Chuck Espinoza wrote:
In all honesty i'm not sure which type of images should be hosted in a forum like this. As I look around i see all these crappy images with sheets used as backdrops for a half-naked girl getting praised.

My personal opinion, be true to your photographic intentions and ignore what seems to be common or popular behaviour. Yes, nudes and sexy images get the most hits and comments, but do those hits and comments have any real value to you. And if you are a photographer of glamour or fine art nudes and you are being true to your goals, all of your hard work will be reduced to comments like "nice boobies" which has got to be just as painful as no comments on your non-nude images.

Chuck Espinoza wrote:
How do other photographers feel about hosting diverse images as opposed to just the sexy ones?

I had one image that was getting 10x the attention of the others in my portfolio because nipple bumps could be seen through the shirt. The whole idea of getting hits for that reason made me a little ill, so I pulled the image from my portfolio.... it has to be about the images, not the nipples.

Chuck Espinoza wrote:
And last of all which images are good, great and which ones need to be tossed?

Having answered the editorial part of your post, I'll go back and take another look at your images...

Chuck Espinoza wrote:
As I look around i see all these crappy images with sheets used as backdrops for a half-naked girl getting praised.

That's what they want to see.

Paul

ProShotPhoto wrote:

Paul Ferrara wrote:
The problem is that I (no one?) knows what models really like.
Paul

I think I know what they want to see in a portfolio..

They wish to be photographed as they a truly are so they want to think the photographer will enable and allow this.  In other words the photographer’s style does not seem to be imposed on the model.

They want to look sweet, sexy, sensual, strong, seductive, sensitive, and the list goes on.  The problem is they seldom bring all of this in the door with them, as after all they are most often too young to fully understand these qualities.

So in a portfolio I think you want to have a variety of images they may want to be IN.  I have often had models say they want this shot or that shot from my site.  They see a girl in a pose with certain lighting and they want to be in the image.

The choice has nothing to do with the technicalities of photography and nothing to do with what a photographer likes dislikes about a photo.  The model does not care if a foot is cut off.  She is interested in that one thing.  Do I want to be in that image?

So my portfolio contains variety, mixed genres, artistic/not so artistic styles and does not contain nudes - that to me is there prerogative and if they want to do nudes my portfolio hopefully demonstrates I CAN do them well ,and it might be safe to do them with me,  but not that that is all I want to.  For he models nudes are a dine a dozen – every photographer will do them – and displaying them wastes space that could otherwise be used effectively.  ï?Š

After they have demonstrated some interest and we are about to have a shoot the issue is more critical because yu now have to actually provide what they want.

What I do before a shoot is ask them to send me some images they can email me from the web depicting the wardrobe they intend to bring and the poses they think are kool.

This way i know exactly what they want to do.  However if they are 5'11" and have a voluptuous body and they send images of petite shorter women suggest they look for poses which suit their body style.  Then I get some more images which more closely resemble what they should be looking for.  I use these images almost like a contract - this is what you asked for this is shat you get.  So my portfolio is made up of images he models asked for and my web site depicts images they asked for.  Certainly if 70 or so models asked for these images there should be some that attract the next and the next..

Hope this help you and anyone else who reads it.

JM Dean wrote:

Really? Some would disagree

Some Models arrive in my studio with messages on thier protfolio - "I DO OT DO NUDES DON"T EVEN ASK", and after a little while are completely naked doing nudes.  I don't ask because of the statement and am usually surprised.  My point is it is easy to get nude shots - and they limit the shots potential if this is the basis cof getting together.

I don't even did display the nudes on my profile or site - maybe that is why the models are less afraid to do this wtih me.