One Model Place website

This is actually almost the same blog as one I just posted on my photography blog minus the pictures. It's a rant of sort, so thought it was appropriate to post here too.

Once upon a time I had a OneModelPlace.com profile. I stopped paying for a membership years ago because I was never getting any work out of the website. Recently I tried to recreate a profile on the website. When I went through the whole sign-up process it said, “welcome back” so, evidently it never deleted my information. Anyway, I put all the new information in and a good variety of images, most, believe it or not, were not nude. The ones that were nude, minus one, did not show full frontal.

A day later I received an e-mail from OMP.

Dear Eddie, We are sorry to inform you that your profile was not approved. Under new ownership, OMP is changing to a more fashion oriented website. As a result, we have become more selective and are only approving a small percentage of nude photographers. Your credit card has been refunded.

Just like that I was banned. Here is what I wrote back, with, by the way, no response.

Dear OMP, It is extremely pathetic that you have not approved my profile. You could of at least given me the opportunity to change my images and etc. to meet with your new criteria. I have tried to create, unsuccessfully, a new profile under two different names and two different credit cards but your website will not allow me to do so. You have evidently blocked me. Please remove this block so that I can create a profile that is designed more toward the "fashion" or non nude portion of my work. 

Needless to say, I am still pissed. I even spent half a day going through all my old files, at least the ones I still had and pulled out all the clothed / non-nude images, and edited them just to have several images to choose from when I tried to reestablish an OMP profile. Most of my old work has a lot of clothed images so it wasn’t too hard to find appropriate photos to work with. Well, with all that work and no place to post the images, I decided I would do so on my photography blog. I’ve been getting a lot of complaints that I only do full frontal nudes and of course, my photography blog shows mostly my erotic work, so time for a change. Sorry.

Real Sex in Mainstream Movies

So, this blog is about me ranting on subjects that get my goat. I tend to post my photographic images on my other blog which happens to be more on the erotic side of my work, mainly because, I have befriended the blogger who runs the http://real-sex-mainstream.blogspot.com/  blog. 

He often comments on my images, both male and female and tells me why he thinks certain images can and do turn him on. Yes, even images of men can make this straight man get horny. And if you are not homophobic, in my opinion, you should be able to allow yourself this pleasure. It's the same as watching a sex scene or why str8 porn shows the penis; to make the male feel as though he is part of the action or doing the action himself.

I was recently asked about the importance and your feelings of sex and porn in my life. And what I appreciated about his REAL SEX MAINSTREAM blog. The reason I am writing about this is because I believe it goes part and parcel with photography. I am a nude photographer. I typically do what is called Fine Art Nudes but often verge on Erotica but I don't do porn. Most people, if asked cannot tell you the difference between the three. Can you? 

It is important to me because it is what I base the premise of all my photos on. It is what I was taught but more importantly, it is because I have the knowledge whereas most people do not. I feel the need to educate. Why? Well for example, I recently joined a website that would promote my photographs and even sell them. But after two days, ALL my images (even the non nudes) were removed and I had threatening messages from moderators. 

Why? Because that website considers ANY male nudes to AUTOMATICALLY be considered porn. WTF! I've had images removed from my Model Mayhem account because the moderator said my photo to be pornographic. When I tried to educate the moderator, I was told that if I continue to argue then my profile would be removed. Really? Stupid dumb f*cking a**hole! 

Here is my response. Feel free to comment or voice your opinion. And please, do check out my friend's blog.

As a photographer of Fine Art Nudes, I appreciate realism and the human form in all its aspects. When I find an actor that does full nudes, I have respect for that actor like I do with models that do full nudes. I became a fan of that actor and seek out their other work. When I find an actor that is willing to do real sex, whether it be a masturbation scene or penetration, I have huge respect for that actor. When I come across a male actor who wears a cock sock, I have less respect and I lose interest in that actor.  I know that sometimes they are required by the studio or the producers/directors but most actors say that they are more embarrassed wearing the cock sock than they would be if they were fully naked.

In order for actors to have a realistic looking sex, they, in my opinion, have to basically have sex with the other actor without actual penetration. Most of the time you can tell that there is no actual penetration by the minor subtleties. The two bodies don’t move in sync or the female body doesn’t react the way it would if actual penetration was happening. The camera angles shy away from viewpoints where you could see the male penis & anus or the female vaginal and anal areas. They try to do close ups or other angles that they hope might make us believe that the actors are having sex. I don’t like the tease; I want to see the goods. On occasion you can see a male actor’s penis after a sex scene but he is soft and flaccid. This is not real. For me, I become disappointed and let down. I want realism. I need realism for the acting and story line to be believed.

