Yesterday while browsing online I spotted an image it stood out to me... because it was absolutely terrible given it had a big logo on it saying xxxxxxx portfolios I was intrigued to find out more about xxxxxxx portfolios. Wondering if they charged for models to have a shoot, i though 'no way this is criminal'. Anyway I found his page and his bebo page and in there I looked at at least 200 images, about 40 pictures per album all unedited of different young girls dreaming of becoming a model. I thought he must have at least one good image, but no! I did give up looking because I was almost on the verge of tears seeing some of these pictures. I usually don't give a crap about this type of thing but it got to me. Someone pretending to be a photographer to get a bunch of girls to nude/seminude levels then take snapshots of them, no editing, clueless when it comes to lighting and every other type of negative flaw you could get in an image he had done it.
I'm not a snob, I'm a beginner photographer and even i wouldn't be confident enough to offer a portfolio service to anyone.. let alone stick up 30/40/50 images per shoot, christ I'm lucky if I get 1 shot I'm happy with per set.
I know new models have dreams, they want to be in fhm or some magazine and someone wanting to take their picture might be a big compliment to them but at what cost? There was one image which made me the saddest, it was of an alternative looking girl.. She had a great look to her and her expression looked wicked, i would love to shoot her sometime but his image of her was basically all bad styling/lighting/composition and angle right up her *flower*. I'm tempted to track her down and give her some good images which might help her or at least show her what photographers outside of bebo can produce because I really do think she would make a smashing model (thats if she still wants to be one and her experience with it didn't put her off for life).
So I end my blog which I tried to keep small..
Why oh why do some people think they are doing a girl a favour by taking their picture when infact they are causing more harm than good. Can they not look at other images and compare their own with such images? are they blind to how crap their images are. Why are girls being sucked into it over bebo? when anyone with a camera phone can take better pictures.
What makes a really uncreative person who lacks the 'eye' for an image pick up a camera and inflict their crap on innocent young girls with dreams?
And that is all
Cx
It is sad, but it is reality. Hopes and dreams are scavenged upon by ruthless porn seekers. You are quite correct in your thought about this issue and perhaps there are ways to get the message out there to the young models wanting to get started in this career. The photographers in Playboy do very professional work. But they aren't going to give a new young lady a break right off the bat. So these amateur photographers see a way to get a fetish of theirs by saying I'm a professional. Sad really really sad. A woman is not to be exploited...but admired. Let us admire them in all their beauty. They are living art. Not just a set of legs that knows how to spread them.
ReplyDeleteSome girls are drawn in by the words "photographer" "portfolio" "chance at modeling" alone and don't even think about images. I hate seeing things like you've mentioned, it makes me sad but also extreamly angry that photographers like them take work away from new,up and coming photographers who find it harder to actually get models to work with.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post Chrissie, I agree 100%. The GWC types ruin it for all of us - models and photographers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments guys.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't even thinking about the impact that such 'photographers' have on other photographers! Your so right though, its a shame all round.
I think impressionable young girls are impressed with a bebo page full of what they think glamourous models are and a photographer who hands out more xxx's at the end of his messages than their girlfriends do..
Arrrgghh
xx