Zack has articulated what tends to rub me up the wrong way about work that is mostly young women. What tends to happen when this sort of work is shared is that it gets a lot of attention and hits on social media and it can be very difficult to criticise without coming off as sounding spiteful. Zack taking the time to thoughtfully explain and add nuance to a critique certainly helps. I think if we have to get specific when asked what is so bothersome about this kind of work is that it seems to shortcut what a lot of us consider to be 'good-work' (whatever that is) and ultimately because it lacks a story or wider narrative it can come off as quite shallow.

Zack, one thing that separates you from the KZfaq pack is your honesty. Your website review and comments were spot on. You have a great way of "stepping on someone's toes and not messing up the shine".

The fact that you did NOT jump to any definitive conclusions speaks volumes about your character and intelligence, Zack.

Zack! Loved this one. Especially, the advice about never having a model straddle a railroad track again. 💯 with you on that. I’ll attempt to add my humble two cents as I am a female photographer who enjoys both street and portrait photography. In LA I have had many opportunities to shoot with other photographers and models who aren’t professional models. Sometimes it’s an invite to tag along on a shoot, a “model” hitting me up on IG, or a meet up thrown by an IG group out here. A lot of times the “model” will show up wearing next to nothing because they know it’ll get ‘likes’ on instagram. I’ve found that photographers looking to get shots up or build their portfolios will just shoot what’s presented to them. I’ve never been a fan of this and have chosen not to shoot subjects because of the looks they’ve arrived in. Which is one of the reasons I stopped going to portrait meet ups. I’m not saying young female models have to be covered up at all, I’m saying there should be a clear artistic vision present in the photos. There’s a lot more I could say on this matter, but I don’t want to leave an essay on your page. 🙂 I will say it’s the responsibility of the photographer to make images that represent their eye. If that means sending vision boards ahead of time to guide your model in the direction you have in mind, do it. Great video and critic. Not harsh, helpful, and direct. You’ve made this guy a better artist already. 🙂

I’m so pleased somebody has spoken the words flying around in my head. I’m bored of seeing these images, stop taking them and like Zach said use that energy for something special! Well said bro!

I think you tackled this thorny topic pretty well without throwing anyone under the bus. Hopefully the photographer, and those in a similar position, take the critique for what it is.

I don't call myself a fashion photographer, but I do work as a photographer at a fashion retailer. My biggest problem with this type of "fashion" photography is that it completely ignores the clothing itself, how it fits on the model, the type of fabric, or a person's individual sense of style. To me, it feels like a GWC focusing on a model's curves more than anything else.

The ONE reason we chose the photographer for our wedding that we chose, is the fact that she made "less attractive" people seem beautifull. Having a bunch of "models" as a portfolio doesn't do anything for the average joe.

"Wait, you're not a photographer! No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!" Great video, Zack and bold move with those stats!

Hope you are well. Miss your unique contribution to the world of photography. You inspired me with your one light photography materials.

Brilliant, honest review. Enough said.....

I miss you Zack. Not to put any pressure on you... not every video must be this important, honest and also generous. I think most things you express is worth listening to, even the banal...because you are human and yourself, empathic. What I take from this one is of course your respectful critique, but also the story of your own journey as a photographer. I am not a professional photographer, I am a happy and sometimes concerned hobbyist, but I as well as most of my fellow viewers of your channel am struggling with finding my own “voice”. Your words not only help me to find the right answers but more importantly to ask myself the right questions. Give me a holler if you ever end up in Sweden - you are definitely a person I would love to share a pitch of beer with. //B

Although I am a middle aged photographer wanting to do fashion, I have made it a point to stay away from types of images that could question my motives. However, earlier this year my wife gave me a very honest critique how my work was not fashion and I showed a lack of interest in learning about fashion. That was the best critique I've received to date and it stays at the forefront for all my projects and my work has improved. Zack your critique was spot on and I hope the photographer is as thankful as I was hearing truth. His work will be better for hearing it.

Ever since watching this video when first released, I can't "unsee" it as this is so prevalent in this industry. Heck even I did it back in the day, because it's been fairly normalized, you know: you hit the nail on the head with, "pretty people + pretty light = pretty pictures". Thank you for this.

I really enjoyed this. I was a fashion photographer in the 90's. My benchmark was always Italian Vogue, although I never made it to those hallowed halls, it certainly inspired me to do some good work.

