Qualites of pics selected to be on the site

[Abby]

Some people may accuse me of being a hack, but often I find that a picture is really good, but one element is out of focus (such as the eyes), but the pose or facial expression is really good. Traditional reason would dictate that a site should only have perfect pictures on it, everything else should be culled. But I'm not so sure.

The culling process for me is perhaps a little different to the process other people use, but sometimes I feel I am culling pics that someone might really want to see. I am a klutz with my camera a lot - around 20% of the pics I take, I cull, so you never see them on the site. The biggest problem is focus, but second most common is the model blinking, or talking. Then things like bad framing, something in shot that should not be (lighting stand, coke bottle).

This opens a whole can of worms, issues like:

o how many pictures should I take of a model in one location?

o what is a "set" and how big should it be?

o If I take thousands of pics of a given model, should I put them all up, and let people take their pick? (if I did that, would I have to note which pics are "bad"?)

o Some people like to see tiny pose changes between shots, others like big changes - what should I do?

Some websites, noteably ATK, buy thousands of shots of each model, and divide them up into peeing, hardcore, softcore, foot-fetish, and so on. I don't like that idea, cos it makes it hard to find pics of a given model, and let's face it, this is a model driven business. If you like a model, you want to see more of her, and don;t want to have to hunt thru millions of other pics to find her.

Even tho ATK divide up their sets, they still have a lot of pics of each model with little change between each pic. When you flick thru them fast, they alsmot look like a movie. Is that good, or bad?

Love to hear what you think!

abby

[Abby]

with regard to how many pics you should take of a model in one location; my impression is that no matter how "interesting" the model and the location is, you can get too much of a good thing. You should definately take out the obviously bad pics as they would be a waste of everyone's time.. bearing in mind that the natural look of your models and pics is what attracted me to joining your site....in fact so far I think you have done a brilliant job and wouldnt want you to change a thing

[Abby]

Well thanks!

You say I should definately take out the "obviously" bad pics... but my question is, what make a pic bad? What if everything is excellent - exposure, pose, framing, composition - but the focus is bad, for example?

Of course, being my site, i can do what I want, but I'd hate to be deleteing pics if someone wnated to see them - and had paid to see them. And the nature of the web is such that you can very much pick and choose what you want (tho, if I incuded, say, EVERY pic I took, the onus would be on me to ensure "bad" pics were noted as being such, to save people downloading them, I guess.

I'm just thinking out loud here, so don't quote me on it! ;)

abby

[kumaraguy]

If we accept that focus is the more important aspect of a photo then I think that if the focus is completely out over the whole pic... ( rather than just part of it ).. then that would constitute an "obviously" bad pic :-).... even if every other aspect of it is up to scratch....not that i am an expert or any thing :-)...but i guess you still have to decide just how bad the focus has to be...i'm glad i just have to look and dont have to make those choices

[orrel]

i've often thought about pictures of models that don't make it into the "official" set that a given website posts. some sites have an "outtakes" section, which i have always thought was a good idea.

i know there are models here on abby's site that i would love to see more of, even if the pics weren't perfect.

i was thinking it is like bands who end up releasing demo versions and b-sides of their songs. there are fans who love a certain band's music that want to hear everything! no matter the quality. i guess i'm one of those completists... only with nudie pics http://www.abbywinters.com/discus/clipart/happy.gif

[Abby]

yes, I am too - when I see a model I really like, I desperately want to get everything possible of her. So the next issue I have to tackle is, do I include these in a part for each model (ie, "click here to see anastacia's outtakes - these include blurry pics, blinks, and just plain ugly stuff"), or do I have a mass area for outtakes from everyone?

Either way, it's a lot of work... something to consider in the future, for sure.

-abby

[nightstar]

Yes - I agree that it would be a lot of work...

However (And I'm not sure how you go about this) - What about letting some of us perv...people mess around with that area - I don't know how it would be done, but I'm sure some of us have web experience, and wouldn't mind setting up that part...

Can you have a part of the site set aside that only CERTAIN people (user,pass) can access and alter? I don't know - I'm just running things off the top of my head.

[arsby]

Although I think an outtakes section would be nice, I think Abby's idea about a Behind the Scenes section is nicer.
I guess I'd be more interested in the (sorta voyeuristic) thrill of looking at in-focus Behind the Scenes stuff than out-of-focus, off-center models.

(Hidden agenda -- maybe we'll get just a peek at Abby!)

Abby -- are you putting together a priority list of enhancements to the site?

