Where and when do you shoot?

• Because of my medical needs, I am rarely able to shoot before Noon. Most of my shoots tend to be late afternoon or early evening since it leaves the model's day free for other activities. A bonus is the model usually spends less time in LA traffic. However, I am also available for shoots at other times if those better fit the model's schedule.
• I only shoot at my home studio in Irvine, CA. It totally fills my 2-car garage. I am located about 1/2 mile from the intersection of Culver Ave and the I5 freeway.

What type of photography do you do?

• Due to limitations imposed by my age and health history, I have decided to do only one type of photography and do it well. For me, the most challenging and interesting work is making videos that involve action and movement such as dance, exercise workouts, yoga, or martial arts. I also like to include healthy doses of totally unscripted activities such as water pistol or pool noodle fights, games such as dodge ball or whatever other craziness we can jointly dream up.
• In short, I want to showcase your personality, athleticism and creativity because those are what I believe make for the most interesting videos.
• Even a 2-car garage has room for only one studio setup. Because it allows computer software to change backgrounds, I have chosen to use a green screen as the background in my shooting area. It is the only background I have. Please see the wardrobe considerations section below for more information about limitations imposed by the massive green background.

How risque are the videos you shoot?

• How much you show to the camera is up to you. Because the intent of the videos is to showcase movement of a well‑toned body, you should be willing to show substantial skin. Otherwise, your muscularity and toning will not be clearly visible to the camera. Exactly what "substantial" means is for the model to decide.
• Reality check - In almost all of the shoots that I do, the model is totally nude. The reason is simple. Most models want to maximize their pay and my not asking for a model release (see below) means there is no danger that anything will become public.
• In almost all of my remaining shoots, the model chooses to wear very small (micro) bikini bottoms and (optionally) tops. This works well since I own a large variety of micro bikinis that I obtained when a small bikini manufacturer was sold. At their sole option, models can choose to select from these suits. It is an easy way for them to maximize their pay without violating their coverage limits.

Do you pay the models? How much?

• I have been doing model photography as a hobby for more than 40 years, so I am very aware of what industry standard rates are for various types of content. If the rate you request is appropriate for the agreed upon shoot content, you will get it.
• To simplify calculating your compensation, I ask that each shoot be at least 90% within just one category of shoot (bikini, teeny bikini, pasties, topless or full nude).
• Your pay for the entire shoot will be based on your chosen 90% category's compensation level.
• If the 10% remainder is at a lower compensation level, it will not reduce your compensation.
• If the 10% remainder is at a higher compensation level, you will be paid an appropriate bonus for that section of the shoot. The higher pay level will not be applied to the entire shoot.

Do you ask for a signed model release?

No. A model release would be useless to me.

• After my career working as an engineer, I have no desire or need to start a second career. Photography and later videography were fun hobbies when I was a working engineer, so continuing them into my retirement years makes sense.
• If I am not going to market the shoot content, I have no legal need for a model release. Hence, I do not ask for paperwork that I have no intention of ever using.

Do you provide hair and/or makeup services?

No. Every model I have ever met knows how to make herself look good. Bottom line - if the model is happy with how she looks, I am also happy.

Can the model use videos from your shoots on her OnlyFans, Patreon or other similar websites? Who gets the money obtained from those postings?

• If you sell videos of yourself (through www.OnlyFans.com, www.patreon.com, a personal website or similar), most of the videos that I shoot are sexy, unique, and marketable.
• If you want to bring their own video camera and tripod to make an independent copy of the shoot content for their own personal and/or professional use, I have no objections.
• My policy for models wanting to post or sell the videos is that the following guidelines be followed.
  • Unless you have my explicit written permission to do so, my name or other identifying information cannot be associated with the videos in any way.
  • My face and/or body cannot appear in any videos that you sell or publicly post.
  • If you make money marketing the videos, you can keep all of it. Seems fair to me since any needed postproduction is boring work, and you will be responsible for that.

Any other miscellaneous things a model should be aware of?

• I do not pay deposits to book a shoot. My attitude is that if you do not trust me to act ethically, why should I trust your ethics? Why would you even want to work with me?
• I never shoot models who are less than 18 years old. Even if the shoot is 100% clothing for arctic travel and 10 adult supervisors are present, I will not do it. No exceptions!!
• Unless I already have on file valid proof of your age and identity, I will need to make and keep a copy of your driver's license, passport or other document(s) that prove I can legally work with you. No exceptions!!
• At your sole option, you are free to bring an escort with you, including your boyfriend or husband. However, escorts should be aware that their presence at the shoot makes them subject to being recruited as an unpaid temporary helper or activity supervisor.

As I stated above, my using a green screen background imposes significant constraints on what can be in the video.

• Clothing, shoes, accessories, and props should not contain green (unless your intention is that they become invisible in the finished video).
• While my video editing software can theoretically handle semi‑transparent items, my experience in real life is that the handling tends to be terrible. Hence, I strongly recommend avoiding translucent or semi‑transparent clothing or props.
• Anything that is shiny should be avoided. The computer software has no way to distinguish reflected greens from the green screen background. Shiny vinyl clothing or boots of any color are particularly prone to having this problem. Wearing lots of lotion to make your skin shiny is a definite no-no for the same reason.
• Black or near black items can be difficult to separate if they are near a darker area of the green screen (e.g., a shadow cast by the model, particularly near her feet). Bright vibrant colors (not near green in color spectrum - red, purple, yellow, and blue to a lesser degree) are far easier to separate from the green background.

You can contact me at my email address below.

John Grundmann
Irvine, CA

jwgrundmannphoto[at]outlook.com