Your website and portfolio is your resume or CV to potential clients. So you really do need to tailor your website rather than just throwing a random assortment of pictures on it. This means having different sections to the site as well - something I see _everyone_ recommending - with photos appropriate to that section. I'm still designing my website, but I'm definitely implementing that idea. Most of the website critiques I've seen don't go into how the site could be interpreted, or only touch on it briefly. It's far more important than the pictures you post since it governs _what_ pictures to post to the site and how to arrange them. And how your presentation is interpreted is going to, oftentimes, make the difference between getting bookings/inquiries, and whether those who are sending the inquiries are the type of people you want to be attracting. And that goes beyond this photographer's website and all the photos posted thereto and how they're arranged. I came across a comment not too long ago where a photographer who is a black woman was having difficulty landing gigs with black clients. She wanted to attract more black clientele but couldn't because her site made it look like she doesn't photograph blacks despite being black herself, largely due to not having many photos with black clients to use for her site. To help correct that, she mentioned gifting her time to shoot a wedding for black clients to get more of that into her portfolio. So you need to think about who you want as clients and whether your website will attract them. Even if you're just a hobbyist looking for more work, you still need to put some thought into it. For this photographer, though, it's unclear whether he's actually trying to attract anyone, or if he was like "I need a website to show off my photography" and then pasted his Flickr or Instagram to it with no thought to presentation.

Thank you for this, Zack! Always wanted someone with a following to speak out on this.

Well made video, tactfully spoken. It also heavily touched me too. I've been doing portrait shooting myself too, but I'm becoming very self-aware and critical of the images I'm making. I'm wanting to take that next step from single session shoot to producing a body of coherent, consistent work that has meaning.

You hit the nail on the head! Loved it!

Great video, glad to see someone broach this type of thing. I can relate to this myself. When I was in my early 20s I taught myself to draw. I learned to draw rather well (but not remarkably well or anything). As might come as no surprise given that I’m a straight guy, my chosen subject matter was.... yup, women in various states of undress. I would often be faced by drawing requests whenever a female friend or acquaintance would discover my back catalog (“draw me like one of your French girls” as it were). Many a nude photo was sent my way to use as source material, which usually obliged me to create a drawing lest I seem like a creep. This was even before sexting, mind you. Then, but especially now, it was hard to ignore the through line that the collective work projected: I wasn’t exactly drawing pictures of horses after all. I’ll be a little more blunt than Zack and call it what it was: boner fuel. I was a young, hot blooded male, and women would send me nude photos (some professionally shot, others not as much) so that they could be the subjects in my “art”. Consenting adults sometimes engage in behaviour that seems embarrassing or silly in retrospect. But what would old age be if you couldn’t chuckle at your younger self.

Zack Arias always keeping it real. Your conclusion statement was spot on. He/she should put that on repeat until it sinks in. That’s the only way a hobbyist becomes a professional.

Spot on as usual Zack. I am looking forward to what Caleb and yourself come up with for the channel. You definitely can tell you are excited to have him home!

Totally agree. That gallery was totally all over the place.

Yes 👏🏿YES 👏🏿 and yes again So I found this picture posted on PurplePort - which tbh - is an entire site of the type of dudes you're talking about in this video (with a few exceptions). This style of photography and the general concept of GWCs really makes me uneasy and I'm always so baffled by the motives of it. But yes, everything you've said in this is totally spot on.

After watching this video I released I’m probably a GWC. Currently feel like packing up the gear & cry in a corner until I can figure out how to channel my energy in photography to something more useful. Truth hurts, but it’s good to hear to from time to time to channel you in a better direction. Thanks for your honesty Zack. 👍🏼

Thank you for this video. I'm just starting out as a portrait photographer and I notice this too.

Good video Zack. Years ago I got to watch a very successful fashion photographer run a shoot and realised that there is a BIG difference between shooting actual fashion / editorial content and ‘am/glam’ (amateur glamour). The successful photographer said on the day, “you have to ‘get’ fashion to be any good at this kind of photography”. Made a lot of sense.

Pretty much nailed it. Great advice, diplomatically delivered. Looking forward to seeing Caleb also.

I am primarily a wedding and portrait photographer. This is a very important ethical conversation, and I'll be sharing this video with my intern. Perhaps the most important thing that you didn't mention is that these young women who are not models are not paying for these shoots. So the exchange is something far different.

I made that mistake when I started out and I now cringe at some of the photos I took back then. However, it is a great way to learn your craft and develop skills like off camera flash etc.

Thank you for taking the time to speak about this type of work. When I was about 3/4 of the way thru your video, I popped over to 500px and checked out the popular images in "Fashion". They were mostly cheesecake images posted by male photographers. (The only one I found interesting in scanning through several pages was shot by a woman, and the model was a bit more mature). It's definitely a thing. Thank you for challenging these photographers to do other work. I'd love to hear the photographer's response to your critique.

Just glad to see you back.

Zack - you wanted a female opinion and I think you are spot on in your website/content critique. They asked for a critique, it's not like you pulled that site out of the blue. Mind you I am a hobbyest, and not a portrait photographer (although I have done some portrait work and found it is just not my thing lol). If I was looking for a family photographer or a business headshot/on site photographer, that is NOT the site I would be drawn to. If someone was trying to be an up and coming model, just trying to get into the business, learning to pose (other than just looking at pose photos), this site may be more interesting. But the site did seem to be all over the place, and again, like you said, way too many photos. And because there didn't seem to be a real quality/flow to the photos, and the quality of the content was only okay (if you like that kind of photography) I think that's what made it come across a bit on the voyeur creepy side for me. But your video was well done, you were professional in your opinion and you gave honest suggestions and well as direct complements for the photographer. And I'm happy to read in one of your replys that you are in contact with that photographer for further conversations. Keep the videos coming - if I wanted to watch a bunch of videos that only pointed out the perfect, I wouldn't learn anything.

