I've decided that after having looked over stocks for nearly a year on this site trying to find appropriate reference pictures of the human body and other items I should express my observations. It's really great that there are so many wonderful models out here and the regulars put in lots of effort so I don't want to offend anyone but some things need to be said, and not being a model myself, but rather an artist, I consider myself pretty objective and qualified to make certain statements so here goesAnd I apologize for the length but I kept starting and stopping this article over the last few months and each time something got added!)

Regarding Lighting:
*There is a serious issue with indoor lighting- open up those curtains and let natural light in! I realize that some people are shy about their modeling but what's the point in that? Your stock suffers if your face is always bathed in the artificial green and orange light of interior lighting- bleh! If privacy is a really heavy concern then spend a few bucks on those daylight balanced light bulbs...those are fantastic!
*Too much or not enough lighting: some of models dicker around to much with the lamps. People are not normally lit up as tho they live on a theatre stage. One (sometimes two) souces of light are the norm.
-Standing in the light of a window
-Sitting in the glow of a lamp
-If using lamps, try setting them up to reflect real life situations.

Regarding Picture Quality:
*There is no excuse for blurred pictures .
*There is something called a 'tripod' that many people aren't using and while I am loathe to recommend getting a cheap one, considering that the majority of stock poses are 'still' and indoor shots there really is no excuse for not using one.
You don't even have to buy one- use a table with books stacked up on it till your camera is the right height. You don't have books? Find some boxes and weigh them down for stability. This is honestly the best advice I could give for any photographer.

Regarding Grooming:
*If you wear glasses kindly take them off unless it's absolutely mandatory that you don't do this. Glasses are rarely necessary.
*Keep your hair out of your face unless the wildness of your hair is a highlight of your image; lets say your camera pumped out 60 shots of you flinging your locks to and fro- do an edit and get rid of half of them. Then do a second edit and get rid of half of those. Out of the quarter shots that remain only post the best ones. There is nothing worse than seeing 1 degree variations of virtually the same pose of 60 flying hair shots. When I hit a page like that I usually hit the back button in disgust, maybe look at the most popular pics in that gallery and then move on to the next- hopeful that I won't run into the same annoying thing.

Regarding Poses:
*Where are the general poses? This site is full to overbrimming with maidens, princesses, sorceresses, faeries, people dancing, people
jumping, people doing just about all kinds of crazy stuff but hardly anything normal/realistic.
How about some classic poses of a person sipping a drink? Picking up an object from the floor? Reaching for an object from above? I have several books of models who have been posed for anatomical studies and these are the poses they concentrate on...if that sound boring keep in mind: even elves like to suck back on an ale now and again, pick up a piece of dropped jewelry or pluck an apple from a tree!
***Sweeping a floor, washing dishes, pouring a coffee, combing hair, buttoning up a jacket are poses as well! So many people don't realize this so let me tell you the average book of anatomical model poses cost about 40-50 dollars and that's what I usually turn to in the end- either that or a bridal magazine.
*THERE ARE FAR TOO MUCH STANDING AROUND DOING NOTHING PICTURES. The easiest way to overcome a lack of ideas is too simply pick something up: A basket of fruit, a vase of flowers, a basket of laundry (yes, I'm serious). Is that a counter I see?! Why not lean against it? Why not pretend you are setting something down on it? How about a pot and ladel? A deck of cards? A display of things you like to collect? The counter is the most underused prop available and it is the very definition of a prop!
*Don't make ugly faces. Unless that is the whole point of the stock, or you are laughing or singing, keep your mouth shut.

Regarding Props and Situations In Particular:

Water/Swimming:
*Please don't look as tho you are afraid of the water...if you truly don't enjoy wading in streams, swimming in lakes, or diving in pools you probably shouldn't pose for shots like those...I mean, really, how can someone visualize a convincing mermaid, water nymph, or Ophelia if you look like you would rather be anywhere else but the water?
*On a related note- posing in water. Get in it. Don't just touch it or dip your toes in it. Immerse yourself. If you are shy about your figure
then wear thicker fabric...there are way to many poses of girls who obviously treat the water as a prop instead of making it an integral part of their image.
*It is not enough to pose as a mermaid- you have to BE the mermaid- be consious of your tail remembering that it's probably twice the length of your torso and has twice that weight especially if you are posing out of the water- let's say you are lounging on a rock. In the water itself weight isn't an issue but grace of form IS. Remember that mermaids are wet creatures as well, not dry, especially if you have long hair.
*This particular pose DOES NOT require a costume- it requires attitude. You can so easily get away with just wrapping a sheet around your legs to represent the tail if all else is right.

