Firstly, I'm not truly a photographer... While I had aspirations to be a landscape photographer as a teenager, it turned out to be more of an excuse for taking roadtrips and avoiding college than a life-long pursuit. But, I do know how a camera performs.

I'm really just a general artist who enjoys playing with light and color and the way they interact across the human body.

I started doing art nude photography several years ago, as a rebellion against all the images of women without clothes lying spread out across a fancy bed that people were calling artistic nudes. As if the mere fact that the pictures weren't taken in a messy bedroom immediately made them "art". So, I began a project to create works that were more art than nude.

While I greatly enjoy making these pieces of beauty, it only took a couple years to discover that the world isn't interested in paying for nudes done with taste and artistry to hang on the wall. It seems most of the world is plenty happy with the huge pile of free internet nudity, and the nudity is all they are after. :(

In the 10 years that I've shot artistic nudes that I feel are actually artistic, it has earned me almost a whopping $500 in income. So, I can clearly say that I am not a "professional" photographer, by any means.

This does not mean that I do not take my work seriously, or the models who lend me their services. However, I've given up any pretense and admit that making images of beauty is nothing but a hobby, and that the only people truly interested in them are the artist that gets a sense of accomplishment, and the model who gets to see herself in a new light (pun intended). This does mean though, that I cannot justify the rates of working with many commercial photography models.

Models who work with me will not gain any exposure to further their modeling endeavors, as I no longer make the efforts to try and get my work exhibited. Trying to make a living as an artist is a full-time job that often pays horribly little. In fact, I keep hoping that someday a model I work with makes it big, and I get "discovered" through being part of her portfolio.
Even though I now create purely for the momentary joy that comes from making something interesting that hadn't existed before, that's not saying that I'm only looking for models willing to pose just for the experience. Most models I work with do get paid for their time, and all get rights to use the images for their own promotion. However, the compensation that I offer is not much more than what a "starving artist" might pay.

For example: the models I've worked with who have posed in their completely natural state have received $50-$80 an hour for their time, depending on experience and amount of skin surface without tattoos. For clothed shoots I generally pay much less, but often let the model walk off with wardrobe items they like. If anyone showed financial interest in the the work I do, I would gladly pay higher rates, especially to those who can be relaxed, casual, and visually emotive without a stitch of clothing on, but this is sadly not the case.

The nudes that I shoot are generally not explicit or erotic, unless the model herself is looking to get such shots for her own portfolio.. I try to present my subject in ways that highlight the motion and flow of the female body, rather than just show someone off for the world to gawk at. The images in my portfolio here are a good example of as "racy" as most of my nude work ever gets. I've never had a model pose on a bed, or ask her to be more erotic with a pose, because that is not the sort of feeling I'm looking to inspire in my non-existent audience. In fact, the highest praise I feel I've ever gotten on my work was when a first-time amateur model I worked with told me that her mom had accidentally seen her nudes and not only didn't freak, but was actually impressed with her daughter's nude images. Admittedly though, it turned out her mom had done some B&W art nudes when in college. lol

I'm interested in working with models of all body types, though preferably female models. I don't offer great compensation, but I provide a comfortable working environment, always have a model's preferred refreshments on hand, and provide an opportunity to be part of something that's a bit out of the ordinary.

Thanks for reading,
Aaron

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