In a blog entry about Jana Cova, I said I don’t normally write about my experiences with models during our photo sessions.  But after a deserved exception with Jana, I now make one with Karlie Montana. Maybe this is a trend.

She had taken care of herself.  Even under loose street clothes, it was easy to see that she was still as hot as three years ago.  She was right on time, which I expected, and that should have tipped me to what would happen next, but it didn’t.

She walked through the front door and said, “Where do I put my stuff?”  It was hardly the excited reunion of old friends I had expected.

The last time I had seen Karlie Montana was three years earlier in April 2007, during our Torrid Art photo shoot.  Torrid Art had been online only a few months.  We were all a little green back then, and I was beginning to think a little too impressionable.  I remember how easy Karlie was to work with, how easy-going and professional she was, and how great she looked.  I knew I had hit the jackpot!  To this day, Karlie continues to be very popular with members of Torrid Art.

So when I booked Karlie for a second Torrid Art photo session a few weeks ago, I got pretty excited.  I felt like I would be seeing an old friend.  But when she walked through the door, I felt like I was having a reality check.  This is a professional model who deals with photographers on a professional level.  And besides, there was no guarantee she would remember me at all.  But even if she didn’t remember me, I still knew the photo sessions would be enduring.

But after Karlie set down her “stuff,” and we finally started talking, it turned out that she did remember me.  In fact, she remembered me quite well, and most everything else about that photo shoot three years earlier.  And she was very happy to see me and to be working with me again.  She was the warm, friendly woman I remember.  So reality did finally prevail, though initially her instincts to be professional had tarnished my gilded expectations.

We had fun reminiscing for a few minutes, then it was time to work.  During the day, Karlie not only matched my expectations, she surpassed them.  Karlie was just as easy to work with as I remembered.  As I said on Karlie’s model page: “My work couldn’t have been easier!”

A great model, for sure.  But there was another reason I wanted to shoot Karlie Montana that day.  I had scheduled a second model to be on set with us.  We were shooting the first girl-girl gallery for Torrid Art!  I wanted at least one of the models to be a “known” model - one I had worked with before. I wanted to reduce the chances that something would go wrong during this little experiment.  As luck would have it, we ended up with two known, proven models.  The results were magnificent.  More about that later.

Oh, and I was right.  Karlie had taken care of herself.  She looked fantastic, as you can see in the new galleries on Karlie’s model page.

- RAP

My friend boarded the helicopter, ready for a tour of the largest of the Hawaiian islands.  It really sounded fantastic - flying over the jungle, around volcanoes, canyons and waterfalls.  He enjoyed it, all right, but with one complaint.  There were three other tourists in the helicopter, and two of them took a lot of pictures.  According to my friend, “how could they enjoy the ride with a camera in their face?”

About a year later, my friend took another little vacation.  He took a cruise ship through the Panama Canal and again it sounded fantastic.  But this time things were different.  My friend had bought himself a small, point-and-shoot camera.  And guess what?  He took a boatload of photos!  I was not surprised to hear him say that this trip was more enjoyable because of his camera.

After that trip through the Canal, we met and he showed me all his photos, reliving the adventure one day at a time.  And boy, did he have a lot of photos!  My friend had discovered the documentary power of photography - to record conditions and events in great detail.

But mixed in with these documents of his trip were some photos that were quite good artistically, and I commented on them.  The photos I chose for comment surprised him, as did the reasons why I liked them.  Having been through this before with people who had never really thought about photography as a creative outlet, I expected him to be surprised.

But his biggest surprise of all came at the end, when I told him which photo was my favorite. I picked a photo my friend had almost deleted because he thought it was trash!

He had been standing on deck when a seagull flew near the ship, but below deck level.  The photo was taken looking almost straight down at the bird, which had its wings outstretched.  The background was ocean, all ocean as the camera was pointing down.  The photo was blurry.  The seagull was close enough to the camera that it was clearly the subject of the photo.  It was off-center, and by accident in a very pleasant position in the photo.

