It was easy to be molded into something that you are not. Especially not knowing who you are or who you want to be. I struggled with finding my limits and boundaries while being in a photo shoot setting. Once I started modeling I didn’t know what I wanted out of it. But I knew where my boundaries where as a person. I knew that I didn’t want to be known as model who can’t take a picture without her clothes off. Now after four months of modeling that my essence and passion is what creates beauty, I don’t need to take my clothes for people to be interested in my work. But just because I have a certain boundary that doesn’t mean I am against nude photography. Some nude photography, that is handled in a tasteful manner is beautiful but at this point in my career every picture that I take needs to be pre-mediated. I think about every possible outcome before every photo shoot. I am not just careful about this because I want others to approve of me. I am careful because I know now exactly what I want to represent as a model so I make sure that is expressed to its highest potential in my photography.
Some pictures have bothered people that are not apart of the modeling industry and those pictures I took in confidence and did not see anything wrong with them. I have taken pictures that show parts of my body but it is done in such a tasteful way that I did not see why it bothered others. It confuses me as to why some people have to interpret my photos as “sex selling” rather than art. I make sure none of the pictures are taken in a provocative way because I don’t want to sell that. I do not deserve that cheap way of thinking. I know that I am worthy of a higher form of thought and interest. That is called art.
People apart of the modeling industry find it weird or unheard of a model that won’t take nudes. Some photographers have tried to test my boundaries by saying things like, “every successful model does this!”. I know just because others take nude photos that doesn’t mean the only way to be successful is to do the exact same thing. That is the great thing about modeling. You are constantly promote you and only you. I can be whoever I want and I only chose to be myself.
