It has now become incredibly difficult to find nude models. Where are the women who bring an enthusiasm and passion for the genre? Young women have now grown up with social media, the smartphone is a fixed part of their lives and due to the great prosperity in many Western countries, it's no longer popular to try hard.
With social media a lot has changed. People strive for recognition and want to be seen. Everyone of us.
But now, you can snap a few pictures of yourself and wiggle your butt on instagram to gain recognition and likes. And if girls are good in self-marketing, they make an OnlyFans account and even earn money (some of them even a fortune) with their snapshots.
No demand for photographers any longer.
The fast pace of life has broken a lot. For many millenials, social media matters to the max. They sometimes forget that there is a life outside of instagram and TikTok. I would even say they are missing out on the real life.
Unfortunately, with the spread of the smartphone, everyone also thinks they are a photographer and the importance of the work of a (sorry) real photographer is no longer perceived. The need for an artist behind the camera is seemingly dwindling.
Other nude photographers shared the same thoughts with me.
Recently, I have talked to several photographers about this topic. I was relieved that they all told me the same thing: It has become incredibly difficult to find models.
Many models are too lazy to reply to messages — even though you offer them paid work. I would say only one out of ten models replies when I write her on instagram. This is hard for me to understand.
And while writing this article, I had to think about the fact that the painter Egon Schiele had great difficulty finding nude models back then — about 110 years ago. At that time, nude painting was forbidden. So his sister sometimes posed for him.
While I do have a sister, I don't think this could be a solution for my problem though, to be honest.
Nude photography has always been a controversial subject. Many don't understand that while eroticism is present, it plays a secondary role.
I actually sense an incredible amount of insecurity among young people and it makes me sad. I witness a great lack of self-confidence when browsing their instagram profiles. This goes even for some of the famous people with more than a million followers. Weird, isn't it?
The pretense of a happy life doesn't seem to sit well with people. I never thought that social media would have such a strong influence on our social developments.
Confused zeitgeist
At the same time society turns up its nose at nude photos. That's why the market for books and magazines is also changing. You can hardly find nude photography books in book stores any longer and even a carpenter who had an accident on the saw can count on one hand how many men's magazines are still on the market.
For me, nude photography means life, though. It's not a short-term thing, I burn for it.
Please don't understand me wrong. This article is not written by a grumpy old man who is whining about a developing society and changing markets.
I am happy to evolve. To move forward. To change things. Yet, nude photography is my calling. It's my passion and I cannot give up on it. This means even in difficult times like these, I will definitely continue with this genre.
For two years already I produce image series that are still unpublished. It's hard for me, especially in these fast-paced times, but when I get my next book printed, it will be all the more surprising.
I am very much looking forward to the new year and the images that I will soon be able to show you.