With regards to nudity…

A perfectly frank NSFW discussion…

This is a question we get all of the time from prospective new clients and models of all experience levels… “Do I need to shoot topless or nude in order to shoot with edm?”.  The answer is HELL NO!!!

The fact is that over half of the sessions we do over time do NOT involve full topless of full nude images. Instead, we very often wind up with very “suggestive” implied topless or implied nude imagery.  When you shoot a full frontal nude, there’s not much left to the imagination.  But do an implied topless or implied nude shot and the “mystery” is intact.

We leave the issue of nudity up to the model doing the session. It’s her choice whether or not to go down that road. And once she does, she cannot un-shoot it all. So we always recommend taking the pathway to shooting topless and nudes one step at a time, one session at a time.  Everyone is different.  Just be true to yourself and be happy with what you decide to do.  As they say… your body… your choice.

Let’s discuss some generalized “styles” of modeling, just for reference here and to get some basic terminologt established.

Portrait: Fully clothed portrait-style shots.

Fashion: Generally fully clothed, wearing particular outfits. These should be age appropriate as some outfits can be revealing. Check where possible what you will be wearing and that you are comfortable.

Lingerie and Swimwear: As the name implies, but models need to be aware that some lingerie is very sheer (see-through or very revealing). This type of work must be age appropriate (age 18 and older only).  As we say… the difference between swimsuit and lingerie is two-fold… “lace” and mental imagery!

The following styles of photography are for individuals that are age 18 or older.  If you are younger and asked to do this type of modelling, this is deemed as inappropriate behaviour. You need to cancel /terminate the shoot immediately and report the photographer.

Implied topless or implied nude: The model may be topless or nude but nothing of significance, body elements wise is actually showing. For instance, having props or products strategically placed in front of the breasts, effectively hiding the nipples, or in front of the groin, effectively hiding the genitalia from view, or being turned away from the camera, avoiding a full frontal nude shot.  For our work, the model might be fully nude but the image captured totally lacks full frontal nudity (no visibility of nipples or genitalia), while the model’s “booty” may be fully visible.

Topless: The model would be nude (actually wearing nothing on her body as far as any “clothing” items) from the waist upwards.  Full breasts and nipples would be visible.

Nude: The model would be wearing absolutely no clothing items at all, and every element of her body would be totally visible.  “Full frontal nudes” are where the model is fully nude and facing the camera, with nothing to obstruct the view of the elements of her body in place between her and the camera.

Explicit nude: Commonly called “open-leg” or “Hustler Style”, this is the level of nudity that can be found in adult magazines such as Hustler and Penthouse Magazines.  The main consideration iin this level of nudes is that the model’s legs are spread apart, totally and purposely exposing her genitalia.

Glamour: A very generic term in modeling that  covers virtually every modelling category from lingerie to explicit adult nude levels but again, this is for over models that are age 18 and older.A bed is often ivlved.  

Boudoir: Essentially a subset of “glamour” where the setting is in or around the bedroom.  A bed is often involved in the sets in some way.  As in “glamour” photography, boudoir photography covers virtually every modelling category from lingerie to explicit adult nude levels but again, this is for models that are age 18 and older.

While there may be some variation within the industry from model to model and photographer to photographer, the point here is this. The terms above are the way we at edm use them in discussing various styles of modeling that we will generally refer to as “genres”.  So models that are intending to work with us should review the information aove so we can have a perfectly frank discussion on genres and plans for sessions, without ant mis-understandings.