I've spent 15 years as a photographer in the UK adult business, working in the studio, in girls' homes, and on location in places like the Seychelles and the Mediterranean. While I'm a relative newcomer to the adult Internet biz, I do know a few things about images, and I've read a lot of crap on Webmaster resource sites that I think needs to be addressed.
The publishing industry in the UK has yet to wake up to the advantages of digital photography. There are only a couple of adult photographers working with digital, and only one magazine using it with any regularity. Even now, the technology and means to apply it is a problem. About a year ago, I bought a Nikon D1 digital camera to go with my existing Nikon 35mm kit. The images the D1 created were almost acceptable for publication, but with the arrival of the Nikon D1X, things have improved tremendously.
One of the main ideas I'd like to get across to anyone shooting content for a Website is this: Why make that Website your sole source of revenue in terms of image sales? Think about it for a second: From whom do you traditionally get your content? That's right, a content provider who had scanned in images supplied by an adult photographer. So why do you just shoot content for your own Website when you could potentially earn revenue selling those same images to a magazine or picture library? The money you've spent on model fees would be recouped almost immediately, so that your images then become essentially free.
The problem in working with digital cameras is that the vast majority of American publishers aren't interested in digital material. In the UK, we're still only partway up a very steep learning curve, so I tend to double-shoot every set and scene I do, "backing up" on film. That way, I've got transparencies ready for the publishers and, if they can't use them, a full set of images that I can burn onto CD-ROM and use as instant content.
As part of Cool Piranha Inc., having instant content is extremely useful. I'm involved with two sites - my own, www.johnmasonstudio.com, and www.coolpiranha-content.com - so I can maximize my sales and use of images. My personal Website gets immediate updates of all my latest work, and they are then passed on to Cool Piranha Content for sale to other Webmasters. They're also published in adult magazines in the UK. Now that's maximizing earnings and profit potential.
In a worst-case scenario, where you're only shooting on a cheapish digital camera with no room to sell those images to adult publishers, don't immediately discount the idea of also making that content available to other Webmasters. You don't have to pass it on immediately; hold onto it for a couple of months so that you retain a level of exclusivity. When you rotate your content, make your older material available for sale to others. You'll be surprised at how quickly you can recoup your costs that way.
With Business 101 out of the way, let's talk about the photography.
One of the reasons I got involved with a content company was because I was tired of the way photographers were represented on the Internet. It seemed strange to me that most adult snappers simply sold their images to content libraries and then wandered off into the distance, counting their 25 cents. Then I was approached by a few people interested in buying images. They didn't care how old the material was, they were only interested in price. And so are the photographers who sell to them. Seemed to me that if you wanted good quality content, the only way to guarantee it was to shoot it yourself, and that's not an option for many adult Webmasters. A lot of them aren't photographers and besides are too busy sorting their sites out to want to go through the nightmare of booking a model and then waiting for her to turn up, shoot her, pay her, and hope that the images will be good enough.
That's where Cool Piranha Content came in. Surely, I reasoned, there was a better way. And there is. CP Content works with the photographers. We don't buy the material from them outright, we sell it for them transparently; they see the orders and can even fulfill them, if they desire. Alternatively, we sort out the discs for them. To my knowledge, we're the only company in the UK working this way, which is why so many top-flight UK adult photographers work with us. The other advantage is the models. Because we work with recognized photographers, we get material that's both unpublished and published. Photo sets from Swank, Hustler, and so on are all available to us, along with European Web favorites like Linsey Dawn McKenzie, Jo Guest, and others. Additionally, there's the instant content that I've shot, as previously described.
I've read a couple of features on working with models, and they all made me laugh. The most important thing to remember when working with any model is that they're human. Sure, they're naked and they may have a cucumber stuffed where the sun don't shine, but that doesn't mean they're your sexual plaything for the day. Some might be, but for the vast majority of girls, modeling is just a handy way of earning some extra money. Treat them like people, respect their feelings, and if there's something they're uncomfortable with, let it go. Push the issue and you'll end up with crap pictures.
Likewise, you want to avoid having a site where every image looks the same. I appreciate that most of you don't have access to big studios, backdrops, and high class Italian furniture. But you can still give your site variety while shooting material yourselves. If you can afford it, buy a couple of flash packs and experiment with different lighting techniques. Use on-camera flash for your amateur style work, or to add a touch of realism to hardcore shoots. Beg, borrow, and hire other locations. Use your friends' apartments so that your members don't get sick and tired of seeing your garage wall in every shot. Get friendly with your local second-hand furniture store and see if he'll let you borrow cheap bits of furniture to liven your sets up. Talk nicely to the lady at the lingerie store and tell her you'll give her a credit on your site if she gives you some lingerie to use. Think ahead.
Structure your work. If the girl you're shooting has a great ass, shoot loads of ass pictures. Likewise her boobs, if she's stacked. Even if your site doesn't feature either niche, you can start a TGP to feed off of, or sell it as content to someone else. Every image you shoot and every image you buy should have a multiple use. If it doesn't, sooner or later your accountant's going to want to know why.
John Mason is a UK-based glamour photographer who shoots for adult magazines, his own Website, and Coolpiranha-content.com.
