C12 (6)

The following day Chloe went shopping in her lunch break for a tennis dress. In high school she had always worn a polo shirt and baggy shorts with proper pockets. She picked out a cute yellow sleeveless dress and she also picked out some of the special underwear with the pockets for tennis balls. She decided to buy black underwear rather than trying to match the colour of the dress. She figured that Andrew would love idea of glimpsing the different colour.

Andrew looked delighted when she arrived at the tennis centre. Even though the indoor courts were lit by fluorescent lights, she had worn a cap with her hair in a ponytail out through the back, just as he said he had liked it.

Andrew had gotten there early to set up the ball machine and get his camera ready, but that didn't mean that the photo shoot went any quicker. It took a long time for him to get good shots, and even after a lot of practice it was still largely luck when he got a good one. Chloe quickly found her rhythm and started to feel good about her form, confidently stroking the balls back over the net. She even started to feel comfortable with the attention she was receiving. It wasn't just Andrew looking at her, but the presence of the camera meant that they were getting plenty of curious glances from the courts around them. She starting swinging her hips with slightly more energy knowing that her skirt was dancing around and flying up on occasions. And during one of their breaks to fill up the ball machine again, Chloe suggested that she might try a few serves. This gave her the opportunity to use the pockets underneath her skirt. Although the act was commonplace in women's tennis, she still liked the idea that Andrew found it sexy.

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As always when their homework was shown to the rest of the class, Karyn kept Andrew's and Chloe's photos to last as her star students. Chloe felt especially proud of her underwater photos of Andrew, but she also felt proud of Andrew's shots of her playing tennis. Their efforts received plenty of praise. "You two seem to have a great understanding," said Karyn.

"I can't wait to see what they do on the next assignment," added April. "Do tell me that you will continue to work together."

"I guess so," said Chloe awkwardly. They hadn't actually confirmed anything yet.

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"The word 'erotica' can mean just about anything," said Karyn, beginning the night's topic. "Some people think that it means only soft-core stuff like this." She showed a picture of a woman, naked except for stockings, with one arm covering her breasts while the other concealed her vulva. "Or this," continued Karyn, showing a similar shot only this time of a man with his hands over his junk. "Or at the most, this," said Karyn. This time the photo was a profile shot of a naked couple in a doggy position. The photo didn't show any genitals, and the woman's breast was covered by the man's hand. "But in reality, the word 'erotica' can and does also include this," continued Karyn. A surprised gasp went around the room as the next photo showed the same scene, only this time it explicitly showed the man's erection entering the woman's pussy. Karyn smiled at the reaction.

"Some say that 'erotica' is different from pornography because it is meant to be art, but who is to say what art is." She showed a soft-core photograph of a naked woman draped with a large snake which hid her breasts and genitals. "Is this art, or is it just some kinky, snake-fetish pornography? And how about this?" She showed a still from the movie Calendar Girls showing the naked actresses covering themselves with Christmas carol song sheets. "Is this art, or just a cheesy movie? And what about this? Is this art, or perverted filth?" The final photograph showed a naked man tied with ropes to a saw horse on a building site. There was a large dildo protruding from his ass. Out of all the photos, it occurred to Chloe that this one was the most skillfully shot. The lighting was fantastic, as was the blurry effect of the background which drew the attention back to the main subject. That photo certainly fitted her definition of art.

"Now, before anyone gets too freaked out," continued Karyn, "let's remember what the subject of our course is. I'm not here to teach you teach you how to create erotica, or even to define what it is. I would make the case that all of those photos could be considered erotica, but maybe only some of them might have aroused you. It is just as likely that some of them would have disturbed you. We're not here to judge each other's preferences. What I do want to teach you about is how to work with models. And when I say models, I'm not talking about porn stars. To be honest, I don't know anything about working with porn stars."