I still have your voice in my head about "high fashion" photography (tilted to one side) after all these years

Zach, this is one of my favorite videos so far. I really appreciate your vulnerability in the story telling of your own journey, and I agree whole-heartedly with your critique. As a consumer, when I'm looking to book a photographer, I don't want to be faced with an overwhelming portfolio, but I do want the images to be cohesive, and I want to connect with them. This means more than just well-lit images...I want the photos to tell a story...to capture the uniqueness of the subject. Soooo many people have "dime a dozen" images in their ports. One note - your use of the word cosplay doesn't quite hit the nail on the head. Cosplay is specifically used to talk about people who dress in costume as a _specific_ character (as if every day were Halloween) for various activities...conventions, photos, or just for the hell of it. I think you were meaning more that often the photographer and model are just playing at being photographer and model, but either aren't interested or don't know how to improve. I see these guys a lot at our local meetups...models who don't dress to fit the theme, don't dress head to toe, don't know how to pose... photographer who don't direct their models, don't edit their images, don't pay attention to anything other than lighting when they cull. Gosh, I've got so many thoughts...but my point is, two big thumbs up for what you shared in this video! Thank you!!!

Zack great video and I think most of the problem today is social media if you remember a photoshoot that they did a couple years back and then asked the young girls to then edit their own photos and it became scary at how they then edited those photos to what they thought they looked like. I find that what you have done here is similar to that and what a lot of young photographers wanting to get there name out there in social media and also the ladies who want to get their name out there and this is what we have come to. One last thing I would like to say is a lot of these commenters out there or who are thinking of commenting on this if you have children is this what you want them doing on either side of the camera. I really do believe you did this honestly and professionally and deserve a lot of credit for actually bringing this subject up just like a lot of us would like to but don't have the balls to do it. Thank you from the nice Canadian. One more thing to all of the people from the USA we in Canada want to tell you one more thing GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!!

Great video, Zack. Everything is honest and I think most people need to hear this. Now I love to see half and fully nude women but that is not what my photography is. It's like the people who go to live concert and record it all on their phones to never watch. I go to concerts and watch the stage not an LCD screen. Stay safe and sane.

Most of the photos look more like glamour than fashion or even portraits. I'm not making a statement on the quality of the photos, but that just doesn't look like fashion. I feel like you can tell when a photographer's actually into fashion itself.

Very well thought out and as a professional portrait photographer for 15 years, I agree with most of what you said. There is a chance however that this photographer could be making money with these shoots and that's what the client wants. If that's the case, more power to him. Either way, that is WAY too many photos for a portfolio. We are taught to only show our best work. However, that's tough in regards to social media because you need to post regularly and engage with your followers. Enjoyed the video and even good things to think about for those of use who've been doing this longer.

It's definitely a worthwhile discussion to have. I've thought about it many times when it comes to the stuff I do. But I believe it's similar in just about every genre of photography, maybe even potentially artistic endeavours in general. Why do you produce the stuff you do... You can display competence. Good lighting, check. Flattering angle, check. Adhered to the rules of composition, check. Good retouch, check. Etc. If your model and location are fascinating, interesting, and so on, you'll get a great picture out of it. You can fall in love with the process. As you said, meeting new, attractive and interesting people is fun, and photographing them is a great way to spend time. And if you know what you're doing, the results will be there as well, even though they might take a backseat to the process. You have something to say and want to get it out into the world, through the medium of photography. What is it you want to say? Do you even know? How does it end up in your photos? Will other people see it? Can you even get your photos out there enough for other people to see it? Sometimes you veer between those motivations, or you mix them up, and one or the other is at the forefront. Sometimes you maybe rather want to put it out there through a different medium, like a film, or a text, or music, or a game or video essay. Sometimes you lose track of what you want to say, or it changes, or it becomes unimportant. Or you can't get it across, and people "don't get it". Or maybe you don't get it yourself anymore. I think I've been at all of these stages myself, and right now I'm definitely lost. And I guess there's no sure fire way to get out of this state. Sometimes it's through working a lot. Sometimes it's through a lot of thought. Sometimes it just happens, or you have some epiphany. Or maybe I just don't have anything to say or can't get it out there in this particular way anymore. It's difficult. There's nothing wrong with producing competent, beautiful work. One just should accept that it's gonna be forgettable. If you want something more, it can be a world of pain getting there, and there's no guarantee that you will, or that you will be understood. What do the most revered fashion (slash portrait/street/nude) photographers have to say, how do they say it, how and by whom are they understood? What interests them and how do they get it across? Can it even be quantified? What criteria are used to judge their work? Is their work a result of skill or inspiration or empathy a mixture of all those things? It's an endless discussion I guess, and ultimately everybody has to try and find answers for themselves. The gap between wanting to do something and being able to do it (and then again getting recognition) can be very painful.

