Tips for Porn Photographer.

[kvas691]

So recently I was approached by a woman who is interested in doing a photo shoot with her girlfriend. They would like to make a calender, which will include different lingerie and props for each month and I did some talking and turns out that this woman also wants to do, basically, a Lesbian porn photoshoot. Of course, i gladly accepted the offer. But now, i am wondering a few things to help go about this.
A) Where's the best place to get these printed
B) Posing and Lighting Techniques (Photos wil be taken in a bedroom, Keep in mind, Im still an Amateur Photographer, and do not have much lighting equipment)
C) How much to charge for this....
D) any other tips to make this go as smoothly and professionally as possible.

I understand that this may be a touchy subject on a forum, but I could use some advice, because i would like to makes these come out as best as possible, to make my chances of having an opportunity like this happen again.


*****Update: The shoot has now been switched to 4 different girls. Just lingerie photos. some Boudoir Photography basically. Still a 12 month Calendar.** My goal is to get pics like these. http://luxemodboudoir.com/portfolio-2

can anyone point me to a nice light kit that will work for this? im willing to spend some cash, but im kinda broke.. hoping not to have to spend over like 400.. it will be used more than once obviously.

[Ads]

[Davor]

do you plan on selling these photos? ill order a package in that case...

[Forkie]

Pics/links on the board, or it didn't happen.

[kundalini]

This screams of GWC.

C) How much to charge for this....

Seriously? Isn't that a question she should be asking?

[Biggs88]

So recently I was approached by a woman who is interested in doing a photo shoot with her girlfriend. They would like to make a calender, which will include different lingerie and props for each month and I did some talking and turns out that this woman also wants to do, basically, a Lesbian porn photoshoot. Of course, i gladly accepted the offer. But now, i am wondering a few things to help go about this.
A) Where's the best place to get these printed
B) Posing and Lighting Techniques (Photos wil be taken in a bedroom, Keep in mind, Im still an Amateur Photographer, and do not have much lighting equipment)
C) How much to charge for this....
D) any other tips to make this go as smoothly and professionally as possible.

I understand that this may be a touchy subject on a forum, but I could use some advice, because i would like to makes these come out as best as possible, to make my chances of having an opportunity like this happen again.

Charge nothing for this.

You do not have any lighting. The most basic of gear. And your an amateur.

The whole point of paying is to get a professional with knowldege and extensive equipment. . .

[Buckster]

Where to print? Ummm... Your basement, late at night, in the dark?

For lighting, posing, etc., you probably want to bone up on budoir photography. Should be about the same kind of thing, I'd guess. Either that or start looking at lezbian porn photos online and reverse-engineer the lighting on the stuff that grabs you.

How much to charge is a tough one. That depends on your skill level, the going rate of 12 shots, each distinctive for each month (I'm guessing full wardrobe and/or prop changes, changes in lighting, etc., to really do a good job, and then the work of putting them together into a single calendar. Are you going to be able to market this calendar and possibly make more money off it, or will it remain private to them and therefor you need to get all your costs and profits from the single source? These are some of the things you'll need to consider. Finally, how much are they willing to pay for this?

[e.rose]

B) Posing and Lighting Techniques (Photos wil be taken in a bedroom, Keep in mind, Im still an Amateur Photographer, and do not have much lighting equipment)

Perfect! You'll definitely be able to get that porno feel in that case!

[Studio7Four]

A) Where's the best place to get these printed

I haven't had to print anything with this subject matter, but I would suggest asking people on this forum who have experience shooting fine art nudes. You can probably do a forum search to find out who some of the folks are and then PM them if none of them have responded to this thread. It still might be worth then calling or emailing any recommended print shops just to clarify with them. Alternatively you could just look at some of the posts dealing with printing in general, look at the fine print for some of the recommended sites (such as mpix, adorama, etc) - and if you don't see any fine print regarding subject matter you still might want to drop them a line. I personally wouldn't go the CVS route even if they officially have no problem with the subject matter. It's likely some random schmuck doing the printing and I wouldn't put it past them to print out another copy for personal use. A real print shop would care more about reputation and integrity and is less likely to leak the photos.

B) Posing and Lighting Techniques (Photos wil be taken in a bedroom, Keep in mind, Im still an Amateur Photographer, and do not have much lighting equipment)

Here's the fun part - you get to surf pictures of naked women and call it research! There are so many lighting routes you can take it's hard to give specific suggestions. If you have the opportunity, visit the bedroom ahead of time to check out just how much space you have, how large are the windows (and where they are relative to the bed and in what direction they point), etc. You can get great shots with ambient light, with some window shears as diffusers and a reflector or two. (Also research boudoir shots and maternity shots as these are often shot in bedrooms as well.) If their room isn't lighting friendly you might be able to get them to spring for a hotel room - scout one which looks nice and gets good light.

