As an model and talent agency owner, I can only assume this is why a budding photographer or model would want to be "friends" with me on facebook. However it's finally come to a point where after seeing many posted photographs of potential models, I have to speak my "opinion" on what photographers are doing, and what models are allowing them to do.

I'm a visual person and as I review the newsfeed on facebook, I am always captivated by photography. Sometimes however when looking at photos published by photographers, I'm just disgusted and disappointed. I don't know what the reason is or why, but some photographers publish photos of women in lingerie and in compromising positions that are completely unartistic, commercial, and unrealistic. I just say "yuck". Yuck yuck yuck. However, let me put that in a more professional and diplomatic way.

Photography and photo shoots I will say are very intimate events. You learn a lot about people during photo shoots and models are somewhat at the disposal of the photographer. Models come to photographers to capture new images of themselves and they rely upon us to do our job in the best and most professional manner. However I continue to hear stories of photographers who push models to go further to reveal more of themselves and less of their clothes. I will admit there are times when models are asking for "personal" or "creative" photos of themselves in a seductive pose and these are done on their request and I always understand that these are personal and not necessarily for publication. However often times I see these kinds of photos published online and quite frankly they appear to me more soft porn than photography that has any kind of commercial value.

Photographers, your published photography says a lot about you too. Sometimes it appears as though the photographer is trying to show off how he was able to talk some model into taking off her clothes. This also reelects itself in expressions of the models. Seductive is one thing, the CFM (come fuck me) look is something else (forgive my language). Why is it necessary to publish photos on facebook of models/women in corsets and garter belts as if these women are trying to get work at Fredricks of Hollywood? In fact, the photography on websites like Fredricks or Victoria's Secret offers a higher level of respect and style for the models; yet, most new female models will not be Victoria's Secret models.

Dear Models, TFP (trade for pics) often come with this compromise. Since you're asking or a photographer is willing to photograph you for free you may be at a disadvantage in that their time and creativity is left to his discretion and this can often create less than attractive or commercial images. You being seen as a "print model" also arises with this issue in that photos of you in lingerie I believe will offer you very limited commercial photography possibilities...and this might simply be in a magazine that has editors with little problems with the objectification of women. I know some women are trying to get onto the cover of Maxim, or maybe even into Playboy, yet even seductive photography has to be done with style and respect.

So photographers think about this before sending me or publishing photos. Your published photos speak to your creativity and respect for models. Models, consider that the kind of photography you have of yourself will get you that kind of work.