This video really resonated with me. Thank you!

Valid points. First let me say, I'm a hobbyist photog, enjoying photography in my retirement. My preference is to make photos that include people (as opposed to landscape, nature, etc.). I love shooting street. In addition to street, I like doing portraits. My preference is to make pictures of "ordinary" people; not just "pretty" people. In that vain, I even offered free portrait sessions for elderly folks. I figured their family members would enjoy having images for keepsakes. What a letdown, I didn't get one taker. I appreciate this critique and your opinions.

This is why I love your videos, you get the old brain cells going. I entirely agree, what you say is so bang on and I really dislike the image that many of the public have of photographers. Not what I want to be doing, I want to create photos that are art, my mentors are the 1950s and 1960s-style fashion photos eg Avedon, Bailey, Donovan, Duffy...etc. Without me saying anything, I have been asked by three local ladies, if I wanted to do nude photos of them or boudoir...etc. Really not my scene at all and these came out of the blue, unprompted by me. I politely turned them all down saying sorry, I would not feel comfortable about it and, I wouldn’t even know how to pose or light them. It makes me cross how people automatically assume that’s what I want to do.

This is an amazing critique with a very meaningful end note

Not an easy conversation to have but you handled it well, Zack. Thanks for sharing!

This is a perfect video.. agreed 100% with your thoughts.

First time viewer, and I have to say this is pretty wonderful stuff. I'm a longtime fashion and portrait magazine shooter, and I usually try to avoid these kinds of conversations with other shooters. But you were ASKED for your opinion, and nearly everything you said - to a word - is exactly what I was thinking, and what I would have told this person if I had been asked. As the video proceeded, I kept waiting for you to acknowledge his strengths. Yes, much of his work is "Olan Mills" mall style - great line btw - but I could easily see he does know how to use light. And then, of course, you finally did, which is an important part of any criticism. All well and respectively done. BTW, the name of the style of much of his work - that you were searching for - is "modeling photography", at least on social media. It's sort of a cop-out label for the people you describe - photographers who shoot models but aren't fashion photographers, and models who pose but aren't professional models.

Hi Zack! I have been a long time subscriber and have always enjoyed your advice and content. I just watched your Fuji Xpro 1 video in Mumbai and really enjoyed it. I would love to see more new content on your channel, it's been a little while.

I think you are absolutely 100% correct!!!!

Thank you for addressing this, found this very articulate as to help those who might get their feelings hurt then not actually listen to what you’re trying to say. I didn’t know GWC was a term but I could always spot these same type of male photographers, so I’m glad I can put a name to this 🥴creepy🥴 phenomenon now lol

Hi, Zach! I think you hit the nail on the head. And, I agree and I am think my portfolio is in the space of learning and ends up being a lot me learning lighting and directing. But, my mind is drifting to what does the other side of the line look like? What does that personable photography look like? How do I know when I am on the other side of that line? I would have loved your video to include some examples of what that looks like.

I’m glad you’ve brought this topic up. To me this has always seemed like the ‘seedy underbelly’ of photography. The GWC who rings Model Mayhem and photographs some attractive young girl in various stages of undress. And to what end? Will these photos be used to secure work, are they for a ‘personal’ project? It just seems exploitative and opportunistic. I’ve left most of the Facebook photography groups as they seem to be filled with guys posting their latest ‘TFP’ shoot. They all look the same, they’re a dime a dozen. And, quite often there’s nothing to learn in terms of lighting, model engagement, story telling, anything. I’m also a member of this private group started by a photographer friend of mine where people (usually women) can warn others about inappropriate behaviour by (usually male) photographers. Inevitably it’s the ‘TFP’ scenario and some creepy photog. And as we know sometimes these stories can involve people at the top of the profession. Anyway for me you’ve touched a nerve. As men in this industry we need to do a better job of finding purpose and intent in what we do, particularly when it involves trading on others for our work, and we need to be held accountable to uphold standards of practice which are ethical.

Thank you. You said what I was feeling everytime I entered a new photography group and saw the constant stream of TFP-shoots. Young women hoping to become models - and photographers enabling that dream. I don't know if the photographers know, that the women will never be professional models? If they do it is exploitation. If they don't, it is just ignorance. But again. Thank you Zack for being the voice of reason and the patron saint for middle-aged guys with KZfaq ambitions.

Thank you so much for this amazing advice. I have been doing this dime a dozen photography myself. I do not know if this is the case in US, but back here (Europe), nice young women would pay to take flattering portraits of them, so they can post them on instagram or whatever. So I never felt or consider it might be exploitative. But, I never felt comfortable including these photos in my portfolio, or post them on my social media, so I never did. I did not stop people from tagging me if they posted the photos I took, though. But, some have been questioning why I was not posting these myself anywhere, despite their consent. Perhaps I did not find them good looking enough? You gave a voice to my restraint, a why to which I was subconsciously seeking an answer for quite a few years, now. I take such photos to make some money. But they do not express my visual identity, and when I show my photos to people, this is not what I believe represents the type of message or emotion I want to convey in my photos, or what I would like to express through my images, the type of photography I would like people to identify me with, if you will. Throughout the video I could not stop picturing your "personal" section of your portfolio, which has about 20 photos, all of which are very powerful and have an overarching theme and unique identity and feel to them. I can go as far as say that out of a thousand photos, if yours were mixed in randomly, I could recognize most of yours. And that really got me thinking. Thank you again for this awesome video. I will probably remember your sage advice for a very long time and refer to your video when others want to get over this sort of phase in their photography journey. I was wondering why yt stopped recommending your channel, and I realized it is because you haven't posted in a while. I hope all is well, and I wish (selfishly) you would sometime find the inclination and free time to share your thoughts with us, humble followers.

