I'm a photographer. I travel. In fact, I travel a lot. My next trips will probably be to the Cincinnati, Ohio, area (Kentucky, too) on any given weekend, the same goes for Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, too. My next scheduled trip will be back to New Orleans, Louisiana, in December. Other places very high on my list for the winter are: Omaha and Lincoln Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming. Of course, Michigan and Indiana are just a hop-and-a-skip away! If you're in ANY of these locations, please contact me and let's set up a shoot.

When I travel, I shoot. Take a look at my pics. If you like mine and I like yours, then we should shoot. Pretty simple, really. Contact me if you'd like to get together for a shoot. Just so you know, I pay for nudes, I do TFP for Implieds, and I accept pay for Non-Nude styles (unless I contact you). In every case, exceptions can be made for exceptional models.

NEWBIE FRIENDLY! I'm very good with direction and leading you through a shoot, I know we'll get some shots that can take you that next level, and I don't have any problems with non-jealous escorts if you think you need one (please, no sulking boyfriend-wannabes, either - the depressing vibe just isn't good).

For NON-NUDE, Fashion, Glam styles, et cetera, my rates are cheap Cheap CHEAP!! :) It's a little more expensive if you only want me one hour ($40). But for two hours and above it's just $25 per hour. That's a steal! Think about it, for only $200, you could have me ALL DAY! Eight hours! I must be crazy! lol! And you'll get GREAT pics for it!! What you have to ask yourself is: Is $50 to $100 worth it to have great images of yourself for the rest of your life? And even MORE Importantly: Is it worth it to have your portfolio stepped-up to that next level? A level where heads will turn and higher talents will start to take notice? I can do that.

I'll shoot TFP with models who do Implied Nudes.

NUDE WORK: I pay reasonable rates for fully nude work. I've shot with Playboy caliber models at $300 for 5 hours and $500 for 7 hours, so those are pretty much the highest rates I'll pay. For most models - and this probably means you - I pay $200 for a half-day (4-5 hours) and $400 for a full-day (7-8 hours) of nude sessions. Some models have expressed that my rates are significantly lower than what they SAY they're used to charging, other models think my rates are more than generous - so I figure I'm right in the ballpark. If you don't like my rates for taking off your clothes and having a great day, maybe you'd like to work in the CRAP HOLE that *I* did - at a tenth of the hourly rate - in order to get that money for you! lol! Cut me some empathy, please, you have a GREAT job by comparison. There's more: I'm reliable, I DO pay, I don't flake, I offer repeat work for good sessions, I will pick you up, drop you off, keep you hydrated with beverages of your choice, and I'll buy you lunch or dinner if our stomachs start growling. (Note! I'll buy you beverages, and I understand the need for some models to "loosen-up" for a shoot, but I don't look at me to get you schnockered. I just had a model upchuck on me and start-in with the crying and the indelicate blubbering! Well... she didn't upchuck ON me in a literal sense... it was while we were shooting! Still, it wasn't pretty... and NO! I didn't take pictures of it!! Grow up! :P)

I'm also a good conversationalist, I'll treat you with you with respect, you'll have fun, I can provide top-notch references if you'd like, and I *know* we're going to get some great pics for your port - nudes as well as non-nudes (see below).

Yes, models joke and tease me about my "creepy red van" - lol! - until they see it! They end up loving it because it carries a lot of stuff (which is why they MAKE vans in the first place) and it doubles as a spaciously mobile changing room. Besides, it's not creepy! It's just a nice red Dodge mini-van (Grand Caravan) like a Soccer Mom drives. Are soccer Moms creepy? lol!

Working with me won't be a life-changing, inspirational epiphany where the sky opens up and beams of light come streaking down from the heavens. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm not that good - lol! - if anyone CLAIMS to be, well, that's for you to decide, I guess. I'm not here to brag about where my photos have been, that's water under the bridge. I'm interested in where they're going. Will you be in them? I'm not trying to trick you into believing that I'll be the greatest photographer you've ever worked with. I may be, but it doesn't bother me if I'm not. You will enjoy our shoot, though, for a half-day or full-day, and I have no doubts that we'll get some nice results. It is what it is and we do what we do because we enjoy our chosen crafts. That's why we're here, isn't it?

If you're wondering what my main inspiration is, I'd have to say it's the Aloha Spirit. If you're not familiar with the Aloha Spirit, it's that warm, fuzzy feeling of glowing happiness you have at those moments, say, when you're sitting with friends around a campfire... feeling the Aloha. Aloha doesn't mean "Hello" or "Goodbye", it's a bidding of wonderful feeling. So I take great joy in the simple and the beautiful. You might have to spend a few years in Hawaii to fully grasp that idea.

