Learning the artistic side of people photography - HOW?

First off, I'd like to have put this message in the glamour/nude section, but I don't have enough posts, but this will be fine too. I'm fascinated by people, and they are my primary interest for photography. I'd like to get into the more tasteful, erotic side of photography, but I don't want to do much unless I have a good grasp of what makes a photo worth looking at.

I finally got into photography about six months ago because I couldn't take not having a camera any more. I've had the desire to create artistic photographs for a long time, and just decided I had to take my shot at it. I spend lots of time reading books, taking test exposures, practicing lighting, browsing sites like Flickr & deviantART for pictures I enjoy, etc, and think I have a decent grasp of many of the technical fundamentals of photography.

But the question I always ask myself when I see works of art that really strike me is, "What is it about the piece/photo/painting/e​tc that just compels me to keep looking at it?" Anyone with today's equipment can take a technically "correct" image, especially with all the postprocessing tools available, but how do you take a picture worth looking at?

I know there's not a simple answer, and philosophers and everyone else have been contemplating it since art began, but I'd really like your opinion. I mean, I know that the art I like has something unexplainable that the majority of my photos lack. What is it?

Are there books that can help teach this? Does it come down to thousands of exposures plus good luck? Is a formal photography/design/art education needed? Is it just a gift that some people have and others don't?

I usually have an image of how I want a photo to turn out, and what I'd like it to say, but things never seem to work out how I envision.

Sorry for the long-winded post, but this is something I wrestle with every time I snap the shutter, and I seriously want to create fantastic images, but I find myself frustrated quite a bit. If you want to, I'd absolutely love any critiques or suggestions about my work:

Model Mayhem
Flickr (more pics from each shoot)

Thanks in advance for any opinions or suggestions on how one is supposed to learn the artistic side of photography.

Kyle

Art - you say? Don't contemplate too much on what others think. Listen to your heart. Create work for yourself. When you truly love your work, others will see beauty they value.

I suppose you're right breathless. I really want to create art along the lines of Jerome Gouvrion, Christine Kessler, Steve Diet Goedde, Martin Perreault do, but it's going to be tough finding models. I think I'm to the point now where I have a basic grasp of the camera, lighting, working with models in a professional manner, and can start to be a bit choosy on the look I go for with new models. Guess I should start looking specifically for the types of models I want to shoot instead of just shooting any model who replies

i think its something one is just born with. you can learn lighting, proper exposure, DOF, shutter speed, the list goes on. but the one thing that can not be taught is creativity. i have found in my work that i have gotten better and more creative. why? because i have a better understanding of what i can accomplish and what i am capable of. both of these have also grown, so i can do more creatively. this is gettin confusing i know lol... but creativity is just like your "style" you have your own and do not consciously do it. you add noise to the majority of your images because you like noise, not because you sit there and say "well noisy images is my style so.... filter... noise..."
i am very intrested in how other people come up with ideas for shoots and find myself thinking about these things while driving all the time

mrbojangles13 wrote in post #7879740
i think its something one is just born with. you can learn lighting, proper exposure, DOF, shutter speed, the list goes on. but the one thing that can not be taught is creativity. i have found in my work that i have gotten better and more creative. why? because i have a better understanding of what i can accomplish and what i am capable of. both of these have also grown, so i can do more creatively. this is gettin confusing i know lol... but creativity is just like your "style" you have your own and do not consciously do it. you add noise to the majority of your images because you like noise, not because you sit there and say "well noisy images is my style so.... filter... noise..."

I get what you're saying, and agree. As I things like lighting, posing, paying attention to background distractions, picking the correct DoF, etc, become more natural, I simply spend more effort on just making the picture. I've been told that a lot of my images have some pretty consistent aspects. I do quite a few similar tasks when I post process. It's just what I like and how I see things. Well said.

mrbojangles13 wrote in post #7879740
i am very intrested in how other people come up with ideas for shoots and find myself thinking about these things while driving all the time

Haha, it's while driving, eating, watching tv, talking to people, and pretty much every minute I'm awake for me . It's an obsession. I'm constantly "seeing" photos in my daily life. I'll think to myself, "man, a woman in a red dress sitting right over there at about 7:00 while the sun is setting would make a rocking shot" or things like that. The passion is only growing, as are my skills, so I'm assuming I'm only going to improve greatly from here.

Thanks for the comment!