NUDE PHOTOGRAPHER (not me... you, lol)
Art - Fashion - Glam - Indoor - Outdoor -
Rural - Urban - Public - Fetish - Erotic
Read further down how I define "Full Nude" vs "Erotic"

No one on their deathbed ever said,
"I should have experienced less."

Even if a concept isn't new, it doesn't mean the experience isn't new.
Just because someone has previously ridden a roller coaster,
does that mean you shouldn't ever ride that same roller coaster?
Of course not.

I enjoy many facets of art, to include reading, writing, painting, architecture, sculpture, and definitely the cutting-edge creativity of math & science; where the true artists of our modern culture are working. Me? I'm more of a classical romantic; fascinated by the Enlightenment of the Renaissance (which seems to be coming to a close, these days), trying to add my own take... my own thoughts and concepts... to artistic trails that have already been blazed for nearly 500 years by bold & wonderful artists and muses. I'd like to think of my work as "Late Enlightenment," as Society and Civilization are clearly sliding back into a "Post-Enlightenment" kind of Dark Ages.

I'm based in the Chicago Area. I live about 30 miles south, but I easily travel to Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa; sometimes Ohio and Kentucky, as I have a great friend near Cincinnati who I visit often. I know some great outdoor locations in and around Chicago, and I'm always discovering more. I can also provide transportation from wherever you're staying to our shoot location (this goes for both local models as well as traveling models).

I've shot all over the world from Prague to Dubai to New Zealand, and even Afghanistan as a Combat Photographer (25V) for an Army PsyOp Battalion.

I prefer low to no ink, but tats are not an automatic dealbreaker.

A list of general themes/ideas to shoot, just to get the creative juices flowing:
1) I do have a drone that could be VERY interesting for both Stills & Video, but I have yet to explore the possibilities.
2) The One-Shirt Flirt (bottomless inspiration). Business on Top, Party Down Below?
3) I just bought a bunch of hip-chains, neck-chains, pearls, chokers, bracelets, and anklets that could make for a great classic nude shoot.
4) Golf Course Nudes - either sneaking onto a green, or playing a full round if you golf!
5) Glam Gloves/Opera Gloves & Thigh-Highs with Heels - nothing else (maybe one of those long, classic cigarette holders).
6) I always like a good Helmut Newton look with tight hair & a choker.
7) Blindfolds and/or Anonymous Erotica
8) White Athletic Socks in Bed - nothing else! Add energy by using your legs to show-off the socks! (kind of a mild fetish that a friend had & it sort of wore-off on me, lol!)
9) Urban Nudes are my forté, but not many models seek to be excited by the idea.
10) - - - more to come? - - suggest some of your own? - - I'm open to your ideas - - -

ABOUT MY PHOTOGRPHY:
The greatest influences on my work are
1) First & foremest, Edward Weston for his classic framing, composition, camera orientation, and paying attention to the edges of the frame instead of the center of the frame;
2) Ansel Adams for perspective, immaculate editing with regard to dodging, burning, the way he used to "burn-through" hershey-bar negatives because he knew the detail was still in the emulsion, how to "view" a photo by paying attention to the highlight & shadow details, and the Zone System from The Camera, The Negative (capturing necessary information & detail, he would have loved histograms!) through the final Image and/or The Print (if you know these books, you know what I'm talking about);
3) Helmut Newton for his sexy fashions, his fun and deliberate "oops!" looks, and his bold urban nude styles, and his rich Hollywood locations; and finally...
4) Combat Photography, itself, also known as ENG (Electronic News Gathering) where you don't always have time to compose the perfect scene and capture the perfect shot, but the images are still more powerful than anything I've ever shot; some of the awful things I've shot for the Army are a direct influence on the beauty I'm trying to create, now. None of the military images I've shot are mine, so you won't see any displayed here (just as well). I shot them for DoD missions, and they're sitting in a government archive, hopefully with the proper VIRIN on them so I might get credit if they're ever published (I didn't catalog them. I turned over my storage cards to the leadership when I returned from every mission).

Lately, I'm thinking of absorbing whatever influence I can from George Hurrell's famous style of classic Hollywood glam... and/or Film Noir. It's one of my 2024 New Years Resolutions to develop this style. Still studying it and practicing with non-model subjects.

As of May, 2022, I'm adopting a policy that models who want to shoot with me should please post some thoughtful comments on my photos, as that is what I'm more likely to respond to. Please, no comments, like, "Dope," "Love it," or "Yummy." I put too much money & effort into my imagery to have it reduced to "Dope" or "Yummy." Tell me why an image speaks to you. If none speak to you and you only want my money (the rates I pay are listed below), then we shouldn't be shooting, right? If some of them do speak to you, then take a moment to share your thoughts. No one is too busy for a little common courtesy. Let me and others know what you like. It's not much to ask considering that I spend more time editing one photo than it takes to shoot an entire session. I'll spend that much time on your images, too, if we shoot. The truth is, we all do this to make others say, "Wow!" People DO notice, and contrary to what the faux-independents like to say, we all DO care what other people think, and we DO want others to like our work..