Firstly, I think you are amazing and I love your work. I understand where you are coming from to a certain extent. Good art, whether it is fine art painting, photography , sculpture will always shine over the masses of mediocrity. What you are referring to is the abundance of kitche that is out there. Just because someone is holding an expensive camera and a lens makes them no more an artist than if he stepped in a garage, would make him a car. To stereotype someone because of their age, to obliterate and prejudge their motives can be dangerous, unfair, and quite frankly discouraging. We, as artists, need to be ourselves and not let other peoples' stuff get in the way. I am an accomplished fine artist, I paint young women, and nobody can lessen my work's importance and validity because of subject matter. I have put in the time, the money and abundance of talent to stand behind my body of work. If someone is a cheeseball and they are doing photography to get women, they won't last anyway.

A good way to talk about it, it had to be said.. and welcome back Caleb, curious about his photography work and stories, seen some good stuff on insta @carias

We miss you. Hope you can get bacl to making content again.

What a great critique! As someone who has had portfolio reviews with art directors, exhibition curators, photographers agents etc I agree with every word you said. I have totally been there, shooting amateur models and making pretty pictures that say absolutely nothing. Photography can, and should be, so much more than pretty pictures of pretty girls. You can create images that are beautifully posed, beautifully lit, technically excellent but so boring. We see thousands of them every day and we just scroll on by because they are meaningless and pointless. To be fair most photographers don’t aspire to anything more and there isn’t much wrong with that, but if you want to reach the next level your images need to say something to the viewer. It’s not easy to create a meaningful narrative in your images, if it was then we would all be doing it.

Amazing Zack! This is type of video that every photographer should open and watch once a year for a nice refresher on sticking to or ensuring they are creating in their voice. I am curious to see where the photographer you critiqued ends up in 6 moths/year. You are spot on, his work is very technically proficient and the very well nuanced advice you gave I wish I got more early on. As someone who has now hired shooters, he show he can setup, shoot, and deliver. A very rare skillset. So many of us dudes want to photograph pretty woman, after all it is fun - the form, the lighting the clothing (or lack there of) can be very compelling and eye-catching. But like you said - so what? Where is the story? Or... what is the goal? Unsolicited advice - you (the photographer) have shown great competency in photographing multiple women in their underwear. As Zach stated - well directed, no one seems to angry with you, good consistent quality. Maybe your next step is to go after or show you can do catalog-level work. Large quantity work. Put together a themed shoot - NOT Victoria Secrets - but some theme you are interested in. Now, time to delete my pretty woman at the rail yard shots - painful to see how many there were! ;-)

Disclaimer : Obsessive hobbyist (disorder?) & not native english speaker talking. The point I'm taking here, is that an underlying theme is a necessity, altho it can be as poetic as one would want it to be (google-ref : "poetic license" definition). For instance, I do like, if not love, your "Emma and the sand storm" shoot. The "implied" symmetry of the opening header pic, the global vibe, the shot under the "buildings" covered in sand, the portrait in windy weather with that white cloth "flying". It speaks to me. Very much. It is Poetic. It's solid work. Period. I could come up with dozen of self-made stories based on those pics. But most importantly, it gives the will to know the place, the person photographed and you, the photographer, as well . That said, that shoot could simply be "squared" into nude category, init? Not everybody will produce something iconic. From the Yoko&John kiss goodbye by Annie to a vulture and a child that eventually ended up in a suicide. To me, exposed body or part of, are very much fine if the story is solid. Storytelling. Storytelling. Storytelling. PS: Remember those 80's TV ads (at least here in Europe, more especially France, where I grew up) where even a Cereal ad ended up showing boobs at some point ? PS II : I know, title was Fashion, not nude. Yet, well, potato potatoe. PS III : I've just read the previous comment from Alex Blogg. Suddenly I'm redundant. Which is fine hey :)

Very well said!

Thank you! As someone who has actually shot fashion, it always drives me nuts to see this kind of work labelled as Fashion.

Nice one, very well put indeed.

