Thoughts on photographing “other women”

This topic may not be strictly related to photography. But, deals with an important aspect of our lives photography can affect – relationships. If you’re a portrait or fashion photographer, your significant other might feel uncomfortable when you’re photographing someone from the opposite sex. And in this video, you’ll hear some thoughts on overcoming this problem. Photographer Manny Ortiz and his wife Diana share their story in this honest, personal video. They both dealt with jealousy, and they share how they managed to overcome it. So if you and your partner have the same problem because of your photography business, this video can be helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1HjfW53hPg

A model wife

Since Diana was a model when Manny met her, he also struggled with jealousy. He admits he didn’t know anything about the photography industry back then. At that time, he just knew his wife would look sexy for someone else and that would freak him out. He told her he was uncomfortable with it, and eventually, she decided to quit.

A photographer husband

When Manny decided he wanted to do portrait photography (and naturally, photograph other women), it made Diana feel upset. She admits she felt like it was something he had taken away from her. Other people didn’t help much, with the comments like “How can you trust other women being around your husband?” Still, she managed to get over it. As she points out, it was her choice to quit modeling. Manny didn’t make her, he just expressed his feelings and she made the final choice. After all, we all make choices for ourselves. And when it comes to photographing other women – it’s not them she has to trust. It’s her husband.

Building trust

As you’ve probably heard a million times before, a healthy relationship is based on trust. So let’s stick with this for a moment. These are some of the ways to build trust with your significant other if you’re a portrait photographer: be 100% honest and transparent. Invite your partner to the photoshoot. Even if he/she doesn’t know anything about photography, this will show them that you’ve got nothing to hide. Plus, they’ll learn how the photoshoots work, and that an attractive model is there for you to create the images, not to flirt with them.

Be patient

Jealousy is a sensitive issue, and building trust is a slow process. And while it lasts – be patient. I know your partner will sound irrational and they may be annoying (I think my boyfriend would confirm this). But again – be patient. Diana points out the importance of patience, and I can totally relate and agree.

Be supportive

Last but not least – support your partner. Diana says Manny was fully supportive of her, so she felt it would be unfair not to “return the favor.” Just like trust, love, respect and everything else in a relationship – support goes both ways, and it will get you far.

At the end, Diana mentions the comments from people who’d say things like “Find yourself someone better.” But she points out – the point is to make it work with the person you love. You can’t “look for someone else” every time something goes wrong. And once again, I agree with this.

Photography is a wonderful job or hobby, but it can affect our relationships in different ways. Of course, we’re all different and not the same things work for all of us. But if your relationship is suffering because of your photography, maybe you’ll find this video inspirational and helpful at least up to a point.

[My WIFE won’t let me PHOTOGRAPH WOMEN | Manny Ortiz]