ChiMo wrote:
Some years ago I had a beautiful girlfriend I was just crazy about. She was with Ford when they had a San Diego office. I can't believe I didn't take endless photos of her. Being a stupid fucking idiot dip shit kid has it's price. Yeesh.

lol, that's priceless.  Maybe she'll come across this and run back to you. 
Is she still modeling?  That'd be kinda rad.  Maybe she's still a hottie, dude.

Creative Image wrote:
There is a wonderful adage in creative writing that says:  "The quickest way to kill an emotion is to name it."  So, I don't think about it.  I just dive in and get immersed.

Interesting.  I didn't realize I was doing that.

B R U N O wrote:
I just got to thinking about a few hows and whys in relation to the world of model photography mostly as pertains to fashion.  Mind you, just for this thread, we're gonna characterize that term loosely.  It's not all about clothes.  However, industry standards for the girls being photographed remain: measurements at 34-24-34, 5'8"+, clean skin, uniqueness in the face, etc.  The same applies to male models (and whatever their requirements are) in case that's more your cup of tea. 

It seems to me that photographers who are somehow shooting within the genre improve as their resources do.  In this particular case, 'resources' is synonymous with 'models.'  What I mean by this is that their muses are better suited for them; it's all obviously relative and preference based.  Style seems to evolve.  Constantly developing are aspects such as mood and feeling throughout their imagery.  These transitions seem to have little, if anything at all, to do with equipment upgrades, new shooting spaces and locations or anything of the like. 

I guess what I'm suggesting goes back to something I read a while ago.  It is an article written for Scientific American.  It's about how being in love may or may not make us more creative.  Interpret it however you wish.  My perception of love, in this case, goes beyond what we may think of in a largely general sense.  Depending on your relationship with photography, you may feel a sense of fulfillment (similar to that of love) during the processes of making and finalizing your work. 

It's my notion that my own portfolio improves with every great new girl that I capture.  And as much as it may have to do with content being king and photographic subjects having a large portion of the spotlight, I know there's something more to it. 

crappy models / shitty people = bad portraits (not just cause you suck)
solid models / interesting people = good portraits (not just cause they rule)

This whole thought process is very disorganized. 

Does anyone have something to add or contribute?

I'm late to the party but here goes. For me, it's the falling in love, if you will about the shoot, whether that be portrait, fashion, beauty or what. If I'm in "love" then I work like a dog, obsessively thinking about it. Of course, the model is at least 90% of this. I can't be too creative until the "love" starts. btw, I told my wife once that I fall in love with every model I shoot. This didn't go over well but your post was what I meant. She forgave me and yes, we are still married.

Jeff