John Jebbia wrote:
I shot some photos of my boss when I was working for US Cellular. She was smokin' hot! But it was rather awkward at times when she had to reprimand me for something and I would respond, "Well, yeah! But I've seen you naked!"

I would show you some of the photos, but I made a promise to her that I would never release the photos. And my word is golden. But, man OH man! She was HOT!

My co-workers all knew I shot with her, and they all begged and begged me to show them the photos. I just told them they would have to get them from her.

The best way to get co-workers to shoot with you and NOT get in trouble. Get one of your male co-workers to assist you on a shoot. They'll return to work and brag about how cool it was.. and tell all the ladies for you that you were very professional. Word will spread like wildfire, and next thing you know the hotties will be asking YOU.

This is how I got the shoot with my boss.

You also got your lesbian friend to assist on a shoot... with me...

Brandy wrote:
You also got your lesbian friend to assist on a shoot... with me...

That was the one that talked my boss into shooting with me. She was sorta like a male co-worker..

John Jebbia wrote:

That was the one that talked my boss into shooting with me. She was sorta like a male co-worker..

Yeah, I think she was a little more male than female.

Rick Edwards wrote:
6 of them over the last 10 years
they loved my work
but I work in the arts

I do art as well. But I do not have any of it on here because I do not feel that is what the site is geared toward.

Glamour Boulevard wrote:

I do art as well. But I do not have any of it on here because I do not feel that is what the site is geared toward.

yeah, I have most glam kinda stuff here
but I mean I literally work in the arts
theater, to be exact

Rick Edwards wrote:

yeah, I have most glam kinda stuff here
but I mean I literally work in the arts
theater, to be exact

Ah ,ok. That is different than art photography,lol. There are some really beautiful theater majors here.

Chip Morton wrote:
"most of the wait staff was absolutely gorgeous college girls"

So, where is this place you worked? I'm hungry.

A nice restaurant in Davis, California

lll wrote:
Would have gotten me fired on the spot.

That was why I never asked someone who was a coworker, until I or she was nolonger an employee there after the one time I chanced it. I was never sure of the policies but I never did it beyond the first time because it hit me that I could possibly be fired for sexual harassment.

Brian Diaz wrote:
I'm self-unemployed, so I have no coworkers to ask...

Yea, I am working on that
I have made it a goal to have my photography as my sole income by years end so I do not have to have a full time job. Having to have a full time job, sometimes with a schedule that changes sometimes daily, is what has kept that from happening .

Glamour Boulevard wrote:
I have this self imposed rule against approaching female coworkers about posing for me or about suggesting they should get into modeling ever since I did it once years ago and the girl seemed very uncomfortable around me after that. She was really shy.

However, once I am nolonger working there, they are fair game.

  I was wondering if any of you ever approach coworkers about doing posing/modeling for you or getting into the industry in general.

I recently became laid off from my job where most of the wait staff was absolutely gorgeous college girls here in the college town I live in. So, after that I talked to a couple of the ones I had really wanted to do some photographs of and they loved the idea. I plan on working with them soon and asking them to help me with the other girls by giving them business cards to hand out. I really have never worked at a place where literally every female there was beautiful. I think I may have hit a jack pot and may have discovered at least one or two actual future models.

Yes and no....  back in 'the day', when I used to tend bar, I worked at a number of clubs, bars, restaurants, etc... this was also when I was more or less getting started with my photograph, and also pretty much before Al Gore invented the internet, so there weren't sites like this around to netwok on!

So, most of my subjects came from both co-workers and customers.  Only once was there ever a situation where some said they'd been made uncomfortable by my bringing it up, and that was much later after there were other 'issues' flying about that made me skeptical of the claim at that time, although it may have been genuine.

Anyway, I now work as a Test Engineer at a MAJOR hi-tech company, whose name most people would know, so needless to say, the work environment is quite a bit different.  I certainly wouldn't openly hand out my portfolio for people to check out, depending on who might walk by.  Not only that, it's not nearly as target-rich an environment, either, so it's not as big an issue!  lol

Nevertheless, I HAVE photographed two, no three, of my co-workers in the six years I've been here, and how I've handled it is mentioning the fact that I'm a photographer in a roundabout fashion, seeing their reaction, and then letting them know what sort of photography I do, and then they've ended up letting me know "If you ever happen to need a model...", so it becomes their idea.

So yeah, it's ABSOLUTELY important that I DON'T go trolling for models up and down the aisles of the office, but if it's handled properly, it can still get done. 

In the restaurant situation, I'd think it'd be pretty easy these days.  In what capacity did you work there?  If you were a manager, then yeah, that would definitely be some thin ice you'd be treading.  But if I was still tending bar, I'd get first one or two using the subtle, roundabout method above, and then I'd let word of mouth bring the rest around!