Well said. It is a bit scary being a photographer in today’s society because people’s assumptions based on the stereotype you refer to can quickly destroy a business and ruin a reputation. I appreciate that you made this critique of a bigger problem rather than an attack on the photographers integrity - and you did it well. That being said, i don’t think anyone can debate the fact that the stereotype is based on reality, and in that respect i see a larger issue to consider. Photographers should be asking themselves what the intent is with their art. I feel like most photograpers with good intentions who continue to develop their craft realize after a certain point that they should be creating something that tells a story if they want to stand out. Sometimes that’s a headshot that evokes an emotion, or an advert saying “buy these clothes”- nevertheless, photographers who put themselves in positions where they are in a hotel room taking photos of a young girl in little clothing against a white wall (the ones without malicious intent) should be asking themselves firstly what their intent is, and second, how might this appear to others.

Zack, I love that you can be honest about what you see and at the same time be respectful of the unknown about the photographer. Maybe he's just stuck in a genre that's flooded on IG and other SM, and doesn't know how to get out. Or there's always a bit of fear if you try to change. As for your question if I could call it fashion, then no to most images you showed here. Like you I'm not sure what genre it fits into but many just seem to emphasize the risque side of the image. On a side note, if not my 200mm lens at the beach, what focal length would you recommend?

I think this video brings up some goods points. I think some photographers try to specialize in perhaps too many areas within a genre (say, portrait photography like discussed here) and I feel that that hurts them in a way because some people may not be sure what exactly this photographer's specialty is, beyond just photographing people. I think if an aspiring photographer looked at the work of some of the well-known photographers and tried to take apart their portfolios, they would see consistency,k but at the same time, a bit of variety. So not too much of the same thing, but some variety but with an overall theme, say you shoot headshots. Then your portfolio is just headshots, or you do swimwear, your portfolio is just swimwear. Another piece of advice I also found from some other pro photographers is that if you want to have different specialties (say commercial product photography and model/portrait photography) create two different portfolios (or just a separate portfolio and social media feeds) for those speicifc genres, because mixing too much into one portfolio confuses people and as this one example shows, it's somewhat of a mess of images. I personally prefer a cover page to have perhaps a slideshow of some of the best work, or maybe a few images, but to have a page full of some 100+ images that someone has to scroll, through, is too much. I mean you have to figure you have about 5 seconds to grab someone's attention and if you have too many varied photos you'll lose their attention quickly because they'll get tired of scrolling through a long page of photos.

thanks, you have made me think about my own work

Dude! Such a great conversation!

Excellent points. I will take exception with one thing you describe to some of his photos as cosplay photography. as someone who's been shooting cosplay for about 7 years I can tell you that this is simply not the case. I would love the opportunity to help educate you about cosplay and cosplay photography.

Great review. calling it like it is without crushing the source. I'm working on a photography project now that features street portraits and as a middle aged man with a camera a I hate the idea of being a GWC and it's stigma. Some ladies genuinely seem very interesting and would make great portraits that aren't exploitive in nature but the stigma of GWC keeps me from asking. I hate that it's there but I'm not going to propogate it.

Well said . thanks.

Very interesting video and great to see you back. I have to agree that it’s not fashion, maybe more towards glamour. Certainly should separate the raunchier shots from the portrait work. As a female I look at the overall shots and wouldn’t choose him as my portrait photographer as so many shots aren’t. And when you pointed out the hotel shots my first thought was creepy

This is such an interesting topic from the male perspective and I'd be curious to hear what the models in the images think about it. It's a two way street, right? He might be hiring models but they are putting themselves out for hire. Who is the gatekeeper supposed to be. This guy likes doing that work, the models like being models. It's a tough spot to make a statement on. There is definitely a creepy GWC out there and I've struggled with how does one avoid that. I don't do a lot of boudoir or nude work, but I've done some. When is it creepy? When is just a photography wanting glossy shots for the sake of social media? As an example, I'd consider myself a ballet and dance photographer. I've been doing that for four or five years. Sexuality in ballet photography has come to forefront with many photographers. Social media is full of well respected ballerinas photographed topless or nude by well respected dance photographers. As somebody that is focused on that genre, you start to think to yourself "can I do that? Should I add that to my portfolio?" You have to keep up with the Jones', right? How many topless photos do I get to show before I become a creepy GWC? Just trying to understand where the line is? Say this photographer shot all the same work but presented you with a well crafted portfolio of a dozen images instead of just throwing what looked liked 100 images out there. Would you have thought differently? At the end of the day, I guess, if nobody is getting taken advantage of then what is the issue?

Super important video. Thanks for putting this together. I've long pondered a question that I'd like to direct at just this sort of a photographer: "Can you call yourself a good photographer if all you shoot is photographs of half naked women? Are people validating your work because it's good, or because they like looking at female flesh?"

thank you, thank you, thank you Zach.

Your video answered a question I’ve had since the mall had glamour shots. What makes magazine fashion ads stand out? My guess is it’s about subtle feeling and iso 80. Please review the Fuji non 50mm 1.0

I like that you went into your portfolio review with images you were paid to shoot. The cosplay process works when learning but it’s more of a challenge to make average looking people look good fully dressed.

So an analogy would be: People calling themselves Carpenters when they are using scissors and cardboard. And your're saying, if you like scissors and cardboard, be a paper mache artist.

