Not every shoot goes as planned. Or does it….Daguerre

Daguerre
Steven James May Photography
http://www.mayphotography.com/

Not every shoot goes as planned. Or does it…

I started conversing with Steven months and months before we actually shot together.

He lived close to my home town and was a photographer, we spoke of many ideas concerning marketing and art and photography and whatnot as well as bounced around ideas for shoots. One theme that was introduced to was his women in mirrors shots. I later found another model who had worked with him; I noticed that he had some stunning images of her looking into a mirror with him out of focus in the distance. I asked her if he was wearing a shirt because it did not look like it, and in my experience most photographers stay clothed. He and I talked more about the theme over the months and he let me know that he was always fully nude at all of these mirror shoots.

I can deal with nudity - I work nude every day, so why should it bother me? I met up with him to do a short test shoot to see if we can work on something more in depth at a later date. In his office he shows me more of his work, including shots of him nude and many images of him erect interacting with other models. Somehow this doesn't seem right - I love the images, but am not feeling any reason I would want to create anything with him.

Part of me wonders why he took so long to get to this point with his art, and why he hiding it from everyone. I know many artists who have nude and even erect art that they display proudly - why is this guy so secretive? Why am I here looking at image of his erect cock on his monitor while his wife is at work? I don't think I want to be a part of a hidden project that no one knows about; it's silly and it makes me feel like nothing more than a notch in his camera strap.

I don't say anything, for once I am tongue tied, and I think again back to the proposed mirror project. we do a few shots in his bedroom that are ok - he wants interaction. I don't interact with many artists, I interact with my own environment. He wants me to play with the camera and to tease it, so I poke my greasy finger across his lens to smear his optics. I don't want to play, I want to create images. He tells me we will shoot in the bathroom, and the bathroom is lovely with lots of light. He is nude and he tells me to stand in front of him and touch him; I am distracted by my own reflection. I say no, and back away; I want to sit on the huge counter so I scamper to my perch. He follows me he sits behind me and again I refuse to interact with him. I'm now wondering how this shoot will turn out, as I am so concerned about where he is that my posing is stiff.

He hands me the camera and let me shoot the images, I am now completely occupied by shooting that I forget all that is around me and I never feel where his hands go. The camera runs out of battery, breaking my concentration, He leads me back into the bedroom and has me sit upon him, he tells me to touch him I do not. I look up and study the texture of the ceiling. A chicken can run after its head has been cut off, a man can be erect after death, and a woman can still get wet when she is scared.

After I shake myself from my own inner shell I stop and say no, this has gone too far, he replies it is dangerous, he has me go move my car, I feel this is only a ruse to copy the files so even though he deletes them in front of me they are still safely tucked away in his hard drive. I look at the images and force my brain back into work mode again I am not looking at images of me being touched by someone else I am looking at light shadow and composition. I say that they all should be deleted. For my payment for the test shoot I am to receive one print. Months ago I tore it up, I thought that would help me feel better about what I have done, and it has not. I can scream until my lungs bleed, I can cry until my eyes fail, or I can educate others and raise a new generation of stronger women.

I have receved a number of messages and emails regarding this post.
Spread the word, but do not spread only the hate,
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Do not forget to post about a GOOD experence with another fellow artist.
I have posted 30+ good stories & only 1 bad I still have over 200 more to go.