'Kristine'

you totally missed my point. Would you rent a Lamborghini to learn how to drive? I'd go for a Chevy.  Would I hire a "supermodel" (in fact she'd laugh if either of us asked) or ask the girl next door or the one on the corner or take the one that asked me?

Once I had my gloves stolen (they were in the car) but then it was the middle of winter so who could blame her.  Never an iota of what you described above -it's all nonsense. In fact, come to think about it, how can she steal something if she is wearing nothing?

No, I do not photograph "them" (as you say) for the qualities they have or do not have. I photograph (period) because when I look through a camera what I see is magic. I think it is the same for most everyone. Unfortunately the pictures don't usually come out that way -but once in a great while they do.

I do not like phrase "peddling flesh". It is insulting.

Now I am supposed to say something about this photo "Kristine". hmmm. Are you sure she was over 18?  She hardly looks it. :-)

I started out, cold turkey, with highest class agency models from a super agency in Ukraine whose owner made me a special deal to keep her models busy while I learned lights and lighting. 

They were beautiful, young, still experienced but needed more experience in front of the camera and lights, and I worked them hard.

They very all willing to work hard for low wages, while they awaited assignements to Turkey, China, Japan, and other places where they would get high, even astronomically high wages; many appeared on covers before and after I photographed them. 

I photographed them as an amateur, and that was part of the remuneration deal. 

They ranged from 14 to 25 and were the cream of the agency's crop. 

The agency owner would have a showup of 25 of her best girls and I got to pick whomever I wanted, for three to five sessions whenever I wanted, and I had a very good reputation with the girls (no nudity was the rule, and no hotel rooms, only a studio was another rule -- the owner was  acting in loco parentis and was a good owner).

Most  were students, needed day to day expenses and my small pay helped them, wo the agency waived its fee, so with your analogy, I didn't start out with 'the girl next door' but with cover girls, prescreened for their beauty and already trained but wanting more 'lens time'.

I try for 'magic' too, and I assumed you did too, always, but your idea of 'magic' with nude models always has seemed to be different than mine.

Christine is a very small person, young looking for her age, but extremely smart -- possibly the stuff of brilliance even. 

Last I saw her, on the street, she called to me and we talked briefly. 

She was with friends and I recall working as a waitress for very big money in a tourist restaurant (Ukraine was and still has a depressed economy) and had disregarded my advice to seek highest education, but I reminded her that she had the brains to succeed in any academic endeavour. 

Perhaps by now she's heeded my advice.  She was not 'over 18, but not younger either'.  She's in her 20s by now, and probably still retains the same look; some people look 'old' even when they're young; Kristine will look very youthful when she's 40, I'm certain.

john

John (Crosley)