i dont know what there are more of now
fetish photographers or fetish models.
but one thing is true, they're all over the fucking place.
i suppose it doesn't matter if one is doing consistantly stand alone work and able to make money off of it.
but shit. a lot of times, that's what it is: shit.
when do all the patronizingly candy coated comments stop and the serious critiques begin?
when is it alright to tell someone their work sucks and not be innundated with a million statements from a variety of allies defending that which is mediocre and mundane?
it seems never in this "industry".
of course, there is that little saying, if you can't say anything else, then don't say anything at all...
but how is someone supposed to learn then?
of course, if you've got something bad to say or it goes against the masses of brown-nosers, chances are, you're just an asshole with an unpopular opinion.
heh
yea. assholes and opinions. everyone knows about those things.
the other nite at dinner, a few of us were discussing this topic.
those included, in my opinion, are and were established photographers in their own right, with complete resumes behind them that didn't just list admissions in anthologies or magazines, but actually contracted for their work with repeat customers for paid publication submissions. the photographers that were present lived off of their work, quite nicely in fact. One of them also keeps an expense vacuum in the form of a companion with a fondness for shopping. heh.
anyways, it was realized, that in other areas of photography, you can tell someone that you think their work simply sucks. of course, many follow it up with criticism and what not, which is nice, but not always the case. And with these critical words, there's often very little ass-kissing or attempts to soften the blow in order not to injure delicate emotions. people are happy because someone took the time to explain what they saw was wrong instead of fielding trite pleasantries and compliments.
for some reason, it seems to me, that in this fetish "industry" thing, there's a lot of damn pussies out there.
most communities - be it in yahoo or LJ, yes, even the ones I run - are full of massive amounts of ass-kissing.
i'm not saying complements are bad or shouldn't be given. But for fucksake, there's a lot of crap out there.
I can understand liking an image because of what it conveys - perhaps a kink not often represented that thrills you, or some sort of edgy behavior depicted pushing limits. Usually the photograph itself might be a bit unfinished or even not that good as far as popular opinion (ie. amateurish), but it does trigger an emotional reaction. Ok. I'm not talking about those types of photos.
i'm talking about the boring stuff that innundates and overflows. the stuff you just try to skim by really fast while hoping something will catch your eye... uh. yeah. right. not.
yes. i do post a lot of crap too. but hell, my crap is better than yours.
and if you dont like it, then i really dont care.
i'm still working, flying across the fucking planet, and having a great damn time.
oh. and then...
fuck. if you want to model, then treat it like any other job that's based off of a commodity.
this commodity being a product called: your looks.
as a model, that product is you.
some people wont like the product you're pushing.
granted there's a bit of personalitly included, but if you're a good model, you can fake a good personality.
especially if you're getting paid to.
but in the end, it doesn't matter if you're nice or can make people laugh.
it all hinges upon that outside superficial shell and the body below it.
if you don't like it that people don't like your product, if you cant take the "insults" then get the fuck out.
sure you can think that maybe someone out there does, that's always the case.
but the thing is, if you want to be successful, you need to be able to appeal to more than just a few.
not only that, you need to appeal to the people that run things.
not just the fans on the intraweb.
and there are a lot of fine ass chicks out there...
some don't even use the internet all that much.
oh, and if you're short, you're not doing runway fashion.
and why the fuck would someone email me about that kind of stuff anyways?
i dont do that shit.
i know my limitations.
do you?
everyone says you can't make money at this.
but they're wrong.
you can make money.
it's just that chances are, you wont.
i just fell into this sort of. i didn't just start. i met someone who knew someone who knew someone.
we all had the same interests and at the time in the U.S. what we were doing was still somewhat new. In Europe it had already begun.
it's been about a shit load of years for me now.
but i always remember that there are others that have been around longer.
when i started it was much different than now and the internet wasn't the way to meet people.
i met people through other people and attended events and gatherings in order to establish my own connections.
later, i flew to places to meet people and have face to face meetings.
i chase down and discover my own leads rather than having a majority of my potiential shoots coming from other models and I try not to work with people EVERYONE else has worked with before.
sure, the internet is great at facilitating meetings nowadays and i've used it too, but there are and will be limits. especially if and when i chose to deal with other professional photographers that may dabble in fetish and yet work in more commerical/fashion areas.
business is still business and this is my job and i prefer meeting people face to face if at all possible.
will i give you my connections? fuck no.
i've worked hard at making them, and unless you've kicked down to me then chances are, i wont want to open up my big list to you.
I do have one. it's divided up by cities & states (domestically) and countries too (Intl).
It lists websites and amount paid and other little details.
anyways, the last time i tried to help someone out i got screwed.
fuck you, by the way. come near me i cut off your clit.
i've tried to set girls up in the past - quite some time ago actually - with fashion shows, and those bitches ran off with the clothing that they thought wouldn't be missed.
Of course, at the same time, i end up looking like a total shit because of association.
Connections are all over the place on the interweb nowadays so go find then make some of your own.
That way you can have your own stories instead of using someone else's as a foundation.
And if you do, then give credit where credit is due.
Oh, and the good ones are fewer and far between and even harder to keep without real life interaction.
good fucking luck.
pet peeve:
Don't tell them I sent you. If I did, I'd tell them myself.
another pet peeve:
Working on building a connection for over a year, only to have someone jump on that shit.
i work at nuturing some relationships for quite some time, including flying to other cities to do so, then some fucker sends off a single email. cunt.
this rant in response to the emails i found today...
how can i become a fetish/bondage/pinup photographer/model blah blah blah...
who do you shoot with...?
who should i shoot with...?
which models are the best and will you hook me up?
blah blah etc etc blah blah crap?
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