I think the unfortunate reality is that a lot of "real" fashion photography is location dependent and you really need to be in specific regions to get access to working with stylists, models, editorial makeup artists etc. or work incredibly hard to compensate and research and push yourself. There's more to it than throwing a fashion tab on your site. I think a video is actually showcasing great fashion photography would be great. Also the influencer market is taking a huge bite out of the fashion industry especially towards the more commercial end. I know its easy to drag influencers especially being in the photography industry but they honestly do an incredible job being an all in one package for a brand to leverage.

I'm just a hobbyist so take this with a grain of salt. I'm totally with you on the too many young beautiful women in his portfolio. I know I have taken the same type of pictures. I have had older women think the same thing about me. Being a hobbyist I don't dress them I shoot what they want. If someone ask what do I want to shoot. I say long evening dresses with heels of course with women in them. Age isn't a factor for me. In Zack defense women have said I would never let you take my pictures based on something they seen. I'm a hobbyist so I can say this. I don't care, but if you are trying to make a living from your photography I think your portfolio should have more variety. Lastly when men see my photos they start pointing out the women they think are too old and not attractive to them. Continue shooting what you like and don't worry about it too much if it works for you.

I'm glad finnaly someone point that issue whit ,,photographers" who use camera to exploit young ladies in tight suits... I saw trend especially on instagram where many ppls use that type of photography to promote yourself and exploite teens... its ugly process, they use good quality equipment and high end beauty retouching, which is gaining popularity and creates a trend that makes teenagers vulnerable to such activities. Young girls feel pressure to present themselves in this form too.

I think your critique is fair ; I'm pretty sure I am guilty of the same kind of thoughtless photos that are completely cliche. And by far the most important question is ... what are we trying to say ? It's so easy to shoot on autopilot, and amass a bunch of photos... but do they speak ? That is the question !

Hi Zack. I loved this critiqued. Could you make a video about directing models during a photo shoot? As a relatively new photographer this is one my biggest struggles. I never really know how to pose them and when I get home to edit the photos I always get frustrated because I wasn’t able to get the shot that I had envisioned. If you could please give me some advice that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

You articulated this genre very well. ...and to be fair to guys who end up with a lot of this sort of work, there are many successful and high profile fashion photographers that are “technically” doing the same thing (focusing on sexualized imagery of young women). However, I think the red flag goes up when you see they are not making consistent purposeful creative decisions in the work. …as well as the sheer volume of the subject feels masturbatory. The photographers job as technician (lights and equipment) is secondary. The photographer needs to be a Director. You make decisions. Who you work with, the model, mood, style, set, personality, what they are wearing, how they are wearing it or not, as well as image development, retouching, etc. You have to have some control of all of it. Including the direction of the overall body of work. The result is evidence of your choices.

Yes you see this a lot in the Photography Club circles in the UK. I have to agree with you on most of what you said. I’ve never been comfortable with the half naked lady picture so it’s never been for me. I do see it a lot but I’m not sure that it’s always the photographer that is exploiting the model. I get a lot of messages from young ladies wanting me to pay them to take pictures of them in various states of undress. They are making a good living doing this and more power to them. As always your response is probing but considered.

You know, after watching this critique, I'm left wonder exactly what kind of pictures do I want to take? To be more precise, how do I definitively characterize what I've been shooting and what it is I want to shoot? My interests lie primarily in Landscape and Portraiture. Having said that, I know that I want to combine "interesting" locations with compelling lighting and models. But, what kind of photography is that exactly and how do I elevate that into something more compelling and worthwhile than what I've been shooting? I just don't want to be a GWC or, God forbid, be seen as one!

As a single male photographer, GWC's are the bane of my existence. A few years ago I went to a 'singles' event at a local restaurant/bar. The very first conversation with a woman there quickly turned to "Photographer? So what, you take pictures of half naked women?"... I do exclusively corporate headshots and marketing images for small businesses. I don't do modeling portfolios, boudoir*, nudes implied or otherwise. I don't shoot swimwear and the closest I've ever come to shooting 'fitness' was headshots and marketing images for a personal trainer. No he was NOT wearing a sports bra. After that I just started telling women I worked in marketing. So Caleb being back means we get some more hilarious videos like '4 modifiers' and 'Crop or crap'??? No offense but he seems to be the one to really bring the funny out in you. *(𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘲𝘶é 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘯, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘐𝘙 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.)

Thank you, thank you, thank you. As a woman who worked professionally in the photographic industry for over 40 years, I find your honesty refreshing and accurate. Every one of the men that I met that did this type of work almost exclusively was a creep. #sorrynotsorry

Also: I know you're after the female perspective and whilst I'm not a female, I can share with you a conversation that I had with a model I was shooting yesterday. We talked about this very subject and as a girl in her 20s who's just getting into modelling - she is more than happy to accept money from these GWCs for whatever their purposes are. A lot of them are paying for the models time, travel and hotel expenses for the opportunity to shoot them. Where do these pictures end up? These guys don't have an online portfolio or an Instagram. And the models don't think these pictures are worth posting to their IG accounts either - so literally no one is seeing these pictures. But hey, the models are getting paid so they don't care.

