Recently I had the pleasure to visit my friends at FotoTV in Cologne (Germany) to conduct the last part of our tutorial-production-series SMOOTH: video interviews.
In the following interview I will grant you a look at different aspects of my job and also reveal some insights: the business part, the fun part – and the “being-under-pressure”-part.
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Hi Dan,
Very interesting and informative interview. Does this type of photography affect your personal life and if it does then how?
Thank you
Hi Simon, thank for your question!
A few facts first: writing this comment I am 43 yrs old, happily married to a Czech soprano singer, no kids around. I had never any relation or an affair with a model. My girlfriends have always been from outside the industry. And when it came to affairs (self-evidently before I was married): never fuck the factory.
Let me divide my explanation into a private life part and a business one. Although these are closely connected the impacts/challenges are different…
Private life: I was raised liberal (family of civil servants), I live in a liberal part of the world, I am not catholic. My wife works in commercial art too, so looking at my job as a job there’s no complication. It’s not that exciting in daily life as it might seem, but it’s surely exciting as a job itself.
I take it for granted that my dad would like to do me some more “normal” thing, my mum loves whatever I do.
I relocated from Switzerland to Prague not because of any moral aspects but just because in Switzerland the living costs are just too high when trying to survive with my kind of photography. Plus there are pretty no models available.
Industry life: the choice to make shooting nudes (among others) my living, set me back in the photography industry. Once one choose that path – and one’s not trying to label it as “art”, no full-blown “commercial” – one loses his credibility being a serious (whatever this means) photographer.
As long one works commercially in the field of architecture, weddings, beauty etc – all is fine. But doing glamour (even worse declaring it’s “nude” not “hidden glamour nude”) oh god: cheap, fast money, no talent, shady. That’s the part I have to live with.
I certainly won’t complain! The challenge is just much bigger, the “acceptance-reach” is nearly impossible to get (in the industry), marketing & social sharing is near impossible too (commercial nudes, not art – notabene!).
I fully understand that our industry battles cheap, commercial shady and unworthy influences. But I just feel silly (and sometimes sorry) about the nipple-debate in the Western world. It’s IMO basically insincere.
But as written I’m now 43 yrs old, I accepted and grow with the challenge and the older I get the less I really care what people think. As long my close relatives are OK with, I get work, clients and revenue with my style/niche: WONDERFUL!
I certainly would have troubles going back to apply for a normal job, like being a “trusted” project manager IT in the banking/assurance industry. But know what? I’ve been there, done that. In a F500 company, great money but lot of politics, almost no real work you’re hired for. Never again! But has been a great lesson to me.
Long story short: Looking back I would not have want to do something different. All my steps were great and where I am standing today is – as said – just wonderful.
Without any irony, bitterness but as a recommendation: “You live freely if you haven’t a (bourgeois ) reputation to lose.”
On that note:
Cheers, Dan
Very cool interview Dan. I will say that I was surprised that you never mentioned submissions to any “men’s magazines,” nor pay sites of similar genre, as part of your income stream.
Hi Joe, thank you! And thanks for your observation. I must admit that I was very nervous (being in front of a cam) and not prepared as I did not know the topics. So I missed a few things…
Income stream: Men’s magazines (few done under my name; a lot published under white label work) and I also forgot to mention the workshops I am conducting.
What I am not working for are pay sites. There are several reasons (in no particular order): A) I am not producing bulk series; I am very selective. B) My style is different to the know sites out there and much more “costly”. And I enhance my photos what’s time consuming. C) The payment from this sites is just ridiculous low. If one is a newcomer to them, one bears the full risk with initial production costs. Meaning: I have to produce series (in a style I don’t work) and submit a few samples for review. If they like what they see they buy a few series for low money.
For me, it’s no business model. I could do a page on my own, but I’m a decade to late 🙂
Best,
Dan
Good interview. The main point for me was the sentence: “Don’t look at it as being a hobby”. Many people starting a business forget about this and get frustrated because they have to do lots of things they don’t like.
To look at this work as “part of the final image” is a wise point of view.
Regards,
Frank
Hi Frank,
yeah, if one wants doing photography as a business, at least 50% of the job has (almost) nothing to do with photography itself. If one just hate to do the necessary business-grind I guess it’s better to conduct photography as a hobby.
Thanks & best,
Dan
Hi Dan,
Thank you very much for your courses, their GREAT! I also ordered 2 combos as well. They give a real insite of nude photography, I don’t know if I’ll get that Lucky chance but I know with your information in hand I’ll be well prepared. I Love the Smooth combo, but unfortunately I was not on my regular computer when I purchased it and downloaded it on my smartphone, my micro SD card went bad I cannot recover the videos, by the time I returned to my PC (I was on overseas on vacation ) the link expired. Is there any way you could resend me the link?
Thank you, Adam
Hi Adam,
thanks a lot for your kind words! I am very happy you got/get your takes and insights. I would also like to thank you for supporting my products! This makes it possible to invest in new ones 🙂
SMOOTH: I found your order and reset the download links. You should juts get an email with the links. If you experience any troubles please contact me via the form here: /contact-us/
Or reply to one of my weekly sent emails.
Thank you!
Dan
Hi Dan,
Great interview. Have you thought about doing artsy type pics like this – Brett Seeley? Combine nudity with athleticism…
https://www.google.com/search?q=brett+seeley&es_sm=122&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=x0cWVZ-BFtOTNq3igrAE&ved=0CDgQsAQ&biw=1164&bih=787
Or High end artistic glamour photography like Kai York… He gets a lot of fitness pro in the states. Nothing fancy just simple, poses with great lighting and composition. One of my favorites…
https://www.facebook.com/kai.yorkphotography?fref=ts
I just friended you on FB!!!!
Spence
Hi Spence, thanks a lot!
B/W: thank you for your inputs – very nice style and ideas.
I just (re)started my journey shooting b/w-nudes the “artsy” style. I will soon write & show about that here on my blog.
I definitely will do more work in b/w from now on. Also there’s a project coming up I will join and develop with an very experienced and throughout talented, beautiful art nude model that have worked for Guido Argentini, Andreas Bitesnich, Amedeo M.Turello etc. Very excited about that!
Fitness work on this level (style & commercial approach) is not much going on here in Central Europe. I guess that commercial field would be better to get into in the US.
Thanks for your friend request 🙂
All the best & Happy Easter!
Dan
Happy Easter to you!!
I have many friends. I’m sure I have a few in the Czech Republic..
Just FB me and let me know…