Escorts & Boyfriends. Bringing a friend for moral support and more.

8. Some studios allow a friend with you on your first photo session with a new photographer. Friends can also offer moral support to help you get through your initial jitters as you get started. So they can be a good thing. But this should not be necessary. You should just tell any photographer who is overstepping his bounds what you're not comfortable with. One pleasant statement like that should be enough. If you have to say it twice, you should pack up and leave. A mature & respectful studio staff would not do or say anything to offend another human being, whether in a photography setting or any other, especially when the studio’s good name or legal static could be on the line!

For the photographers do not allow escorts, there are good reasons.
1. One model's escort stole two of my cameras.
2. Friends can physically get in the way in small studios.
3. Friends can offer 'advice' to both model and photographer that can be very distracting.
4. Friends (audiences) can intimidate new models.
5. Friends can generally disrupt the flow of a session. I had one model who needed to ask her boyfriend's permission for each outfit she wore. Not good.
6. If a photographer discusses some business details with the model, and the escort is out having a smoke, and then vice-versa, some details may never make it to the other person. And of course, confusion and possible conflict may result.

Personally, I allow escorts, but I no longer allow boyfriends, husbands or parents to glamour sessions unless the model is paying me for her session. In too many cases they are either too jealous, too possessive, too distracting, too overbearing, or too protective. I have even had boyfriends come along thinking they were fully supportive of the model. But when they realized that the model was showing off with sex appeal, they soon discovered that they were not supportive at all, and the photo sessions were ruined by their poor attitude. A model may really need a boyfriend, husband or parent for support, and that's fine. But if she does, she is not really suited for glamour modeling, and should stay away from that kind of work.

In some cases I've been really glad that a friend came -- they can often help the model with hair and makeup, they can come up with good posing ideas, and I even put them to work holding reflectors and props. But I've also been really distracted by some friends. They make it harder to schedule the model, they often get bored (boyfriends and husbands get bored the soonest), they sometimes intimidate the model as she tries to pose with them watching, and sometimes they make too many suggestions. Of course, the 'fake' photographer won't want friends along because they will prevent him from making unethical advances toward you.

There are plenty of photographers around town who will allow friends. You might want to start with those in the beginning. At the very least, tell a friend where you're going. Give them the address and the phone number. Tell them you'll text them in an hour to say all is ok. Or call them an hour after start time and work some secret phrase into the conversation if everything is ok. If you don't say something like, "I forgot to let the dog out" or something, have your friend send in the cavalry. (Just make sure the cavalry doesn't come by mistake because you forgot to use the secret phrase!)

From what I've heard and read, the majority of issues between models and photographers do not require a friend's intervention. They are usually issues of the photographer getting too friendly or wanting the model to pose nude. All that's required in most cases is the model using common sense and knowing when to say "no".

In glamour modeling, it is not uncommon, in fact it's polite and professional for photographers to ask you if you're comfortable with nudity. If you're not, all you should have to do is say, "no, I'm not comfortable with nudity". (You might want to include this simple statement in your pre shoot day conversations with a photographer.)

A professional and ethical photographer will say OK, and move on. If there's more pressure from him later, stay strong and remind him you already told him no, and if he needs nudity, you'd prefer to wrap up the photo session and leave right now. My observance is that all human beings, no matter how old or how young, need to have a line drawn for them. Once they know you've got boundaries and you will stick to them, most will accept that and there will be no more problems.