I have done this type of photography too, but I have totally backed away from doing it. I appreciate the skills I gained from working with models, but I just started to feel uncomfortable with the entire "instagram model" style. It resulted in being totally burned out from shooting portraits.

like all the GENRE of photography , I don't think it's wrong to do those photos... I think it's wrong doing it for the wrong reasons. I often refuse to do those kind of photos without good reasons. Often the person ( model ) think it take those to get in the industry. It's that idea we need to work on. ( and new photographer think that too )

Just some background on me and hopefully this is just because I am very new (started photography around 6 months ago and obviously with covid-19 thats hindered me too) so maybe this doesn't effect me at all yet as I arent even at the same level in many ways as the guy being critiqued, but with me just starting out I was shooting anything, I am learning how to use cameras, lighting, posing (Lindsay Adler's books are brilliant) I have decided I only want to shoot fashion, inspired by Jessica Kobeissi and Boudoir inspired by my fiancee and Michael Sasser. Also it is very hard to be original and have your own style in this day and age where there are SO many photographers, the internet and instagram etc. So with the comment about the location of hotels ( I haven't and wouldn't do that, thats definately not my style and definately gives the GWC feel) but some people are trying their best with what they have/can afford, so that comment did seem pretty harsh, maybe a photographer needs to go through all these stages of amateurish learning phases. The other comment about cosplaying is a bit harsh too, because it seems, to me, that unless a photographer is at a level similar to you, which is very high, you don't count them as a photographer and same with a model too. Everyone has to start somewhere and calling someone a cosplayer of a photographer is really harsh and may potentially kill all their motivation to do work. Another issue, is what is wrong with people trying their best, the dime a dozen photographers and models again had to start somewhere and may be doing their very best. I AGREE overall and also love the fact he is calling out the "GWC" as I have worked with a couple of women already who have told me of "professional" "photographers" with studios and websites (I have neither) who have been extremely unprofessional pushing levels etc who, to me, have clearly got into photography for the wrong reasons years ago and now since they have been doing it so long, have studios and websites they seem reputable, yet for some reason are making very basic posing mistakes for instance.

Zack you are dead on about GWC. I always say guys who do this kind of photography are doing for ego.Ego doesn't pay the bills.

A couple of comments, food for thought

dont know what to say but love you a lot sir

You said you wanted a female perspective... I think what you said about it being easy putting a pretty girl in pretty light is exactly why these photos exist. This portfolio is a record of this photographer's learning journey and he's been after the low hanging fruit. I'd like to see what he can do with the skills he's been building... can he take a homely girl who's fabulous in front of the camera, leave most of his fancy lights in the studio and head to some mediocre location with minimal gear and tell a captivating story with his images? Anyone with a camera, a strobe or two, and a couple of youtube videos under their belt can take a decent photograph... "decent photographs" are a dime a dozen... I want to see images that draw me into a story.

I look at peoples work on-line, and scroll on thru rather fast. Only those that make me stop scrolling to see them, count. Not surprisingly, I am not often stopped much. Only by true artists who present well done photos that call out saying "Now that one is so natural and very nicely processesed (if at all) get my unswerving attention. I try to study the photo for lighting, pose, emotion or lack of, calling out a human response to them are worthy as I see the world of 'Art".

Good video and definitely an important conversation to have. You mentioned that the women in the photos aren't real models (paraphrasing). Can you elaborate? I've hired several models to collaborate with, not through an agency. I feel like I'm getting good results and the models are very professional. I'm wondering if I'm missing some criteria or requirements for working with a model.

WOW, Zack,well constructed points made here. While I agree about the whole GWC thing and the perception of it, I find there are just as many if not even MORE females photographers shooting the exact same content, ie (scantily clad young ladies on railway tracks). I think the stigma is "creepy old man with a camera" but (at least where I live), the "fashion/glamour/boudiour" arena is dominated by female photographers, and their portfolios more or less look identical to the one you used as an example. I think this is an issue of what is art? Rather than genre.

I’m torn. Mostly by your critique. On the one hand I totally get what you’re saying. On the other hand I feel like you’re, “I don’t want to be judgmental.....but here I am being judgmental.” It’s clear from the number of those images that he’s been at it for a while. So you’re right, it’s time to take the next step. Exploitive? Not in today’s world. Instagram is full of these models looking for content like that. I doubt he’s luring young women to motel rooms. I get contacted all the time by these girls to do shoots. And when I have time I do them because it keeps me sharp and it lets me experiment with different techniques. I always try to inject my own style and do something besides the cheesy faux fashion look. But I guess my point is everyone is on their own journey. And, again, I like your point that it may be time for him to put more thought into his work. But when you walked that line between being helpful and judgmental I think you tripped on it a few times. On a positive note it did reinforce the need for me to break up my IG feed between the different genres I shoot. Right now my feed is a bit all over the place. With semi nude models next to headshots next to editorial work next to high school seniors. So that was definitely something constructive I’m taking away.