I'm no longer trying to monetize my art (I do I hope you think some of my images qualify as "art"), mainly because I've always been a terrible businessman, and today there's just no money in it for photographers, anymore. Models are making all the money they need shooting selfies for Instagram, Patreon, and OnlyFans (and yet, I still pay models to shoot... go figure. See? Terrible businessman, lol!).

Nowadays, when I have the money, I'm just shooting local and travelling models as they come, simply for the sheer joy of seeing what we can create together. Sometimes the magic strikes, sometimes it doesn't. As I've said, I do pay models for their time. The rates I pay and MY definitions of "Full Nude" vs "Erotic" are listed, below.

If you have a fully developed, artistic portfolio, my pay scale for full nudes/erotic/fetish, is below. Note: if you DON'T have a fully developed artistic portfolio, I will gladly help you develop one by adding marketable value to your body of work, in which case, these rates *don't* apply. That is definitely a fair trade since you'll eventually be making a lot more money off of photography than I ever will. I'm tired of seeing models drive up to shoots in luxury SUVs and Mercedes-Benz's, after building their "dream homes," while I'm working overtime at a strenuous job that I hate, and putzing around in an old minivan, just to create some art that doesn't sell because no one jerks off to it, lol! Stupid, right?

Below is the scale I pay, by number of hours, for full nudes based on $20-bill increments (if you only do sheer or see-thru lingerie/wet-t, subtract $20 from each hour. If you do erotic - described farther down - add $20 to each hour):
So the totals play-out, as follows:
1 hour -> $120 full nude (impled/see-thru $100 - Erotic $140)
2 hours -> $200 full nude (implied/see-thru $160 - Erotic $240)
3 hours -> $260 full nude (implied/see-thru $200 - Erotic $320)
4 hours -> $320 full nude (implied/see-thru $240 - Erotic $400)
(Note: I rarely shoot more than 3 hours)

These rates fit MY budget and are commensurate first & foremost with how much money *I* make at *my* shitty job, doing work I absolutely hate (warehousing); and also with the time and effort I put into arranging shoots prior, to and editing photos after. If arranging a shoot gets to be too tedious or expensive, I'll politely back out.

Note to New Models: I can't tell you EXACTLY what we're going to shoot. This isn't product or fashion photography where I need you to wear a designer's line or to look pretty next to a bag of cookies. Often times, the most information I can nail down is the suggestion of an outdoor location, and sometimes even that doesn't work. Don't worry, if we have to modify the location, or if no locations work at all, I'll still pay you for your time. These are *artistic* shoots. Very VERY much of it is: Let's put heads together and make it up as we go. If you're not comfortable with that approach, please have a look at my portfolio. That's how EVERY shoot has gone, and we've gotten some very nice work. Creating something from nothing is, by far, the most satisfying and confidence-building way to work.

Which reminds me of a story (not a good one, lol). I drove to Houston to do an urban shoot with an MM model, we were supposed to meet at the entrance of an Ikea west of town, apparently within walking distance of her place. We maintained text communication great text communication for the few days leading up to my arrival. In fact, I missed the exit for her Ikea, and she told me I had to turn around; that's how up-to-the-minute our communication was. I tell her when I get to the Ikea, she says to hang on, she's getting ready. So I wait... wondering why she wasn't already ready... and I wait some more... I prompt her and ask how it's going... she says a few more minutes. I tell her I'm gonna go into the Ikea and get something to drink, and ask if she wants anything... she says 2 small sugar-free Red Bulls... okay, no problem. I text her when I get back to my minivan... she's still not ready. I ask what's taking so long, and she replies back that she doesn't know how this is gonna work (shooting urban nudes). I tell her, honestly, that it might not work; all we can do is see if there are any opportunities, and if there aren't, I'll still pay her for her time. I'm not gonna be stupid about it. I'm not gonna ask her to do anything dangerous or crazy. If I ask her to do something she doesn't want to, she doesn't have to do it. The truth is, I can't make her - or anyone - do anything they don't want to do... and that's totally 100% valid. She said she said she'd feel bad about taking my money if we didn't get any shots, and I said I'd feel bad about taking her time without paying her. We agreed to split the difference; I'd pay her half-time 8f we didn't get any shots. Then she recanted and said there are just too many people. I said we won't know that until we go downtown and see... and now, after TWO HOURS, I feel stupid for doing what I said I wouldn't do: Pressuring her to do something she's obviously NOT gonna do. So I text directly, you're not gonna do this, are you. She says no. I say then you never should have said you would, thanks for wasting 2 hours and smashing my hopes. To which she replies that she's gonna smear me all over social media as being a bully. So ladies, this is what I have to deal with... on a very common basis.

