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Too old to care
Industry Role:
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: On the sofa, watching TV or doing my jigsaws.
Posts: 52,943
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Shooting it yourself
Some of this info might be out of date as cameras have progressed since I wrote it.
How many times have I heard ?It would be cheaper if I shot for myself? Well I sat and looked at the cost and I kept the bottom line as low as I could. Others will come out with different totals and are welcome to offer budgets.
Here's a shopping list of essentials.
Camera, lights, light meter, locations, props, models.
Stills Camera. $1300
Video Camera $2,000
Studio Flash lights. $500
Flash meter. $300
Location. $80
Props, $20 a week.
Photography books. $100
Models $500 a day for solo girl.
Why so much?
Well you need a good digital camera that is going to take the picture when you shoot and keep taking them. Some have a delay and some even stop to download from the camera buffer to the chip. The model will think you a complete fool if you turn up with a camera that looks like you are an amateur. The Nikon D70 looks excellent value.
I also included $2,000 for a video camera assuming you want videos as well. There are a few at that range that will do the job.
Flash lights. You need to control the light and camera flash is not easily controlled, plus as the batteries run down you are waiting for the thyristor to recharge. Studio lights will fire and recharge in 4-6 seconds. Umbrellas are good; a soft box is better but more expensive. Don't try bouncing off the wall because you will pick up the colour of the wall. $500 could buy you a second hand pair of lights, I?m trying to keep costs down.
Flash meter. You have to control light to take a picture, even an amateur one. A flash meter will tell you what the light is doing, so you can set the lights and camera accordingly. Again it also makes you look professional in front of the model, essential for a newbie.
Location. Well you could use your home, it can save a lot of money, but there are drawbacks. you need to keep decorating or every location will start to look the same, very boring for the member. You're allowing strangers, who are in need of money, into your house. some might bring a boyfriend are you going to be able to watch them ALL the time.
Clothing. Many girls who turn up to be models are broke. So don't expect them to come up with large suitcase different clothing. You need to buy some clothes, as a back up, don't risk ruining a shoot because all she turned up with is the clothes she's wearing. She definitely will not turn up with vibrators bedspreads, throws etc. You need to provide them.
Some models today will have a suitcase full of clothing which could be suitable, but this is risky. Be prepared.
Photography books. You are going to need to know a little about photography and cameras so I put in $100, sound investment.
Models. Well this is varied depending on the quality of girls you want and where you are. In the mid west it would be cheaper than LA, but how many mid west girls are there who want to model nude and erotic? So I put in a figure of $400 a day and it will always be cheaper to book them for the day and shoot everything then move on.
Now you have all that, practice until you have shot exactly what you want, I recommend starting out with your girlfriend or even a giant teddy. Both cheaper than practicing with models. All you want to do now is get use to the equipment. Wait a little while before you get the naked women in. LOL
So I know what you are about to say, ?I only want to shoot Amateur?. Well here is the truth from a guy who can shoot amateur for a day and earn a lot of money from it. The ?Amateur? the surfer wants to see, most of the time, is the model not the photographer. The appeal is a girl doing it for the fun, kicks and sex. The fantasy is she's the girl next door being rude and fucked the shooter afterwards because she's ?EASY?.
So you need to create the right impression with models. The impression you're a professional guy shooting amateur style, not a pervert who gets off seeing them naked. To look professional you need professional equipment. You have to be able to use the equipment well. It's easier to control equipment than a model, trying to work out how to use a camera, lights, direct a model and make her look ?HOT? all at the same time is a nightmare, get rid of one problem so you can concentrate on the other one.
What the model thinks of you is the look you will get on her face and we read those looks. Ever met someone for the first time and know they like you or dislike you straight away? You read them without even knowing it. Good porn is a girl looking like she wants to fuck YOU, not just a picture of a girl with her legs open. This is the difference between a photographer and a pornographer. What the surfer does not want, is to jerk off to a picture of a girl who thinks he's a total loser.
So I would say shooting 8 sets or videos a day would be maximum, getting one model a week would be a stretch but can happen. So shooting 50 models a year, 8 sets a time, you have 400 sets. Nice target but in truth totally unrealistic for a newbie to find that many girls and shoot that much ?Average? content. So let?s say you do 300 in your first year. Some struggle to shoot 300 in a year.
So that works out to equipment and books $4100, props $1,000, locations I've calculated you could shoot half outdoors $4,000 and $20,000 for the models. Total cost $29,000 for 300 sets. With a few bits and pieces you are at $96 a set. Good price for an exclusive set. And look at all the naked women you got to see!
I've assumed you have Photoshop because you will need it to correct and crop the images. Plus a computer and editing program for the videos. A days shoot should take you a day to correct and re-size the images, might be more if you do not get your camera and the lighting right. Plus a day to edit the videos. So what are two days a week worth? If you can convert 5 a day by submitting reckon $300 a week, another $50 a set round price $143. Still cheaper, than anyone good will shoot for.
Of course I have not included any of the ?Hidden extras? like agents fees, advertising to find models, interviewing them, a lap top for when you travel to a location and have assumed every set is usable. Plus if you are in the US employing a lawyer, getting a license to shoot in a location and insurance. I know you were not thinking of these things, but if you have a problem you will wish you did get them. What if a girl hurts herself on a shoot and contacts a lawyer, you could be facing massive costs. These costs you can decide for yourself to take on or ignore.
In your second year you can save the cost of buying equipment, but then in the third year you may need buy new cameras.
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