Photos
Photos are probably the most integral part of marketing for an escort. They convey style, brand, and personality. Men are visual creatures and let’s face it, the majority of clients are men. There are a variety of aspects to consider when deciding to either start your career or when it’s time to update your photos. For the sake of simplicity, I will list out a few things to consider and then elaborate a bit more within this blog post. The list includes: professional vs. selfies, industry photographer vs. someone else, styling, and considerations for social media and/or advertisements.
Professional vs selfies- Both types of photos have their place. Selfies definitely gain more traction on social media but professional photos are necessary for advertising platforms and personal websites. Do I think one needs to spend thousands of dollars on professional photos? Not necessarily. Having professional photos lends to an overall polished appearance and a sense of professionalism. There are more affordable industry photographers that deliver a sleek product. However, clients may not engage with professional photos as much because there is an idea that these photos are more staged and edited. This may or may not be the case but despite that, I do think it’s worth it to have a photo refresh at least 1-2 times per year.
Clients often like selfies more because there is an illusion that these photos are candid and intimate. Why not use that to your advantage? You already have a cell phone and it’s cheap and easy to set up a tripod or buy a ring light. Posting selfies also lends to legitimacy in the sense that if you are frequently posting on social media and all the photos generally look similar, then a client can assume you are taking your business seriously.
Industry photographers vs someone else- There are photographers who are well known within the industry like Black Lotus, IL Sensual, Inamorata, Hello Miss, Partition Studios, Amorous Films, and Elizabeth Raab. Each has their own style and may be more expensive than photographers not “in” the industry but part of what you pay for is their discretion. Keep in mind that the laws in the US give the rights to the photographer and technically, unless you have a legally binding agreement, you cannot obtain the rights or stop them from posting the photos elsewhere. If you do not show your face, I highly recommend not using someone you found on Instagram or a local boudoir photographer.
Now, the caveat to using a more well-known industry photographer is the fact that many other ladies use them, and their photos may tend to look more generic over time. This is certainly a consideration which may be partially ameliorated by choosing a unique location or lingerie. There are other lesser known industry photographers that still create great photos and have solid reputations so it could be wise to seek them out.
Styling- One doesn’t necessarily need to feel confined to their brand in terms of styling but keeping a generally consistent look is important. Generally clients are drawn to an escort because of a certain body type and appearance. It’s not overly wise to constantly change hair color or wildly vary your style in a short period of time.
Seeking out more independent lingerie labels can help you stand out as well as staying true to your own style. Maybe you really hate stockings and garters- then don’t wear them! That’s the beauty of sexwork, you are your own boss so you make these calls. I do recommend getting hair and makeup done before a shoot even if you don’t show your face. This lends to getting in the mood and an overall polished look.
Considerations for social media- Keep in mind that certain platforms like Instagram and Twitter don’t allow nudity and often times sheer lingerie, especially something skin colored, will be flagged as such. Often times on Twitter if you don’t show your face, bare buttocks will also be flagged. Any nudity or sheer lingerie in your Twitter header or profile photo is likely to get your account banned. EROS is a constantly moving target in terms of what they will or won’t allow for photos. The safest bet is to not wear anything with logos, no sheer underwear, and try to avoid any photos that have any angle of your crotch. Having high resolution photos vs selfies look much better on these advertising platforms and in some cases, the photos have to be a a certain size/resolution to even be posted. Lastly, keep in mind the orientation of photos. You’ll want a variety of photos with horizontal and vertical orientation. This is to create headers for ads and also on your website.