finding nude models???

[Richard Johnson]

Contact this model, explain what you want, be polite, direct, and professional. Offer her $300 cash with a 50% deposit upfront, plus travel expenses from ATL inn exchange for an afternoon of "tasteful" nude photography. Have a safe shooting location arranged, even if it's only a motel room. Use a generic model release. Provide references, she won't abuse them. Follow her lead and ask for her advice and input. She is reliable, trustworthy, talented, bright... and not shy at all.

http://faitheikos.tumblr.com

Whatever you do, don't assume you can touch her or hit on her or there will be Hell to pay.

98% of Model Mayhem is worthless but you can tell who is in the successful and decent 2% by who else they work with, the quality of their photos, etc. The entry requirements are minimal and normal clothed portraits are fine to use as your portfolio.

[Greg Miller]

modelmayhem is a reasonable approach. There is no qualification process or fee. onemodelplace is another option. As others have said, a workshop is a great place to get started on a portfolio. Someone will get the models and cover some ground rules, and the models will be experienced. So all you have to do is give general guidance about your vision and then just shoot. Once you have a couple photos that you think are representative of your work, you can try local colleges. I have had good look putting up a notice in the college art/theater building requesting models for no pay. I include a photo that is representative of my work so anyone looking at the notice can see what I am about. I've obtained several models that way. One down side is that the model will have no experience, so you will invest a lot of time helping them pose. What an inexperienced model thinks is a good pose generally is not. So that takes time and energy but can work out.

[Leigh]

I tactic that has worked well for me...

The first one is the hardest to find.
When discussing the shoot with a candidate model, ask her to bring a friend with her to the shoot.

That will make her feel much more comfortable, and it also introduces you to another potential model.
Keep this up with every shoot, and pretty soon you have a nice list of phone numbers / email addresses.

I use ModelMayhem and have had good results.
Stick with models who classify themselves as "very experienced", and want cash only (no trades).
This will get you hooked up with real professional models who will probably teach you a lot.

- Leigh

[Greg Miller]

Just another thought. Models generally don't care how good or experienced you are. If you approach a model in a professional way (as opposed to a creepy way), then you should be OK. Just be upfront, say you are new to the genre, you are not looking for a date, and all should be good.

[Drew Bedo]

Every time I try nude photography I either catch a cold or get sun-burned!

[Harold_4074]

A few months ago, I went to the spring "Art of the Figure" exhibition put on by the local art society; on display was everything from life-size sculptures to miniature paintings but not a single silver-gelatin print that I can recall..Chatting with the club member in charge, I mentioned that my interests lay in the direction of large-format traditional photography. To my surprise, she said that the show committee was disappointed that none of the few "traditional" photographers did figure work.

I got the distinct impression that anyone with a decent grounding in LF and an interest in figure photography would find a supportive environment in the society and introduction to people who might be recruited as subjects, although possibly at the cost of having to teach a class or a put on demonstrations.

It might be worth checking to see if the situation is similar in your neighborhood.

Oh, and by the way: there really is a difference between a "model" (properly, a person representing someone else--think of Audrey Munson posing as the "Star Maiden") and a "subject" (someone of interest in his or her own right). Pointing this out sometimes makes it easier for an amateur to rationalize sitting for a portrait, and for all I know the same might also be true for figure work.

[Tracy Storer]

I'll second taking a workshop to get started, as you noted, Photographers do need to submit images for approval to have a profile on Model Mayhem, but those example / portfolio images need not be nudes. There are lots of professional models who are open to working with beginners and take direction well when you know what you are after. And as others have said, keep it 100% professional and it's all good.

[Leigh]

From talking to models and other shooters, it appears many of the ModelMayhem models will do nudes once they get to know you, but do not want to advertise that fact on the website.

One of the questions in the model's profile is Shoot Nudes (yes/no).

Just to emphasize what others have said: BE PROFESSIONAL. Many models earn their living this way.
Some models even state in their profile "This is a modeling site, not a dating service."

- Leigh

[anglophone1]

Alan- I had lost track of Frank since he was banned from LFF-his tumblr site is a joy!
Thanks
Clive

http://frankinstan.tumblr.com/

On Frank's site on the right it says ask me anything. Click on that and then ask Frank. He has shot plenty of models from Model Mahem and elsewhere and will give you straight up, practical advice. Just understand that he may post your question and his answer for others to see.

[Alan Gales]

Alan- I had lost track of Frank since he was banned from LFF-his tumblr site is a joy!
Thanks
Clive

You're very welcome, Clive!