headshots/body shots or do you go everywhere....like having a girl lay on your bed with the natural light? I'm just trying to think of the entire "shoot" from start to finish. I'm guessing you need someone kind of reflectors if using natural light as well.

I have no lighting equipment except one off camera flash yet, but I have decent apartment window lighting.