The Belt

OK, OK, I know that the belt thing has been shot to death now. In my defense the last time I played with this theme was 2004 or there about’s. I use it to make a point with my image and not for some easy ploy. It was used in part to provide a modesty shield for my model and to provide a jumping off point for the eye. By using the belt the buckle draws your eye’s into the image, then down the belt to the fingers that hide or shield a greater treasure. At least that’s my story and I’m going to stick to it.
Notice the way the finger curve in a protective way and the well manicured patch of pubic hair all add to the tension of the shot. Leave you wanting more.., more information about the model and just what’s hiding behind those curved fingers. That’s IMO the aim of erotic photography, the hint of the treasure and the story line that goes with it. I mean that’s my opinion and people are free to disagree with me and I know a lot will. To my way of thinking there’s nothing to those graphic shots that are wide open and every pore is exposed to our view. Erotic photography like writing should be filled with nuance and should let your imagination run wild. Come to think of it that the mark of great cinema too, your imagination should be given a chance to fill in the details and create your own story. Again, that just my opinion, that and fifty cents will buy me a newspaper unless it’s Sunday.
The story behind this image is the model who posed for me had finally developed trust in me and my images. This was our second shoot together and this one was way out in the middle of nowhere. I had asked her permission to focus on this area and that really took a lot of trust on her end of things. I was kneeling down and shooting and I asked her to bend these finger like so and when she didn’t get it I reached out and touched her fingers. Well she liked to jump a mile because she wasn’t sure who was touching her but she sure as hell knew someone did. Still kneeling there I looked up at her and told her I would never touch her like that and that I only touched her fingers to get those three curved. Of course she relaxed and let me shoot some more and listened to instructions better.
I then ask her to squat down with me and she got really ify with me. I asked her to at least let me shoot a polaroid of what I wanted and explained how the lighting was working. The sun was low on the horizon and I knew her leg would cause a shadow to fall over her pubic area. When I showed her the polaroid she smiled and said OK. I explained that I wasn’t sure what I was getting, we’d only know for sure when we got film back and she was OK with that. Long story short when I got the contacts back that area was a touch too light and I darkened it down in the printing. And I told her so when I gave her prints and got the model release signed.
The moral of this story is it shows how closely model and photographer work and trust is a big issue. I live and work by the golden rule of respecting my models and never betraying that trust. I always keep in mind that they are there to do a job and I’m there to do a job as well. Never but never touch a model without asking permission and talk is not cheap but goes a long way toward building that trust that is so important. In all my years of working with young women I’ve never had a complaint or any problems arising from the way I shoot. I’ve always treated my models to the gold standard in shooting and I’ve never regretted it. Lot’s of people have asked me over the years aren’t you afraid of a sexual harassment charge. I’ve got to say no, all my girls know of each other and have the emails for each other. They create my safety net and my best defense against’s any miss understandings.