Chairs:
*I don't know too many people who just sit in them and do nothing but thats how a lot of stock models pose.
*A chair in real life is rarely a prop- it's a functional object that allows you to sit down and do OTHER things like:
-Read a book, listen to music, watch t.v.
-Sketch, knit, peel potatos, play piano
-Eat, drink or work at a table
-Gaze out the window IF YOU ARE ACTUALLY sitting beside a window and gazing out!

Weapons:
*Bows: Kindly nock an arrow even if you are unfamiliar with using a bow in real life. Very few people can get away with just holding a bow and drawing an empty string- it is highly unconvincing as there is no real tension in the body, no true feel for being behind and in control of a weapon- most bow poses are virtually useless because there is no arrow present. Realism is very important when you start usilizing functional objects or devices and of course, greater caution is required as well.
*Swords: If your sword is made out of balsa wood or some other light weight material it SHOWS and for the same reasons as for bow- the body is not pulled into the right tension or pose because the weapon has no weight behind it. Unconvincing. It's probably a better idea to use a heavy broom for a prop because an artist can always find an actual sword as stock somewhere else but has a difficult time creating a feeling of tension and action where none existed in the first place because the sword is obviously fake.

Staff:
*Where are the hikers? A staff is one of the most useful props and is hardly ever used out here...and it's one of the easiest things to aquire for a prop! There are so many pictures available of sword swingers but hardly any 'staffers'! A staff is useful for leaning on, walking with, beating with, prodding with, sitting with etc...

Mirrors:
*There are many more ways of looking at yourself in a mirror than what is currently available. It's nice to have a really big mirror to gaze
into but there are far more options available for modelling with just the normal hand held one. Watch someone else using a mirror to see what I mean- this pose, like so many others, can be shot from behind the person, from the side, from above- not always from the front if you please.

Wings:
*Most of them are to small. I hate to say it, but when it comes to wings you really have to get into the idea that you are an angel, demon fairy and try to project that (remember the mermaids tail) otherwise you are better off renting a good costume that forces you to be aware of the length of the feathers. This is where I would suggest trying to get shots of birds in flight- crows are common, or birds at a feeder much in the same way that broom handles make for better swords.

Umbrellas:
*They're not just for keeping the rain off but thats often all you see them used for- or for coy shots. I'm sure everybody at some point in
their lives has walked into or with the wind while carrying an umbrella and this is a pose that doesn't seem to exist yet could certainly be
created with a little imagination or daring.

Hands:
*Let us know where they are. Many pictures are shot in such a way as to ignore the importance of the hands or allow them to be blurred or partially hidden and hands are among the hardest things for anyone to draw without accurate reference!

Holding things:
*Besides the much overused lantern we have modern flashlights, binoculars, magnifying glasses, cameras, eye glasses, chop sticks, knives and forks, baskets, carrying bags, cartons, buckets, urns, dolls, photographs, cds, lp records, telephones, needle and thread, cosmetics etc....

Teddybears:
*Ummm....Teddies are something best left for children to clutch in their little hands. This idea of girl-as-infantile-creature has been way overdone in the past.

Goths:
*Goths are looking so messy. Bringing back a 'classy' look to the Goth crowd is way overdue.

Blood:
*Kind of like the teddy bears. There is way to much emphasis on young people cutting themselves. The world is getting colder about it and might more appreciate seeing a knife go thru a rare steak rather than more red food colouring staining a child in the bathtub...



I'm not sure if I covered everything I would like to so in short let me say this: a stock models main purpose is not to entirely create the fantasy- that's the job of the artist- but rather to represent it. He or she should provide a solid base from which the artist can work. This is not the same as a real model who is (or is being used for) creating the fantasy- stock models can and should strive for this if they wish but it should always begin with a solid idea and a true projection of that idea.

--
There are some strings attached: [link]
"I'd like to find your inner child and kick its little ass"- 'Get Over It' - Eagles