Question/Answer Post

From Mea Fiadhiglas: I've been photographing for 30+ years, but concentrating on landscapes; rarely even people I know. Last month, I had my 1st session with an art model, and now I want to do more, but I feel very unsure of the social aspects of collaborating with someone I'll just have met. /// What I especially love about your photos is how expressive you allow your face to be. So my question is... Do you, as an art model, need to be feeling a lot of rapport with the photographer? (I know that I am kind of awkward, and now I'm wondering if that means I should mostly photograph myself, so I don't make the model uncomfortable.) /// Thank you for offering this tier.

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I think this is something that people often worry about, especially when photographing nude art models. It makes sense...I'd never photographed an art model until after I was one myself and I think that helped a bit. Having a nude model pose for you, someone you've likely never met before and only exchanged written communication with, can seem a bit strange at first. It's a professional experience that seems strangely intimate considering how most people view nudity, but it's still professional all the same. 

It definitely gets easier over time - to the point that you don't really think about it. I know as a model, I'm not generally ever apprehensive about being nude in front of someone. I do know that many photographers, especially ones new to photographing art models, are a bit more nervous and I just pretend not to notice. It's not something that bothers me or most of the models I know.

As to the question...I don't necessarily need to feel a lot of rapport with a photographer, or know them for a long time, to be expressive. As long as they are professional, kind, and considerate of my comfort I will be completely fine to model for them regardless of experience level or even a bit of social awkwardness. I don't typically ever find myself unable to show emotion during a shoot. Most professional art models will be completely alright with showing emotion even though they might not be very well acquainted with a photographer at first - a lot of the job is knowing how to communicate with a photographer/artist to help them accomplish what they're trying to create. So if they are a bit nervous, that shouldn't necessarily be an issue as long as they can still let the model know what they are trying to accomplish.

Sometimes, especially in the beginning when shooting models, it is great to just let a model do their job. For me, when working with someone who is new, it often goes very well when they let me pose with very little direction (some guidance or a moodboard of images is fine - just not micromanagement). Most of us know our best angles, poses, etc. You mention in your question doing self portrait work, and while I wouldn't think you need to do this instead of photographing models, I think it's a great way to learn more about the whole concept. It does help you as a photographer to understand certain angles from a model's perspective, what is comfortable, how it feels to be photographed in certain ways, and perhaps can help you understand any issues that might come up with a model during a shoot (temperature while nude, privacy when shooting outdoors, etc). 

Also, if I missed anything, feel free to comment below with anything else concerning this :)

Thank you so much for the question and your support!