The Photographer’s Top Two Rules of Conduct

The Nude Photography world is, without doubt, the politest and most politically correct sphere in which I have ever circulated. When I first joined MM, it took a while to get the hang of the professional etiquette thing. There are so many unspoken rules to which you must adhere, otherwise you get ostracised pretty rapidly.

The Number One rule is: BE POLITE.

Manners are critical in the photographic world. Always treat other photographers and models with the utmost respect. Not only does this help others see you as a professional, but it also encourages models to shoot with you, helps you network, and generally makes for a much warmer and fuzzier photographic experience all round.

The Number Two rule is: DON’T JUDGE PEOPLE

It’s O.K. to judge their work, as long as you adhere to Rule 1, but never ever comment on people’s personalities, personal attributes, bodies or intellect. It’s just “not the done thing, what.”

You won’t last long in the modelling and photography world unless you do stick to these Top Two Rules of Conduct, and you certainly won’t find much work, or get treated in a professional manner.

I’m always the closet rebel, but even I can see that there are advantages to existing within this framework, the number one being you get to meet more people, plus you get to be invited to more places, both in the physical and virtual world.

In short, you obey the two rules, and you’re half decent at photography and/or modelling, you get to go places within “The Firm”.
You get to have more fun.
Although if you are a model, it sure helps if you have a young ‘n’ hot nekkid body, flirt outrageously, and have at least half a brain. I have none of these, and have to survive on wits alone (which explains a lot, unfortunately).
If you are a photographer, it sure helps if you are talented, but you also have to be intelligent and obey the Top Two Rules of Conduct, otherwise you’re dead in the water.

Rich would probably agree with this. He’s even more of a rebel than I am. If people disagree with him, that’s O.K., fun even (he likes a good argument), but ultimately if people are impolite, or make personal references beyond relating to photographic images, then they won’t last very long with him, and they get erased from his sphere of existence pretty damn rapidly.

I certainly made a few major etiquette bloomers during my first few months in the photography world, and I got flamed in the process. It was a rough introduction. Now I tread much more warily, although I still drop clangers occasionally.

Part of the problem with the online internet photographic world is the major culture differences between other countries and us folks here in the UK.
Our blog is read mainly by American readers, and most of them have a completely different set of values, way of thinking and etiquette. It’s actually quite difficult to navigate these intercontinental choppy waters, and we have to be pretty careful about what we say.

For example, I will write a blog entry, and then check and amend it at least eight or nine times, in order to check it meets rules 1 and 2, and above all, to ensure it is politically correct and doesn’t offend readers in other countries.

The whole process can be quite exhausting. But it is absolutely necessary.
If you were a reader in the UK, you could read my original unedited first draft for my post, and not get offended. You might even like me more because of my wacky and dry sense of humour. But if you were a US reader, you’d be outraged, leave the blog and never come back, I guarantee it.

Photography breaks across all boundaries and cultures, and an image speaks a thousand words. However, in the writing world you can far more easily screw up and offend, because you say the wrong thing.

Words are far more dangerous than images.



Jenvy and Diablo, larking around last year.