C) How much to charge for this....

This is the part where you forget that you get to watch lesbian porn and only remember that it is a calendar shoot. You need to walk away with at least twelve different keepers. Figure it's going to be a moderately long shoot - you need to allow time for at least twelve scenes, which may involve wardrobe changes, lighting mods, even furniture rearranging or location changing (nothing says they have to stay in bed, unless they are dictating that). Then figure in your editing time for at least twelve images (I don't know how many keepers you usually edit from a shoot). How much that is worth to you (and what the local market is like) I can't say.

D) any other tips to make this go as smoothly and professionally as possible.

Keep remembering that you are a photographer and they are clients. Keep looking through your camera and don't get caught up just watching - you should still be clicking away. Absolutely no touching (this is good advice any time you work with models, clothed or not). Oh, and wear appropriate clothing, you don't want to give away how interested you are in the action.

[RauschPhotography]

B) Posing and Lighting Techniques (Photos wil be taken in a bedroom, Keep in mind, Im still an Amateur Photographer, and do not have much lighting equipment)

Perfect! You'll definitely be able to get that porno feel in that case!

Sounds like a creeper case waiting to happen.

Uhh, might want to suggest a friend comes with her for this shoot. (And no, not one that's involved in any of the pictures) Make sure your bases are covered.

[Formatted]

Charge nothing for this.

You do not have any lighting. The most basic of gear. And your an amateur.

The whole point of paying is to get a professional with knowldege and extensive equipment. . .

Exactly was what I was thinking. Cheers for saying it for me!

[Studio7Four]

Charge nothing for this.

You do not have any lighting. The most basic of gear. And your an amateur.

To some extent I usually agree with this. I have a problem with people with limited ability marketing themselves and expecting to be paid. If you are approached, however, and the client has seen examples of your work and is willing to pay, where's the problem? Every pro was an amateur first and had a point at which they started getting paid. Where the OP might have an issue is that he has apparently already agreed to the shoot (we don't know on what terms) and is now asking what to charge. Changing terms after an agreement is more of an issue (in any business deal) than a simple charge/not charge question.

The whole point of paying is to get a professional with knowldege and extensive equipment. . .

Actually the point of paying is to be confident that you will receive the product as you desire it. It's up to the buyer to judge whether the level of confidence they're getting is sufficient based on the price they're paying. I'll agree that the knowledge to do so is a requirement. I disagree that you need a professional (let's assume for the sake of this forum that "professional" means someone who makes their primary living from photography). I've seen many amateurs (hobbyists) with incredible skill (and I've seen professionals who I wouldn't trust to do anything more than push the button for a prepackaged shoot). I've also seen incredible work come out of a point-and-shoot, with natural light, so you can't sell me on the extensive equipment requirement either. Yes, you need enough equipment to get the job done properly, but with the right knowledge you don't need much.

[gsgary]

Make sure you don't shoot all over the place , and no bulges

[kvas691]

Ok thank you for all the advice. She did mention how much it will cost, and i did not give a price yet. To be honest, im not really worried about the price, maybe make a little bit of money, but its not necessary. I have drawn up a release form just in case. I also will have other people there, so it will not be just me and the models.
I just asked how the lighting is, and she said the lighting is "eh" which means.. not so hot. lol She has a few lamps, I have some GE Reveal 3-Way 50-100-150 Watt Bulbs that i will bring, I know these arent that great, but it does give a whiter cleaner light, so it should help. Any other suggestions on easy lighting and or bulbs i should use in a standard lamp, by Saturday lol (yes, 2 days)

As far as posing, i mean, i have seen plenty of Lesbian Porn in my day, so I'm not too worried about that. I just need to make sure I have enough ideas and examples when I get there.

And I believe they will be keeping this calender private, but if they do plan to release it, I will make sure I get a share of the Profits... But Im pretty sure its just for their own enjoyment.

And, I work in the Photo Dept at CVS, so i may just wind up printing them on my shift, so it wont too much of a problem, But i will probably end up making the Calender from Snapfish. Not too sure yet. still looking into that.

[kvas691]

and yea.. i have a longer shirt to wear. haha

[Studio7Four]

And, I work in the Photo Dept at CVS

Oops, missed that part of your signature...hope you weren't offended by my comment!