Becoming an art nude model

I'm kind of glad I wasn't born to be a fashion/runway model. Especially after watching a 60 Minutes program a couple of weeks ago, the episode about a former fashion model Jenna Sauers who revealed (anonymously) in her blog how hard and non-glamorous life for most models is. Working several hours one day and getting paid in lipstick, a few slices of watermelon and a dress! Or some photographers taking advantage of models in need of work, getting them to do gross things or something that's definitely not part of a model's job in exchange for a guaranteed modelling gig... Nasty!

I didn't realise that most fashion models live in debt, but then if you are paid in lipstick and a dress...

Here's a link to Jenna's writing:

http://jezebel.com/5317761/i-am-the-anonymous-model/

A former published fashion photographer whome I met a while ago, told me that he quit fashion photography despite the fact that the money was good. He couldn't stand the environment and arrogance of fashion designers and some other professionals working in the industry. This photographer is currently doing portraiture and landscapes and is very happy with that. Obviously he's able to make money that way, too, which is extremely hard, especially in Auckland given the competition.

Recently I've been busy doing fine art shoots. So far I've been very lucky to meet some great photographers who are able to create a fun and relaxed environment for the shoot. I really like when a photographer thinks that a model should be paid for her work. Tfcd is great, it really helps to create a model's portfolio, but then there's a point when you feel you're entitled to financial compensation. I thought that with the recession I wouldn't have much luck getting paid, but so far (fingers crossed) photographers have been happy to pay my rate, which is really cool! Some even offered to give me a certain number of photos on top of my payment, so I'm really happy with that and thank you guys for your generosity! I'm definitely going to place them on my online profile for more variety.

I collaborated with an Italian artist a while ago, too. Here's a link to his blog where he placed his artwork:I'm also working out like crazy now, whenever I can, trying to get rid of some "winter flab". Kung Fu and Qigong are great for that! Really looking forward to summer and all the fun it brings, including art and photography projects :).