Thomas Oed wrote:
and how I've handled it is mentioning the fact that I'm a photographer in a roundabout fashion, seeing their reaction, and then letting them know what sort of photography I do, and then they've ended up letting me know "If you ever happen to need a model...", so it becomes their idea.

That is exactly how I handled it with both  situations, the one where the girl ended up acting as though she was uncomfortable around me after that and the one that  actually did turn into a shoot and that girl was never uncomfortable at all after I talked with her about it. She ,too was the" well if you ever need a model, ive been wanting to" types.But she knew she was a hottie and knew she had a great shape. She is now a aerobics instructor at a local health club.She is the Black/Asian girl with the afro in my portfolio.

Glamour Boulevard wrote:

That is exactly how I handled it with both  situations, the one where the girl ended up acting as though she was uncomfortable around me after that and the one that  actually did turn into a shoot and that girl was never uncomfortable at all after I talked with her about it. She ,too was the" well if you ever need a model, ive been wanting to" types.But she knew she was a hottie and knew she had a great shape. She is now a aerobics instructor at a local health club.She is the Black/Asian girl with the afro in my portfolio.

Yeah, she's a hot one... sure looks fit!

Thomas Oed wrote:

Yeah, she's a hot one... sure looks fit!

-sings- shes a brick..... houssssse

KoolGirlieStuff wrote:
I worked with colleagues at the Grand Hotel in Nuremberg, Germany back in 1995/96 (all the women there KNEW that I photographed Retro fashion etc.)

I used to photograph Flight Attendant's *stewardesses* (TWA/PAN-AM, NORTHWEST and DELTA) at TIA  when I worked there back in the late 1990`s

I had no problem`s asking colleagues at former jobs to model for me 75% of the time they worked with me and I produced some of my best works before with "the girl next door"

I just had a jam during my 2005 Texas Shootout with a $350,000  Lamborghini
(the scheduled model was sick and hospitalized that morning) so I was working with another model, who was at that time working at her normal day job and I had noticed that one of her managers working that morning was quite attractive and had "the look" and I just walked up to her and said, "how would you like to wear a custom made 1960`s dress, gogo boots and model with a $350,000 Lamborghini this afternoon?"

Needless to say she agreed...............



I think she was even BETTER than the model I had booked for this shoot, so one model`s loss is another`s gain for sure

I would have no problem asking a coworker in germany either. The US is much different. As for your Lamborgini, I have access to a few of what are basically flying cars right here in town at the manufacturers warehouse. They are jet like cars,selling for about a mill each. Only thing is they want to approve all outfits used in the shoots. which pretty much leaves out anything sexy and futuristic according to the way they are talkin.

John Paul wrote:
Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad idea!

I lost not one, but TWO jobs over me shooting co-workers.
First girl got insanely jealous of the other coworkers and got me fired (after she quit and called corperate, threatening to sue. They fired me, her boss AND the GM who stuck up for us).

Second girl, her boss (who eventually became my boss) wanted to see the pics I did of her, I told him to ask her, and of course she wasn't showing shit. A week later he got me fired for "fratenizing with a co-worker."

After that, I became a photog full time until I moved here. I don't even think twice about shooting them now. Maybe having ONS's, but no pics. lol

shikatoi wrote:
My boss asked me to take headshots of his kid so that he could get into acting.  He kept flaking and finally I took him into the studio and shot a couple rolls. He never chose which prints to enlarge, never reimbursed me for the film as he said he would, he also borrowed a tie last year and never gave it back. lol

There`s another good reason to stay self employed..........

Monsante Bey wrote:

I lost not one, but TWO jobs over me shooting co-workers.
First girl got insanely jealous of the other coworkers and got me fired (after she quit and called corperate, threatening to sue. They fired me, her boss AND the GM who stuck up for us).

Second girl, her boss (who eventually became my boss) wanted to see the pics I did of her, I told him to ask her, and of course she wasn't showing shit. A week later he got me fired for "fratenizing with a co-worker."

After that, I became a photog full time until I moved here. I don't even think twice about shooting them now. Maybe having ONS's, but no pics. lol

Wow... that's pretty nuts! 

  I don't envey you man.,.

   I asked a secretary of the company I worked for before I really had a clue as to what I was doing in photography...(still learning,..but,...you know..)...and I was pretty open and upfront about what my intentions were,...but the owner didn't think too much of that,..and I was asked to stop talking to her......stop seeing her......stop sitting by her at lunch too.. It was total BS,...but they just were a little paranoid,...and didn't want anything bad happening there....well,...nothing ever did... after I quit, I shot with her like 4 times after, plus I shot her wedding too..  However, I have heard of many photog's stories, much like your's...and so I have learned first hand just how people can completely not understand the situation... So,...word to the wise... look elsewhere!

 

  JP

JenniferMaria wrote:
so much so that I would consider being the clay they mold into a photograph. (now wondering if I would make good clay...)

You would make great clay. And I would love to be your potter's wheel.