Why not just watch porn? Porn is not real either, it rarely has a believable story line or plot. The male actors usually have a penis that is extra-large. Depending upon statistics, the average American and European male is 6 inches in length. In photography terms and understanding, you have three basic types of nudes. The first being Fine Art, the second is erotica and the third is porn. Porn is porn, there is no way getting around that. It is straight forward, rarely, if ever is any consideration done to take into the aspects that classifies an image to be considered Fine Art. The lighting is bright, you do have some point of view but that goes hand in hand with porn and it’s all about the sex, the erection or the cum shot. Erotic images take into consideration the aspects of Fine Art. It can be real or staged. Erotica usually incorporates aspects such as erections or the touching of private parts and suggestive poses.

Certain poses like a woman with her legs open in full view of her vagina is automatically consider a typical porn pose in the world of photography. There are other poses as well but because of lack of education or the prudish professors, this is not always taught to the photography student. The other issue is that with digital photography, a person does not need a degree in photography to be considered a professional photographer. You own a camera, you take pictures, you are a photographer. But nobody takes into consideration the knowledge that is not being taught and why there are so many view points and opinions, even in the art world as to what makes an image Fine Art, Erotic or Porn … it’s a lack of proper education.

To make an image Fine Art, it must incorporate at least 2-3 aspects of a list or skill sets. Is there a good composition to the image? Does it have depth of field or point of view? How about the lighting, contrast and tonality? Is the main subject centered in frame or off set? What makes the difference between a snap shot and a portrait? How about the weight of the image? See, how many people can even tell me what that is? Is there vertical or horizontal motion? What about shapes such as “S” patterns and triangles? Do you see my point?

Real sex in a movie is like a really good erotic photo. It has the aspects of porn that turn you on but it has the subtleties of realism because it is real. It stands out in a way that can rarely be achieved by the male actor in a cock sock pretending to have sex and trying not to get an erection. If the actor doesn’t get an erection then how can he make a believable performance? Some might say that they need to stay faithful to their spouse. If you believe in and practice monogamy, then that is true but by being an actor who is having sex scenes, isn’t that a form of adultery? The male actor can kiss the female actor, fondle and kiss her breasts or “pretend” to have cunnilingus. How can you pretend to have cunnilingus without actually having your mouth or nose or some part of your face actually touching the vaginal area. And you can’t show your erect penis, penetration or the female actor giving the male actor a realistic looking blowjob.

Okay, so there are different types and styles of acting methods out there. To me, the only real acting method is doing things in reality. Showing the parts and bits of the body that a person would normally see. If you have actors willing to do nudes, then why blur or censor, why cut the camera view just before you can see the genitals? I appreciate the REAL SEX MAINSTREAM blog because it allows for me to see which movies out there that are not afraid of real sex or showing the whole human body in all its glory. Those are the movies I want to see. Those are the movies that I am going to masturbate to and those are the actors that I am going to follow.  

I'm having an article written about me and my work. The writer is really interested in my passion about photography. He wants me to expand upon simple answers to really give some substance. So, in doing so, I feel like I am ranting and raving, which fits in with this blog. Here is a sampling of some questions and answers. 

Why do you think most do not support nude work? Do you see a social struggle with the human body?

I think most people do not support my nude work because it is mostly of men. Even my own family do want to look at my male nudes but are often surprised and tell me how good an image is, they just don't want to see a penis. This country still has a lot of puritanical beliefs and values when it comes to nudity. Being naked is not evil or against God, but it causes most people to lust, so it’s a sin in their eyes. Or it brings out there inner homophobia.

People aren’t taught what is art. Even in college, we were told that art is in the eye of the beholder, it’s in their own perception and convictions. For example, we didn’t have to draw the penis on male models in our drawing class because if you did, you were automatically assumed to be gay but at the same time, all details great and small of the female anatomy was drawn. Not even my art teachers would stand up for me when I chastised the guys or girls who refused to draw the penis.

The art world is prudish too, which is so weird. I sometimes shoot in a building that is nothing but artists however, they would be highly upset if they caught me taking pictures of a nude model on the stairs or hallway. It is so amazing to me that artists, who are taught how to look at, critique and judge art can be so put off by the male nude. Up until the time period when photography was invented, you rarely had a female model in the art classes and studios. They only allowed men to model for the male artists. Female nudes did not start becoming popular until the late Victorian era and more so after the turn of the century and World War One. The nudist movement became popular in Europe and in the United States but after World War Two, it was associated with Nazism and so deemed evil. Men like to look at naked women but they don’t want to look at or have women look at nude men. It’s a double standard.  

