Only ask in person?

[ThomasOwenM]

I've done a lot of photography for a friend of mine, an extremely attractive woman. I've photographed her and her band in performance, and also did a promo shoot for her. I would love to photograph her in the nude, but only if she's comfortable with that, of course. She and I do not have a romantic relationship. We're friends and are extremely comfortable with one another. All the shoots have gone well. She knows I'm professional.

I'm considering asking for a nude shoot with her, which is a type of shoot I have not done before. I could easily outline what type of look I want to go for and e-mail her. Should I? Or is this type of shoot something that you should only ask for in person?

[Gary_Evans]

I could easily outline what type of look I want to go for and e-mail her.

Or you could find some examples of the sort of thing you want to shoot and show her? That way you can see her reaction to your proposal, plus be able to answer any questions there and then.

Sorry, but I think email is a cowardly way of asking your friend.

[woodsters]

i think it depends on how you approach her...Do you just want to come out and ask it or do you want to break the ice and warm her up with the idea? Might be kind of akward to email her out of the blue and say, hey I would love to shoot you nude. If you can get her on the topic of your photography and then slide in that you would love to do a nude shoot and then a little bit later slip it in that she would be perfect for it...might go a little better...

just depends on you feel she will take it...we don't know her, you do...

[ThomasOwenM]

She's a very good-natured and open person who's easy to talk to. My gut has been telling me it would be best to talk about it in person, and I think the answers here have confirmed that. In an e-mail it would be easier to be able to link to sample images, but I could describe my ideas to her in person, of course. And it wouldn't be too ridiculous to put some sample images on my smartphone to show to her. It would be a little awkward to carry around prints when I'm going to be seeing her in a social situation rather than a professional one. And I can always say I can e-mail her links to samples if whe wants to see more.

That's what I'll go with. Thanks for the help.

[DisrupTer911]

you could print some images out and bring with you when you talk with her about this...

[hawk911]

or talk about it, and then e-mail her the samples. That way you have a trail of what you sent her.

[woodsters]

I would just go with asking her non-chalant....photos may make her feel pressured or uncomfortable,....

[Cosha]

If your friends, invite her for coffee to see if she could help you out with some photography ideas?

I would see how she warms to implied nudes or glamor style first rather than just unload that you want nude pictures.

If she is not keen on the idea of implied nudes then i you would of saved yourself and her the akwardness of asking her about nudes.

I guess once she had done some implied nudes you could ask her on set of how she would feel about more

I wish the best of luck, just remember that friendship is worth much more than a few nude shoots so be tactiful :D

[Sharpstat]

I'm in the same situation as you. I have a friend who has been helping me refine my skills, I just recently e mailed her several examples of poses both nude and implied. I have to thank the photographers here in the G&N section because I showed her some fine tasteful examples that you all have placed on here,thanks! Still waiting for a reply . Just be honest and up front but choose how you say it carefully. Take small steps. I think she'll be recepetive to it.Good luck.

[charlesu]

How about bringing up the subject of you doing nudes (not necessarily of her) in general and gauge her reaction. Ask her if she likes them, finds them artistic, etc. If she is warm to the idea then carry it a bit further.

[gcflora]

How about bringing up the subject of you doing nudes (not necessarily of her) in general and gauge her reaction. Ask her if she likes them, finds them artistic, etc. If she is warm to the idea then carry it a bit further.

That's how I would do it. Not that I would do it because I have no friends :( lol

[mcluckie]

Email may not be the best. Comes off like you're a perv and can't talk about it. I usually show someone some past work of mine and say I want to shoot them like this -- not having the bkgd is tougher.

Tell her you have some ideas for shots that are provocative to partial nudes that she would be perfect for. No one else but her. Tell her you can do whatever she's comfortable with. Go for the reaction; she'll probably say "sure, whatever you want to do".

[HarrisonClicks]

I don't normally lurk in this forum but was scanning 'new posts'. I felt compelled to comment.

I think that regardless of how you ask (if you ever ask - which you should - the worst that will happen is that she declines), you should be very clear on the 'chain of evidence' once the shoot is completed. In other words, I would 'think' that a major question for a non-professional model (or any nude model I guess) would be "what are you going to do with the pictures"?

In response, I would make sure you DON'T say "I'm going to post my work on POTN for thousands of internet viewers to critique". ;) Now, if the shoot goes well, perhaps she will indeed let you do that. But I would ask down the road for sure. Instead, I would promise her that it is for your skills refinement only and that she will be provided with original images to keep for the rest of her life so one day she can pull them out and remember the experience.

I guess what i am saying is..... be ready for that question. I think your response will certainly impact her decision.

Good luck!

[ThomasOwenM]

I don't normally lurk in this forum but was scanning 'new posts'. I felt compelled to comment.

I think that regardless of how you ask (if you ever ask - which you should - the worst that will happen is that she declines), you should be very clear on the 'chain of evidence' once the shoot is completed. In other words, I would 'think' that a major question for a non-professional model (or any nude model I guess) would be "what are you going to do with the pictures"?

In response, I would make sure you DON'T say "I'm going to post my work on POTN for thousands of internet viewers to critique". ;) Now, if the shoot goes well, perhaps she will indeed let you do that. But I would ask down the road for sure. Instead, I would promise her that it is for your skills refinement only and that she will be provided with original images to keep for the rest of her life so one day she can pull them out and remember the experience.

I guess what i am saying is..... be ready for that question. I think your response will certainly impact her decision.

Good luck!

She already knows that I sometimes post my work on Internet forums, though I don't think she specifically knows about POTN. If she asks if I intend to share these photos of her, I intend to say only if she's comfortable with that and agrees in advance. If not, then I'll assure her that I simply won't do it. We can even put that in writing if need be. I've already built up a lot of trust with her, and so I'm sure this answer will be fine.

[Cathpah]

just be a nice/honest guy, and be very clear in the poses you'd be looking for, and how sexualized you want the shoot to be. If you're looking for fine-art nudes....tell her that. If she has any interest, cool....if not, then don't waste time worrying about it. Even if she says "yes" she still has to be able to pose comfortably in the buff...

If you make it into a big deal, she will feel all sorts of pressure, and it'll be less welcoming. If you just bring it up casually, I'm sure you'll be starting her off on the right foot.