As a document of what the bird looked like at that time, the photo was not well executed.  The blur hid a lot of details, and my friend had almost deleted what he assumed was a very poor-quality photo.

But as an artistic expression of the events, to me, it was priceless.  This photo was beautiful and simple: white seagull against dark blue ocean.  The camera angle - looking down at a flying bird - was unusual. The blur added to the photo’s impact.

My friend had never really thought about photographs as art, or anything other than documents.  But at that moment, while he relived the experience of taking the photos, his eyes were opened to the combined documentary and artistic power of photography, and to the creative process of making a photo.

Most photographers, no matter how advanced they become, at some time in their lives were just like my friend, just like everyone else when it comes to cameras.  They were just regular folk who happened to have a small, point-and-shoot camera, and took a picture now and then, mostly on vacation trips.  They couldn’t tell you the relationship between f-stop, shutter and ISO speeds, let alone what an Exposure Value is.  And they didn’t care.

Then something happened.

Someone whom they trusted told them that some of their photos were good, and why they were good.  They got the idea that they really liked the creative process of making photographs, and they really liked making good, artistic photographs.  And they decided that they wanted more.

Then trouble began.

They decided to upgrade to a “real” camera, a camera with more power, more control, more adjustments.  Usually people upgrade to a 35 mm format SLR camera with interchangeable lenses.

What happened next is the downfall of many would-be good photographers.  With that big, new, powerful camera - with all those settings and options - their photos got worse, not better.  In fact, they got a lot worse!

What the heck?  Shouldn’t their photos get better?  Yes, they should, and they will.  But first there is a learning curve.

The new camera introduces considerable power over the creation of a photograph, power far beyond that of a point-and-shoot camera.  There is the ability to change perspective by using vastly different focal lengths, control depth of focus, override and fine tune the exposure, control blur, use much more powerful on-camera flash, use off-camera flash, and more.

The new camera has the potential to be a tool that can be used much more creatively.  But what happens at first is that all these previously unknown technical aspects of photography interfere with the creative process.  People get distracted by f-stops and shutter speeds.  They want to point and shoot, but first they need to make some technical choices, like focal length, metering mode, focus point, and much more.  Instead of using their emotions to create a photograph, their brain suppresses emotion while it thinks about technical issues.

So all that new-found power, unfortunately, comes with a price.  The price is that people have to learn how to use that power.  They have to practice until the technical aspects of photography become second nature.

The price for all that power is study and practice.

Photography is not unlike many other art forms in this respect.  Attempting to get past the beginner stage can be overwhelming.  Many would-be good photographers give up, and return to their point-and-shoot camera.  Or they take that big, new camera, set it on “full automatic” mode and use it like a point-and-shoot.

Those who persevere will find that only after a period of struggle and study will their photographs begin to approach the quality they achieved with their little point-and-shoot camera.  And with more work there is the potential to greatly surpass it.

One of the great powers of photography is its ability to document, in incredible detail, conditions and events.  It is also an art form easily accessible to almost everyone.  Whatever your relationship with photography, there is an obstacle of great magnitude that must be navigated before you can move past the beginner’s bracket.  But once you move past it, you may find new outlets for your creative energy.

- RAP

Years ago I had a discussion about photography with the photo editor for the sports section of a large, national US newspaper. During our conversation, she mentioned how much importance she gave to the background in a photograph. As she put it: “Always watch your backgrounds.”

During the Winter Olympics last month, our TV coverage included an interview with a prominent sports photographer.  He was asked if he had any tips for amateur photographers.  He had an immediate response: “Watch your backgrounds.”  He talked about anticipating, being in position to get a photo, and adjusting your position to get a good background.

The “background” of a photograph is the part behind, or surrounding, the subject.  Most photos, not just sports photos, have a background.  When taking a picture, paying attention to the background can improve most anyone’s photos.