[Abby]

Nightstar, soory, I don;t get what you mean?

abby

[Abby]

Hi Arsby

Yup, a behind the scenes section is more likely than the outtakes. I am not sure when I will have a chance to do that, tho. I do have a list of things to do, but it's not really prioritized in a formal way. Things to do that have been around for longer generally make their way tot he top of the list, though. At the top at the moment, is getting into a position to update the site with two new models a week, instead of one. That's dependent on income, not my time, like some of the other issues.

Other things on the list include, organise embroidered tops and panties for the models to wear sometimes, pay my electricty bill, some other fetishes to add to the light fetish page (based on size of models, age of models, having text only pic index pages that are faster downloading, get a better machine to edit video on, get my own studio to shoot in, and so on.

Some are longer term plans than others. And some are just fantasy.

-abby

[nightstar]

You say it's more of a cost issue, than a time issue to update all this - How/Why? (I'm not into the business kind of things)

I was wondering how we may be able to help - By "we", I mean the people wishing to participate in helping your lovely self out.

We won't ask for much - Just, for example, a small picture of yourself!? *cough*

[Abby]

Because all the infrastructre is in place already (VidDude's wages, and the site design, and the camera, the insurance, the accountant, and the company as a whole, the running cost is a steady trickle, and the infrastructre cost not go up if I added two new models a week, or 10 (not that much, anyway!).

However, the model fees would double (or 10 fold). The model fees are obviously the biggest expense in this biz.

Lemme give you some (fanciful!) data. Say that biz running costs was $10 a week, but I spent $50 (ie, five times as much as the biz running costs) a week on models for the site. If I went up to two models, the biz costs are still $10 a week, but the models are $100.

I am not going to tell you how much I am making (or rather, loosing), but the ratio is accurate. I am (barely) breaking even at $60 a week, so to over extend to $110 a week would send me bust in no time - as soon as I ran out of models in half the time, in fact.

I desperately need your help, but it's not in the way you might expect (gee, I dunno - maybe it is?!). I need more new customers. The faster I get more new customers, the better the site will become, I absolutely guarentee it. More models, more pics, better quality, more and better video, selling CD's, DVD's, making proper movies, better models, better everything.

Unfortunately, I am kinda stymied by CCBill, in that I cannot reward you diectly financially when you refer a customer (be great if I could give you two week free, or something, for each customer you referred, or something... but I have a few ideas - access to a special page that has behind the scenes pics, for example, for people who refer more than five new customers in a month.

Or a special gift CD, or DVD... the mind boggles... maybe a cash reward is not the best thing, anyway? hmmm. LMK what you think!

abby

[arsby]

I don't know about the rest of the folks here, but I don't have any friends or acquaintances with whom I discuss my interest in porno, either in person or by email. None.
Partly because of paranoia, partly because it just plain never comes up in regular conversation.
This message board is about it. I love it. But I wouldn't partake if it wasn't anonymous.
So, how to help Abby.
Maybe it would help if we let Abby know how we found her site, to help her target her advertising.
Think that would help, Abby? Or do you have any other ideas for us solitary lurkers to help out?

[Abby]

I have started a new thread on this topic - how did you hear about aw.com, so please follow up to that thread, thanks!

[kumaraguy]

Arsby has put it very well ....May I repeat his words ,word for word
I don't have any friends or acquaintances with whom I discuss my interest in porno, either in person or by email. None.
Partly because of paranoia, partly because it just plain never comes up in regular conversation.
This message board is about it. I love it. But I wouldn't partake if it wasn't anonymous. http://www.abbywinters.com/discus/clipart/happy.gif

[nightstar]

Selling videos/DVD's might actually be a good idea - You might be able to appeal to a larger range of people - Especially if you don't limit to the people on this site, but go "commercial" as it were - I don't know about that though.

I see what you mean now about the cost of more models a week. I was actually talking about how we could help with the "backlog" of models what you have taken pictures of, but have not gone up on the site. Or would you prefer them in case of emergency!? (i.e. No models turn up for a while, etc...)

I think posting some of the models that you don't classify as "site-worthy material" would be good to - Not everybody want's supermodels... But I've already covered that conversation.

How about posting (Again, I've already covered this in another post) some of the sets, with with the large letters "SAMPLE" across them - Easily done with an art package - Heck, I could do that! Or blurr the "important" parts of the model out?

[Abby]

NS, Vids or DVD's are a long way off. Product distribution is a BIG pain, as the onus is on me to know all the local laws all over the world, and not send stuff where it is not allowed. Distribution via the net circumvents all that.

Yes, I do prefer to keep a backlog of models as insurance, you never know what could happen.

abby

[nightstar]

Fair enough - I can understand that!