Respect Thy Model! Respecting your talent as you would people in general was the consensus at the Internext seminar, “Be a Model Employer: The Dos and Don’ts of Working with Models.” However, exactly how much respect you should give your models was the dividing line for two panelists, who debated last Wednesday afternoon in front of a near-packed house of a few hundred attendees.The panelists included an attorney from Wicked (Robert Klass), adult Internet veteran and content provider Jeff Miller who serves as CEO of SunUp Media and professional adult entertainer Wendy Divine.

Three clearly distinct viewpoints were offered among the panelists from clearly distinct backgrounds and training, with the most insightful offerings coming from Miller and Divine. Miller, who for years has worked with strictly amateur talent and often teaches classes on ‘How to run a successful adult entertainment business on the Net,’ feels that while it is important to respect your models and make them feel comfortable before and during actual shoots, he also stressed to “not lose sight of the fact that you are shooting naked girls – you are not an artist..” Since many of the models that Miller works with are one time only content – both male and female – he feels that the most important parts of a shoot should include making sure all releases and legal paperwork and finances are taken care of properly, agreeing with the model about exactly what is going to happen before, during and after the shoot, and just simply having fun.

Divine, however feels that the level of respect should go way beyond this. As a professional adult performer for eleven years, she emphatically states, “Good models aren’t cheap. They take many risks, there are diseases, they have no idea where their content is going, and they deserve a lot of respect. Female talent can command up to $2,000 per session, and male talent up to $1,000 per session.” Miller, known by many in the industry for his wit followed with “Getting guys to perform for us is easy. We’ll get 50 guys interested for every girl. I’m the guy who pays the male talent $1 to perform. If the first guy doesn’t want to do it for that, then we’ve got 49 more to choose from. If we couldn’t hire any of them for a dollar, then we’d pay $2.” Needless to say this brought down the house, including the other panelists. Miller also added that his female talent earns $50-$75/hour.

Divine along with Miller added that it is critical that what is expected of the model is discussed in detail before the shoot. Condom or no condom? Location and working conditions? Types of acts and pay?

Divine took this further though, feeling that models can be vulnerable, so in addition to establishing trust, you should allow the model to bring a friend to the shoot for support, feed the model and often times supply wardrobe, makeup, and a separate private area for the model. “This is not a dating service – don’t invite your friends,” she added. You should also expect as a photographer, that if there are any surprises, or in the worst case scenario if a partner doesn’t have a current AIDS test with them, the model has every right to leave the session and collect a cancellation fee. Bad word is spread easily in this industry about who not to work for or with.

The subject of ownership of photos was something that all parties did agree on, since the law is the law. Said Miller, “Models need to live up to their end of the bargain. If they don’t agree to the terms of the releases or change their minds during a shoot, then the session is over. The pictures go in the garbage and there is no pay.” When looking for models, particularly amateurs, it is usually wise to have a female recruit the talent in places like clubs, the beaches, etc. and NOT in strip clubs. Reliable talent can recruit their friends too for a referral fee. In becoming acquainted with prospective talent, it is important to look for positive and negative signs about the person to be clued in to what it would be like to work with them. Do they pay attention when you are talking to them? Are they prompt? Do they have bizarre quirks that won’t translate well to film? How do they walk, talk and dress? Are they disagreeable? All are very important to consider before taking amateur business to the next level.

If as a potential model you are concerned or worried about a relative or a spouse or someone else out there finding your photos online, then you have no business being an adult model. Even if you participate in one shoot only, most releases relinquish the model of any control of the pictures. The photographer as well is not legally bound at all to destroy the pictures or only use for a limited time. Since the photographer is now the copyright holder, they can do what they like with them, and have the power to sue for copyright infringement, if someone chooses to use those photos for their own gain, whether financial or otherwise. On the flip side of the coin, the model has the power to sue for misappropriation of likeness – meaning that their image has been altered and presented as such. This has been a practice of many so-called “celebrity sites” and has sparked a lot of debate in the adult Internet as to their legality.

So just respect the models as people and try to keep it professional. Remember, you can tell them what to do during a shoot, even be slightly graphic about it, and still respect them… but just don’t touch them. Unless of course you are part of the act and you have a signed agreement.