In general terms, simple backgrounds have few distractions and focus attention on the subject.  Interesting or unusual backgrounds can spice up a photo.  Backgrounds can be spacious and add depth to a photo.  They can add color or interest.  They can remove focus on the subject, if that’s what you want.

In erotic photography, the background can be considered the setting, either outdoors, indoors or studio, and how the model is placed in that setting.  Nature as a background has an appeal to many viewers.  However, natural backgrounds tend to be very busy and distracting, and the emotion is more suited to fine-art nudes and simple nudes rather than erotic photography.

Studio backdrops are usually very simple, with solid colors or a light texture or pattern. When they are used behind a model, there are virtually no distractions to take the viewer’s attention away from the subject.  Again, I find studio backdrops more suited to fine-art nudes and simple nudes.

For erotic photography, I find indoor settings much more erotic than outdoor or studio.   Indoor backgrounds add to the eroticism by making a stronger connection to reality and our life experiences.

For my work for Torrid Art, I tend to use affluent-looking settings.  This choice is not made entirely for erotic reasons.  It is mostly a practical decision.  Large houses have more variety, and are more likely to have a location with a spacious background.  Shooting galleries in small houses and apartments usually means the model is surrounded by nearby white walls.

Backgrounds to indoor settings must have enough light to look normal.  In other words, if I am illuminating the model with flash, I must add some light to the background or it will look dark and creepy.  The area next to the model will look fine, but the background will get darker farther away from the model.  Creepy.

Additionally, if there is a doorway in the background leading to another room, that room must have a light in it, or it will appear very dark in the photo.  Again, that is creepy.

Though I prefer indoor settings, they can be the most expensive to produce, as locations may have to be rented.  Natural settings, on the other hand, are usually free.  Natural, outdoor settings can also make for a quick gallery session as there are no lights to set up.  That is why you see so many nature settings on some nude sites.

You can “watch your backgrounds” whenever you take a picture, even a vacation snapshot.  You can’t always move the subject in front of a nice background, but you can do one simple thing to improve your photos.

As you take a picture, look at your subject, especially if it’s a person, and then just look at the background.  Try to avoid strong, small graphical elements behind your subject’s head, like a tree or a pole.  Remember, your photo is two dimensional, and a tree, though very far away, may appear to be “growing” out of you subject’s head.  That can be very distracting, and funny!

Backgrounds are an important part of any photo. By paying attention to them, you can improve your photos by focusing attention on the subject, adding color, interest or depth, or avoiding humorous mistakes

- RAP

I arrived at the house for my photo session with Jana Cova (pronounced Yana, rhymes with Donna).  It was a last-minute replacement location and I didn’t like it - it was not a good fit with Jana and had too many near-white walls.  For photography, I am not a fan of white walls.

The first thing is to look through the house and decide where to set up for a gallery of Jana. The home owner showed us around to all the rooms.  In a corner of the house we stumbled upon a coffin.  A real coffin!  The owner ignored it like it wasn’t there.  When I timidly asked about it, he assured me it was empty.  It had been rented for use in a “Halloween” party a few nights before.  We joked about using it in a photo set with Jana, and didn’t mention the coffin again after that!

When I started my blog more than two years ago, I thought I might, among other things, use it to write about the Torrid Art photo sessions.  But when the blog finally started, and it came time to write, I changed my mind.  My relationships with the models are critical to my work, and I was concerned that by writing about the photo sessions I might jeopardize my good standing with them.  I may be wrong about that, but regardless, I don’t write about the photo sessions.

But all that has changed, at least for two sessions with Jana Cova.  Jana lives in Czech Republic.  She has been traveling to Los Angeles to work for several years.  I decided to write about Jana and her photo sessions because she is retiring from a long and very successful career in nude modeling.  And because, for all that time, she has been a model to die for, whether you are a viewer of photographs or a photographer.

During the “coffin” photo session in late 2008 Jana stole our hearts with her charm, and then told us she was considering retiring from modeling.  On her model page at Torrid Art I later wrote that I would like her to reconsider. We always need more hot MILFs on Torrid Art, and in a few years she will be an incredible MILF.