"Now, I can think of two different scenarios here that will be relevant. The first is when you need to use a professional model like April here for a project that might involve nudity or some sort of sexual content. Maybe it's an art project that you feel passionate about, or maybe you're doing an advertisement for a new sex toy. The second scenario is what we might call boudoir photography, which is when a client asks you to take photographs of them. There are obviously some key differences between these two scenarios, but they also have a lot in common."

A lot of the class was about creating clear expectations about what the photographs would involve and getting consent. "Ideally the shoot should be planned in advance and clearly explained to the model. You must do what you can to avoid the situation where you only tell them a bit of what you want and then pressure them to go further and further. Obviously, there may be times, particularly on an art project, when your inspiration changes and you want to go in a different direction, but you should still stop and explain what you want to do and get their consent to continue without putting them under any undue pressure."

There was also a lot of advice about how to create a safe environment. Some key rules were hammered home. "Remember to ask for permission each and every time you touch your model, even if it's something as minor as rearranging the way their skirt is draped over their thigh. Or maybe you want to move your model's long hair so that it's either hiding or not hiding their breasts, depending on what's agreed. Most of the time you can ask the model to do these things themselves, but that isn't always possible."

Another rule was about relationships between photographers and models. "You have to acknowledge that there is almost always some sort of power imbalance at play, so I believe it is unethical to start a relationship between the two. However, I should also point out that we aren't doctors or therapists. I'm not saying that you should never hook up. All I'm saying is that you should wait for the project to be over."

Towards the end of the class, Karyn spoke more directly about their homework assignment. "I'm not going to tell you what you can and can't do. As we said earlier, the definition of erotica can include a lot of things. At the end of the day, what you do will be governed by the limits of your models. There is no expectation of nudity, but it isn't prohibited. That includes penises, erect or not, covered or uncovered, it's up to you. I will say on behalf of April, however, that she will not be getting naked for you, and that is not negotiable."

"I will be wearing panties at all times," clarified April. "I will consider being topless as long as my nipples aren't in the photos, but only if I can have the shot set up without having to expose them to you. Now I know that this is a lot more restrictive than my boundaries with professional photographers, but that's just the way it is. There are too many guys out there who take classes like these just for the chance to get a woman to expose themselves to them." She seemed to be looking directly at Alistair when she said this.

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Once the class had ended and supper was being served, Chloe turned in her seat and looked Andrew right in the eye. "I guess it's my turn again to be the model first. I want to be wearing something, although I guess it's okay if it's a little bit see-through. If you want me in sexy lingerie, then it's your job to buy it and I get to keep it afterwards. I don't mind coming to your house again -- in some ways I prefer it -- but I want Rupert to be there for my peace of mind. Mind you, I certainly do not want him in the room watching us, but close enough to hear me shout if I need to. Is that okay? Just text me the details of when and where."

"Thank you so much," said Andrew. "I haven't worked out a plan yet, but I will get to work on it. Um, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"What?"

Andrew blushed. "Can you tell me your bra size? I really don't want to ask Rupert to tell me."

Chloe blushed too. "I'll text you."

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When Chloe knocked on the door of Andrew's house, Rupert was there to let her in. "Chloe, how wonderful to see you. Come in. I finally persuaded Andrew to show me the photos of him that you took in the pool. They were sensational. You really have talent."

"Did he also show you the ones he took of me at the tennis court?" she asked.

"What, with you wearing sportswear? That's not really my thing. If you want to find Andrew, he's in his bedroom down the hall, last door on the right. I'll be hanging out in my office if you need anything."

Chloe found the hallway littered with boxes and furniture, and the reason became obvious when she arrived at Andrew's room. He had obviously done a lot of work setting his bedroom up as a studio. He had removed the majority of his possessions apart from his bed and two side tables. Chloe was pleased to note that the bed seemed to have clean sheets. There was no duvet or blankets. The thing that really stood out was the light. Andrew had covered the window on the outside with some sort of dark fabric to prevent any daylight coming in, and between the covering and the window was a red neon sign. The room had a red glow like an old detective movie. Andrew himself was busy setting up professional lights in one corner, so it was a few moments before he realized she was there.

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