Pros and Cons of Shooting at the Model's Home

March 25, 2022 • 1 Comment

Pros and Cons of Shooting at the Model’s Home

Do you ever wonder how I decide where to do a photoshoot? Here’s a little advice for my fellow photographers.

Although I have a pretty nice home studio, I’ve done quite a few shoots in the homes of models or clients. This post is based on my in-home shoots with professional models. So far, most of these shoots have been somewhere in the Portland region. I like to call them “house calls.”

House call shoots have some major positive aspects:

They are more convenient for the model, especially since gas prices are high, but beyond that, many urban models don’t have access to a car. Offering house calls expands the range of models I can work with.
Shooting in a new place gives the shoot a different look, so my art doesn’t get boring.
The images have a more intimate look and feel, partly because the model tends to be more comfortable in her own space.
I feel there is a sexy, voyeuristic aspect to seeing a beautiful nude woman in her own home.
Sometimes, usually with older models, their home is beautifully decorated and adds a nice elegant touch to the photo results.

Of course there are also some notable negative aspects:

Models mostly live in smallish apartments or older houses with small rooms. My large studio lighting gear just doesn’t fit, even if I wanted to break it down, haul it to the location and set it up again. I get around this by using my portable lighting setup that uses 3 AD 200 portable strobes. I have really learned to love these little lights.
Some models, especially the younger ones, are not good housekeepers, so their place is so messy you really don’t want to shoot there. To avoid this problem, I ask models to take a couple of phone pix showing what their place looks like.
The last negative is what I call the “creepiness factor.” It’s a vague psychological unease similar to what you find with hotel shoots. I think it’s caused by subconscious memories of past rendezvous for sexual purposes, combined with previous unpleasant or scary photoshoot experiences. This can affect both the photographer and the model. It’s important for the photographer to have a friendly and businesslike attitude from the start. Models are very attuned to the photographer’s vibe and will respond accordingly. This can be difficult for rookie photographers who are nervous and unsure of themselves.

There are lots of other factors that might affect your decision to shoot at a model’s home. For example, you might not have a studio of your own. For me, I like getting out of the studio and working on location. Shooting in an unfamiliar space is a technical challenge that sharpens my skills.

Hopefully you found this blog post interesting and a bit helpful. The photos you see here were all taken at the model’s place.

Thanks for reading! If you want to see more photos of these models, you can scroll through the photosets I’ve posted for sale on Bentbox at this location: Bentbox - Beyond Boudoir Photo

Take Care,

Dr. Mike