She did reconsider - though probably not because I asked her to! - and one year later made another trip to LA.  This trip would seem to be her last, and her decision to retire, final.

Our photo session with Jana in November 2009 was a special one.  I didn’t know her well, having only worked with her once before, but we all felt a connection with her.  I felt sad that I would not work with her again.  Jana is a model with beauty, class, charm and personality.

As a true professional, Jana takes care of herself, both physically and mentally, as you can see in her photos.  I appreciate that with models.  I don’t mind saying that too many models don’t take care of their skin, among other things.  Jana looked better the second time.  She had clearly been working out and her skin was impeccable.

In our photo session in 2008 Jana was totally professional, easygoing, warm and charming.  She was all those things in 2009 in spite of the sadness she must have felt so close to the end of a long, successful career, and leaving so many friends in LA that she had made over the years.

Have a good retirement, Jana.  It was great working with you.

-RAP

[I’m still deviating from my “usual” discussions of erotic photography.  As I said last time, this is where my head has been lately - thinking about some things I learned long ago about photography and art in general.  I thought I would share them with you.]

Last time I wrote about finding your voice and your own style.  Most artists go through a phase where they are copying, to some extent, a style they like.  Eventually their own style emerges.

For photographers, there are many misunderstandings about getting better.  And there are a few myths that may hinder the development of your own style and finding  your voice.

Here are four of the biggest myths.

1. You shouldn’t make photographs that have been “done” before.

Ha!  Don’t make me laugh!  If this myth were suddenly true, photography would come to a screeching halt!  You can, and should, photograph things that have been photographed before.  Seek ideas from the work of other photographers, preferably photographers better than you.  If you can imitate a photo that inspires you, or even copy it exactly, you are on your way to developing your art and finding your own voice.

2. Studying the works of past masters will keep you from developing your own style.

Nothing could be further from the truth.  Studying the masters will inspire you to develop your own ideas, style and direction.

Don’t fall into the childish idea that you wont study the works of the great photographers because you want to “do everything” yourself and get all the credit for your accomplishments. If that’s how you approach photography, your photographs will forever look amateurish and your style undeveloped.

Imagine someone who wants to be a physicist but has this attitude.  Instead of studying physics, they sit in a room, waisting time developing the law of gravity, unaware that it is explained in every beginning college physics textbook.

Don’t waste your precious time.  Study the great photographers, or at least photos that you like, and build on what they have done.

3. You must travel to exotic lands and find subjects that have very restricted access by other photographers or your photographs will be boring.

I’ve got news for you: it’s not what or where you photograph, it’s how and why you photograph.

I once saw an exhibition by a woman who got interested in photography when she was a bored housewife.  For her exhibition, she didn’t travel to the jungles of Bali to take pictures of subjects that had never been photographed before.  The photos in her exhibition were all taken in her house, the subjects were household items.  The photos were meticulous in their composition, detail and lighting.  They were beautiful and touching.  They told of her daily life and her passion for elevating common items to fine art.

4. Good photography is a matter of talent and instincts.

This is perhaps the most damaging myth of all, and is pervasive in all art.  But in photography it’s particularly ubiquitous, and singularly damaging to developing photographers.  Photography has been called the great democratic art form.  Anyone can take a picture.  It’s so easy, especially with today’s inexpensive, automatic, computerized cameras.  It’s easy to believe that good photographers are good because they have “talent and instincts.”

“Talent” and “instincts” are traits that are useful to becoming a photographer.  Other useful traits are powers of observation, attention to detail, and curiosity.  But these traits do not make a good photographer any more than a sense of rhythm, a good ear for tones, and good manual dexterity make you a good musician.

Just like all other art forms, good photography is primarily a matter of commitment, experience, practice, study and plain old hard work.  The most accomplished photographers have one thing in common: single-minded determination.

One thing I learned long ago is that there are no part-time photographers among the world’s elite.  That tells you something about the power of determination and work.

- RAP