This has been the most difficult page to write, simply because I want to get my point across without offending anyone's since of liberties. At the end of the day, perhaps the best way to state the values promoted here is by using a phrase coined in the political arena several years ago - "family values". In other words, I don't promote or endorse any photography that I wouldn't show to a 6 or 60 year old without a moments hesitation.   

My thoughts on modeling
I'll say this right up front - there's probably no way I can explicitly spell out every little detail of my opinion on modeling in a web presentation. I'm not really sure what that is my my head much less how to put it to the web. This has been the main hold up in launching this site and I've finally come to the conclusion that all I really need to do is take my best swing at it.

First of all, before I even attempt to share what my idea of modeling is, it's probably best to explain what modeling isn't:

● Stripping half naked and pointing your backside at the camera is not modeling, that's just tacky.

I could probably list a wide range of similar situations, but hopefully you get the general point. I'm happy to report I haven't had to deal directly with what modeling isn't so far - and I plan to keep it that way - and each of my portfolio shoots have been very enjoyable and rewarding. I have heard the second-hand stories though.
 

What modeling is:

● In short, it's about having a dream or ambition and putting the time and effort into it to make it happen - it's about being "professional" and it's been my experience that's where alot of people miss the mark. Like anything else, you have to put time and effort into it and conduct yourself in a professional manner. You can be professional and have fun at the same time. By "professional manner", I simply mean that you need to return phone calls, reply to messages and e-mails in a timely manner and show up for scheduled shoots (and on time). If you're not going to follow through with those things - what's the point?

● Another integral part of pursuing a career in modeling is to find yourself a good agent that you can trust and that has your best interest at heart - even if that person is your parent. An agent is your liaison between you and people who want to hire models. They are also the people that many business's and organizations turn to when they need models. Pretty much every add you see, whether it's TV or print, those people in the add didn't just show up there by chance one day. They're there for a reason and they went through a process to wind up there for that specific add. (And it's not just print or TV adds, it's music videos and things like that as well.)
 

By "trust" I mean someone that will weed out the pervs (they're a dime a dozen in the modeling world, that's why your page here is private) and connect you with legitimate paying clients who need you to model for them to promote their product or business (or be in their music video, etc.). By "best interest at heart", I mean the agent hooks you up with legitimate paying gigs. A legitimate agent only makes money when you're making money. They take a percentage of any fee's you receive for your modeling work as their payment. So, to them, your "best interest" is good paying work and your satisfaction with their continued performance on your behalf. When you're making money, they're making money. Your best interest is their best interest as well.  A good rapport with your agent could be the "make it or break it" difference.

So in short, at the heart of making it as a model is being professional and doing the work to get there... not unlike most other ambitions. Pretty much any skilled position or profession requires at least some training and experience even if it's an apprenticeship or self taught. But that's just my humble opinion based on my experiences and conversations.