There's way too much mental and emotional instability in the world today. The only way to achieve resiliency is through experience, BUT... there are too damn many opportunists who get a very weird sense of "power" by damaging and doing harm to others. Men seem to do it through physical sexual abuse, women seem to do it through psycho-sexual abuse, and the two seem to feed off of each other in a descending downward spiral. I would love nothing more than to stop that vicious cycle, but I'm just one guy, like a piece of popcorn against a freight train. To be sure, there are many MANY other abuses going on in society. Politicians and the entire political bureaucracy driving up OUR debt and OUR inflation, while enriching themselves. Corporations scoring record profits with CEOs taking 11% pay increases on already exorbitant salaries, while the common workers only get a 3% increase on already insufficient wages. The only way to hedge against that was to be invested in the corporate stocks before the record profits, but who has the disposable income to take the high risks of investment? It's not the common workers. It's a huge chunk of money for a common worker to invest $100 a week into a mutual fund that reports modest gains. In the meantime, the Crony Corporatists have literally $1000s to risk while still maintaining a luxurious lifestyle, and the Politicians make a killing in all the insider trading that guarantees the Corporatists all their record profits - and Big-Tech is right there to facilitate all of it. Fleecing the poor is NOT how a capitalist, free-trade market is supposed to work. That is NOT the spirit that lifted Americans out of the mud to create the highest standard of living in the world, when ONE MAN'S income could provide for a wife and family, have a nice working car, and enjoy a couple of vacations a year. Nowadays, parents can't even afford to take their kids to a baseball game. It's gotten so bad that the average person can't even afford to BE a parent, let alone having to pay corporate season-ticket prices to and outrageous concession prices just to take their kids to a ballgame. These are all reasons why I think we're on the verge of entering a modern Dark Ages of Post-Enlightenment. Sorry for that tangent, but I think it needed to be said. Maybe I should write a book, instead of ranting on an obscure photography profile. Would you buy it, if I did? Probably not, lol. Who can afford it? : )

I will always give you the benefit of the doubt... until there's no more doubt. I guess I should appreciate the creativity of the lies, but I'd much MUCH prefer the simple, straight-forward truth, and avoid all that weird energy, I would rather you just say you don't want to shoot. I wish I had the same luxury at my job.

I know you want to make your money when you come to Chicago, but so does every other model who contacts me, and I get contacted by A LOT of models! Which is wonderful! But I have to be judicious with my time, selections, and my income. I pay quality artistic models for quality artistic collaborations. So convince me I should shoot with you instead of them.

FULL NUDES
I define "Full Nudes" for a woman the same way I would define full nudes for a man. In the normal course of posing, sometimes "certain areas" (meaning: *genitals,* oh my!) will show more than others. Just because some vag might be showing in an image, doesn't automatically make it "erotic." What I don't want are awkwardly clamped legs that don't look casual or natural with the pose. To me, that looks just as awkward as unnaturally spread legs, and gaping labes pulled wide-open.

EROTIC NUDES
Erotic, on the other hand, which I also like, would have a more sensual tone to the image, not pulled-open spreads. Erotic is a mood, not porn. Maybe a lower camera angle, a more intense look of passion, maybe a touching hand or tracing finger in an intimate caress... arousing while maintaining a passion for art. No gynecological spreads... not for me, anyway.

Hopefully, that gives you a better understanding of my meaning between "Full Nudes" vs "Erotic Nudes."

One of my favorite sayings:
This work is a lot like Rocket Science.
Except there aren't any Rockets,
and you don't need Science!

You do need passion & practice, though! Lots of passion & lots of practice!
EXPERIENCE! You have to learn what works and what doesn't work. There's no substitute for experience, and you'll never acquire experience without trying, failing, and improving on your mistakes. Emulate greatness.

As the master of my medium, I reserve the artistic right to photoshop anything I choose in an image; in exactly the same manner as painters and sculptors who exert complete control over their medium to evoke a mood or message they want to convey, through visual manipulation. I will remove distractions, create balance, and adjust tones, etc, to make an image look how I want it to.

Thank you for your time & interest.
- Matthew

Beautiful Models I've shot with:
(the list has really grown! Not all are listed at the moment!)
Nini_6979 - 4530062 (St Louis, MO)
Danielle Lynn Scott - 806166 (Cedar Rapids, IA)
Marissa M Chavez - 4449289 (listed in Chicago, now in Puerto Rico)
Hello Jewels - 3953367
Artistic Physique - 1793485 (Columbus, OH)
LilMizzUnique - 3339096
Brit Zentz - 2965912
Model Mila Rose - 3010174 (North Aurora, IL)
St Merrique - 772043
Blondieee - 3751480
K Y L I E - 2294526
D E V I - 2686156
Bailey Daniels -
Kayla_Ann_90 - 4451682
Paper Doll - 703682
Tiffany Helms - 2904260
Natasha Nafrini - 92964
Emmy Elle - 2821103
Vassanta (retired)
Heather Carden - Not on MM
Karly Salinas - 3229981
Katlyn Lacoste - 1227596
BrittniWalker - 4109323 (aka: @knockoutkitten)

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