I always trying to find locations to shoot nudes at. I have little to no budget to rent a location or studio and I rather it be authorized and not get arrested. I have borrowed other photographers locations before, but I don't want to keep using the same locations over and over again. Any ideas would be helpful.
Google earth is a good resource and also when you out just driving around do recon work for locations and make note/ lock in location in GPS unit, I rarely share my locations due to the fact when I want to shoot again several photographers are at same location !
Well, how about using the llama's homes? It means coming up with traveling lighting gear, but that shouldn't be much of an issue. You'd get a lot of experience 'innovating' and it's cheaper and probably more interesting than hotel/motel rooms.
There might be an issue with safety of the llamas you'd have to work out. Maybe a female assistant?
Robert Thompson Photog wrote: I always trying to find locations to shoot nudes at. I have little to no budget to rent a location or studio and I rather it be authorized and not get arrested. I have borrowed other photographers locations before, but I don't want to keep using the same locations over and over again. Any ideas would be helpful.
I change my studio to adapt to the Idea I am working with..
If you find a property that has potential, it's fairly easy to find the contact info for the owner at the county court house. It doesn't hurt to contact owners of property you'd like to use. All they can do is say no.
There's a graffiti-covered, abandoned warehouse, built ca, 1903, in St. Louis. The owner of the warehouse lets me shoot there. He also used to own other properties in the area, including the first electrical power plant built in St. Louis. (The actual plant was dismantled and was sold to South Vietnam in the 1970's, so it's just a vacant building now).
He knows the other property owners in the area and has offered to introduce me to some of them. I'll take him up on his offer when warm weather returns. There are a handful of old, vacant or abandoned industrial buildings in the area.
Also, there is no general prohibition against nude photography in national parks controlled by the National Park Service - as long as it's for the purpose of artistic expression. Some small or urban parks, and some that have very high visitor traffic, have rules prohibiting nude photography.
There's a copy of a memo to NPS personnel explaining this policy on the net. I just tried to find it again but haven't found it yet. I thought I had a link to it in my Favorites list. (There's also a link to it in another forum thread from a few months ago.)
However, any commercial photography, filming or videography in national parks requires a permit. Different people within NPS have different definitions of "commercial," so it's a good idea to contact the head of rangers at a specific park in advance.
NPS rangers have been known to steer photographers to good areas where they can shoot unobtrusively and in some cases have served as informal lookouts or steered the public away from the area during a shoot. Of course this isn't required, and it's probably rare but helpful.
"****Also, there is no general prohibition against nude photography in national parks controlled by the National Park Service - as long as it's for the purpose of artistic expression. Some small or urban parks, and some that have very high visitor traffic, have rules prohibiting nude photography"****
I'm sure local jurisdictions may differ on this ???!!! always best to check with local laws ! JMHO
PDF IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHY wrote: "****Also, there is no general prohibition against nude photography in national parks controlled by the National Park Service - as long as it's for the purpose of artistic expression. Some small or urban parks, and some that have very high visitor traffic, have rules prohibiting nude photography"****
I'm sure local jurisdictions may differ on this ???!!! always best to check with local laws ! JMHO
Federal law prevails on federal lands, and local law enforcement has no jurisdiction there. All criminal investigations on all types of federal property, from Indian reservations to military bases to national parks come under the jurisdiction of the FBI and other federal agencies.
Federal law prevails on federal lands, and local law enforcement has no jurisdiction there. All crimes on all types of federal property, from Indian reservations to military bases to national parks come under the jurisdiction of the FBI and other federal agencies.
I just had to get creative to join with those who DO have location budgets. Availability and access open up to you when you get to a certain point in your career...or right away with the right pocketbook.
Especially where I am, paying for locations is just a fact. In the South and Midwest, I found people who would think it was cool to have shoots at their mansions...but in LA, its just business as usual!
San Antonio has meetup groups left and right... join some of them and locations are included in the $99 shoot fees and what not, might open your eyes and ears to locations locally.
It does authorize NPS personnel to involve local law enforcement under some circumstances. However, if you know of any federal property where jurisdiction has been turned over to local law enforcement, or where local law enforcement routinely patrols federal property, I'd love to hear about it.
A couple of years ago I saw a postmaster telling a local police officer that he could not write a traffic ticket on USPS property (a post office parking lot), even for a violation that occurred on a public street. And since USPS replaced the Department of the Post Office, post offices aren't even federal property in the strictest sense.
If you have contacted NPS rangers and are working in cooperation with them and within their policies, it seems unlikely that they would call the cops.
We seem to have gotten hung up on national parks. Try smaller county parks. Often they have wooded areas, lakes, bridges. I had one locally that had a mountain biking trail. If you walked far enough down the trail you were alone. All was great until a hurricane came through and took down all the trees. Now you can stand on one side of the lake and see everything that is going on on the other three sides.... it's a damn shame.