Oh, and after traveling through Europe and shooting so comfortably and casually with so many wonderfully mature-minded models, I've decided that I'm really tired of seeing childish American models with comments like, "I won't do nudes, Don't Even Ask!" You know who you are. What I don't like is the parental, condescending tone of that last military order: "Don't Ask!" It conveys a false assumption that there is something inherently disrespectful about nudity. So, in that same spirit, to those kids who take such a harsh, judgmental stand against nudes, I'd like to say, "If you WON'T shoot nudes - implied or higher - do us both a favor, save your breath, and don't bother contacting me. I'm sorry that you think your own body is vulgar and obscene. It's not. I have never viewed it that way. I never will. I don't know how - or why - you were conditioned to think of yourself that way. Do you really think it's out of self-respect that you call yourself gross and obscene? Further, most of the nude models I've worked with have been the most together and down-to-earth people I've ever met. When you shoot with a European model, and she says, "My limit is open-leg nudes! Nothing more." And I'm left wondering, "Really? That's ALL? lol! What else IS there?" I love it! Then I come back home and all I get is, "Don't Even Ask!!!" I'm not asking you to pose for an OB/GYN exam. I just want a calm, relaxed, casual look. But it's just as ridiculous to pose like your legs are surgically and permanently clamped at the knees in EVERY shot.

So now my new saying is: "DON'T FEAR THE HOO-HA!"

If you don't want to shoot nudes, that's fine - just say so, simply and respectfully. If you're getting barraged by mindless photographers wanting to shoot nudes, I can understand that, just ignore them or report them to OMP. No need to lose your cool. Also remember that there are MANY models out there who SAY they don't do nudes - but actually DO - for the same reasons as you: To keep the creeps at bay. So THAT can make these waters a little difficult to negotiate at times! Please don't attack the guys who risk an initial question. For many, if they don't at least ask, they'll get nothing. We all have to start somewhere. You SHOULD, though, attack the weirdos who keep pressing after you tell them "No!" In fact, report them... to the the police if you have to. Those creeps make the rest of us look bad. (No, I DIDN'T say "Those creeps make the rest of us creeps look bad!" lol!)

Honestly, I really don't mind models who won't shoot nudes. What I don't like are models who take a moral, philosophical, and political stand against it; who act like nudity is the reason society is crumbling around us; and who treat you like you should burn in Hell for even considering the possibility. They almost sound as if they don't have complete control over what they will and won't do. Or maybe they're taking such a strong stance publicly in an over-compensating attempt to fend off their own pent-up, private temptations they hold so deeply! That's it, isn't it! ha! Gotcha! ; )

The truth is, society could probably benefit from loosening-up their undies a bit and liberating their inhibitions with a little more nudity in their lives (with that kind of exposure and public review, we might even have fewer obese people, who knows?). So, yes, actually I *will* shoot non-nudes, but if you're a non-nude model, I probably lost you a few paragraphs ago! Sorry about that! I do pay models for nude sessions, I don't pay models for non-nude sessions, and nude sessions will always take priority over non-nude sessions. Again, I don't mind that you won't shoot nudes, I just don't like it when judgment is passed on those who do. The world is polarized enough as it is. Trust me, I know - that's why I was in Jalalabad, Afghanistan (fighting for your right to pose nude! - wink!). I rest my case... 'nuff said about that.

On the simple matter of pay, if I'm the one paying for the session, you shouldn't expect the full set of photos when we're done. That's what I'm paying for. Weird, huh? If you want the photos, I'll gladly accept monetary compensation for my time. It's an easy concept to grasp. Don't worry, I'll always send you some of my edits when we're done.

What are your questions? :)

~Ned

REMEMBER: DON'T FEAR THE HOO-HA!
(I think I'm gonna have T-Shirts made-up with that saying on it!!)

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REFERENCES:

Brittany - OMP#398767 (http://member.onemodelplace.com/member.cfm?ID=398767)
Petula - OMP# 291135 (http://member.onemodelplace.com/member.cfm?ID=291135)
Jenni Czech - OMP# (http://member.onemodelplace.com/member.cfm?ID=265348)
Michaela - OMP# 409151 (http://member.onemodelplace.com/member.cfm?ID=409151)
Zuzy - OMP# 152330 (http://member.onemodelplace.com/member.cfm?ID=152330)
Trisha - OMP# 404565 (http://member.onemodelplace.com/member.cfm?ID=404565)
Carlotta Champagne - OMP#149902 (http://member.onemodelplace.com/member.cfm?ID=149902)
Maria - OMP#293094 (http://member.onemodelplace.com/member.cfm?ID=293094)
Paper Doll Princess - OMP#336405 (http://member.onemodelplace.com/member.cfm?ID=336405)
Vassanta - OMP#245800 (http://member.onemodelplace.com/member.cfm?ID=245800)
Melissa - OMP#211761 (http://member.onemodelplace.com/member.cfm?ID=211761)