You mentioned working for a while, stopping, and then feeling as if you were a novice in the photography world. What exactly do you feel about yourself and your work at the moment?

I started doing nudes back in the early 1990’s. In 1998, my paternal grandmother was 90 years old, just survived breast cancer and had, had a stroke. My family put extreme pressure on me to give up my life to take care of her since I was not married and at that time didn’t have custody of my son. So, as the dutiful grandson, I gave up my job, my condo, everything, to move across the country and take care of her. I was making more money than I could spend, traveling to Europe and across the country while at the same time had no debt. In the prime of my life, I basically became a pauper, to become a full-time caregiver to my gram. A year later my maternal grandmother fell and hurt her hip and so I also started taking care of her. I was so good at taking care of them, that my gram died at age 97 and the other at 90.

I feel my photography work is good. Not novice by any means. I have formal training after all. I do what is considered Fine Art and if one has had any kind of formal training, they should be able to tell that my work is of high quality. I may do some things that may appear to not be professional on purpose but it’s because of my own personal tastes and for certain reasons. I’ve been told in the past that I was a master of lighting. I know that I am really good at composition. In college, I could critique a photo better than anybody I knew except the teachers. But, because I’ve had and lost studio spaces, decided to work in nature or in abandoned buildings, I feel that I am not stuck in a certain style and consequently have to really know my trade and be skillful. Not too many photographers can do that. I can work in many different styles and techniques. I can be strict on doing just Fine Art Nudes but sometimes I do erotica. I don’t do porn and if people knew the difference between the three it might not cause so many problems … not only with the world of the viewer but also with those moderators in charge of websites who have the power to delete your photo(s) or ban you from the site.

You also mentioned feeling as if most of your contemporaries have moved on to do better things as you are starting over. What exactly is the contrast between your path and theirs, in your eyes?

Just before and during the time period when I was taking care of my grandmothers, there were about 10-15 photographers, myself included, that I knew of, in the US,  doing male nudes in a certain style of photography called, chiaroscuro. Now-a-days it’s called Low Key which I think came about because of digital photography. Anyway, chiaroscuro is an art term for the distribution of light and shade or mainly darks in a painting or image. In photography terms, it’s basically the opposite of a silhouette. So, back to the question. Because I was taking care of my grandmothers, my photography, for the most part was put on hold. I did do some work but I didn’t have the time to devote to finding galleries and stores to sell my prints or find publications to print my work and so forth. Those other photographers have gone on to make a name for themselves, whereas, I feel I am still relatively unknown.

I haven’t made and sold calendars or published books of my work and I am not getting paid the big bucks for photography gigs. I still have models constantly cancel at the last minute or are no-shows. I feel that if I were a bigger or known name, that wouldn’t happen. However, at the same time, I am constantly being contacted by models around the US and in fact, around the world who want me to photograph them (and pay for travel, expenses and their fee of course). I just don’t make that kind of money to be able to do that. I don’t have the paying job connections that I used to have. It’s a different world and I’ve fallen behind. I’m trying to catch up but I wonder if it’s worth it since I do Fine Art photography and not fashion or a certain popular style.

Plus I work with all kinds of models, body types and in different styles. My most popular work is with the muscular male models and those with big dicks. Sorry to be blunt but that’s how it is. I refuse to focus only on muscles and dick size just to become popular. I also used to photograph handicap people, mostly wheel-chaired bodybuilders which was looked down upon and considered fetish work in bad taste. However, all of the sudden it’s a popular thing to do, especially if the guy is a disabled veteran.

So, yeah, I feel left behind. I feel as though I am an unacknowledged path finder or co-leader. My work is not acknowledged in photography books whereas most of my peers have been. I don’t mean to sound like a sad sack or someone who is jealous, I'm not. In my eyes, it’s just the facts of life that because my life and photography was put on hold and that the world of photography changed from film to digital, as well as the dawn of the internet, the rules also changed. I was a hold out for film because I didn't believe digital would ever be as good as or better than film. I still don't believe that digital images printed on paper will be able to last as long as a silver halide crystal images on paper but I could be wrong. The other problem I see is how this country wants instant gratification or the next novel thing. For example, I think it is totally disgusting that a 16 year old with no formal training, working in digital and Photoshop, can all of the sudden be one of the biggest names in the New York scene, working with top models and getting published in some of the biggest magazines. It's repulsive to me. Not that the person doesn't have a natural ability but that America would choose to pick someone like him over someone who has spent years training and developing their skill and ability.