Here in Colorado it is legal for woman to be topless in some counties and we have a lot of national parks to play in.. but come up with a theme that you want to do and then find the right spots for the theme.. and they are right it never hurts to ask the owner or even talk to friends and see if they can help you get into a great location.. but sometimes you have to just find a model that has no fear and just go for it .. I have never ..and I mean ever had to get a permit to work in a national park..the trick to that is tell the ranger if they show up that you are doing the shoot as a TFP and no money is changing hands.. Good luck and happy shooting!!
Vector One Photography wrote: We seem to have gotten hung up on national parks. Try smaller county parks. Often they have wooded areas, lakes, bridges. I had one locally that had a mountain biking trail. If you walked far enough down the trail you were alone. All was great until a hurricane came through and took down all the trees. Now you can stand on one side of the lake and see everything that is going on on the other three sides.... it's a damn shame.
City, county and state parks can be great places to shoot. I didn't mention them because the OP wants places where nude photography is "authorized." There's always risk at city, county and state parks, and in some areas people get branded for life as sex offenders for indecent exposure.
Generally parks that are designated as wilderness or forest areas or that are geared to equestrian activities or camping are best - not the ones with tennis courts, swimming pools, softball fields and other things that tend to attract hordes of people.
Here in South Beach we have very strict laws concerning public nudity. In most places it is required.
Except for me, they have a special provision which requires me to be clothed at all times. This came from an ugly incident which you may have caught on CNN (it was several years ago). I was trying to sun bathe out at South Pointe when Greenpeace came along and tried to roll me back into the water.
So now I have to remain clothed at all times.
John
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John Fisher
900 West Avenue, Suite 633
Miami Beach, Florida 33139
305 534-9322
http://www.johnfisher.com
Barely StL wrote: I get an Error 404, Page not found.
remove the comma at the end of the URL:
http://www.nps.gov/policy/SD-91-3.pdf This memo states local laws "When unacceptable visitor conflicts occur as a result of public nudity, a resolution of the situation should be attempted informally, if appropriate, with the persons who are the subject of the complaint." This requires someone objecting and calling the rangers. Moving to a different location solves the "problem" or having the ranger asking the offended party to move to another location. Most national parks, wildlife refuges, and such are large. Peaceful coexistence should be possible.
State, county and city parks become more difficult. Local laws vary, and individual interpretations vary as well. In Saint Louis, the World Naked Bike Ride is held each summer, and the police are well informed that nudity is allowed, but not lewd behavior; however, Mardi Gras and St. Patrick's day, tickets are issued for flashing. It's a fine line. The policeman on patrol will decide, then you'll have to deal with it at the precinct or courthouse.
John Fisher wrote: --snip--
Except for me, they have a special provision which requires me to be clothed at all times. This came from an ugly incident which you may have caught on CNN (it was several years ago). I was trying to sun bathe out at South Pointe when Greenpeace came along and tried to roll me back into the water.
--snip--
Something similar happened when I sang in public. Three veterinarians tried to euthanized me to put me out of my misery.
1. On National Parks, the NPS (National Park Service...ie: the folks with the smokey the bear hats) are there and they can make arrests. I'm no lawyer. I will say that NPS doesn't have to use nudity to make an arrest...if your work is judged as commercial (most national parks require a permit for shoots with more than 2 people or if it's for commercial use) then they can fine you and shut down your shoot. My experience is that most park rangers are very cool people and they're interested in stopping destruction or drug deals or felony crimes and anything else they let slide. But do not assume that nudity (especially in film) is a-okay with a public park. I had a shoot at Harpers Ferry stopped by the NPS, they separated me from the model, checked IDs, checked her story and mine, made calls and cost us about 30 minutes.
2. As for locations...first think about what you want to shoot. I could recommend a great abandoned house but if that doesn't fit the theme or concept you're trying to shoot, it does you no good.
Here are some tips:
--Shoot at times where the location is likely to be unused. Sports venues that are out of season. College campuses during break. Beaches during the winter. Business parks on Sunday mornings.
--Look at unrented retail space. Most leasing agents will say "no." But it's worth it to be persistent. Look at real estate (residential) property and talk to real estate agents. B&B's. For a lot of these, to do a "TF" as in....you show liability insurance, sign a waiver, then offer to shoot some promotional photos for them.
--Talk to other artists. Shoot in a painter or sculptor's studio. An art gallery. I've done this numerous times. Some artists are freaked out at someone shooting their work or nudes near their work. Others want the publicity and exposure.
--Talk to the super at a local condo and get access to the roof.
--Construction sites that are shut down.
--Areas next to major highways are often "no-man's lands" (ie: no development there, high fences to block noise and lots of trees, lots of unkept/unmaintained ground). If you don't mind the whizzing sound of nearby cars, there is often tremendous privacy (b/c the cars can't see you and there is no park or development near by).
But mostly, it's scouting. Use google earth. Get out of your car and walk around. And when you think you've got a great site, check it out a week before on the same day and time you'll shoot (ie: if you shoot on a Thursday, go there the Thursday before). You want to check the light and where it hits (and where the shadows and mottling is). But most of all you want to discover if Thursday is the day the cub scout troop shows up for fishing (happened to me once with a tandem shoot at a pond) or it's the day that the garbage cans are collected and the grass cut (also happened to me on another shoot at a location).
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