When contacting AirBNB (or similar) places for abbywinters.com shoots, consider the unspecific honesty approach. Present yourself as a professional freelance photographer who works on numerous different projects (rather than a porn photographer).
Things we recommend location owners should know before accepting a booking for an abbywinters.com shoot:
- You are a female (if it’s true; otherwise make no mention) photographer looking for a space to work with your models
- It’s sexist AF, but female Shoot Producers have found it easier to secure locations through AirBNB 😬
- You will be shooting a naked female in their place
- Rather than say “naked”, see if saying “glamour” or “erotic” or “boudoir” helps your success rate. It depends how these terms are culturally interpreted in your area of the world.
- This media is for publication – there’s no need to say where
- How much you will pay them – should be written on their pages but best to confirm
- How many hours you will rent the place
- While most people want to rent a place overnight, if the model’s accommodation is sorted some other way, indicating the location will only be used during the day time might help
There are some things location owner does not need to know, in our opinion;
- That it is for publication on abbywinters.com
- If they ask, we strongly advise being truthful: abbywinters.com. Our website can look quite “scary” at first glance and if you advertise this fact on first contact, you may find people are put off. That’s life.
- Consider presenting our model recruitment website instead, modelfor.abbywinters.com, as this is less “offensive” and may satisfy their curiosity
- For example, “I’ll be working with models from modelfor.abbywinters.com.”
Things Shoot Producers need to know about the location
Not all these things need to be discovered in the initial email, but they are important details to consider before making a firm booking;
- Ask the Location owner
- What is the parking situation like? (for you and your gear)
- How will you gain access – will they let you in, will there be a key code etc ?
- Is there any construction going on nearby currently?
- Look up on Google maps
- What are public transport links like? (so the model can easily get there from the airport)
- Audio – is it near any schools, busy roads, airports, etc ?
Things to consider offering / mentioning
- You will bring your own linen and fabric for the shoot – the naked model will never be sitting on their furnishings directly
- You will hide any personal photos they have up, so they do not appear in the shoot
- You are discreet – it will only you and one model on set, and you will bring minimal gear in quickly and quietly so as not to annoy neighbours
- They will not have to do a full clean after your visit
- Location owners will assume the worst – “cum on the curtains”
- No beds will be slept in, all surfaces used with be covered in your fabrics, you will put everything back as you found it at the start of the day; we will clean the kitchen and toilet
- If any damage is caused during your visit, your insurance will pick up costs if they inform you about damage within 24 hours of your visit
- Only offer this if you actually have insurance that would cover costs!
- (or you are comfortable to pay for it out of pocket – our Company would not reimburse you for this)
- We will bring our own rubbish bags and take it away with us at the end of the day
Put it in writing?
You might find it works best for you keeping things informal, but we recommend having a Location Agreement that location owners sign, to keep everything professional. This way each party has a written agreement of what needs to happen and it can help to reassure some owners that we will take care of their property as we take this seriously. Sending this agreement up front might cause owners to respond more favourably.
In a nutshell, you promise to take care of the house and they promise to be out of the house all day so you have the privacy to work. We can provide a draft agreement you can modify to suit your needs.
Who to target AirBNB and similar platforms
On home sharing platforms, people write a description of themselves which can help target ideal location owners.
Look for fellow creative types; photographers, theatre people, actors, artists, dancers etc as they will already have an affinity with you – they understand the pressures of being a creative person looking for a location to work in. When addressing these people, consider using some shameless sentences like “As a fellow photographer I am sure you understand how hard it is to find the perfect location for a shoot…”
Young female students – they should have houses that are already looking feminine and lived in, are likely to have a more liberal approach to nude modelling – and will probably appreciate the money! When messaging these location owners it might be useful to mention that the company you work with (modelfor.abbywinters.com) is a female-focused business promoting positive female body image and ideas – but use your judgement.
Locations that are not lived in by the owner – This usually means more set dressing is required from your end but people who are renting out additional properties are mainly money-motivated so they may be a less-picky about the nature of what you want to do in the location. Also the fact that it is not actually their real bed that will have naked models all over it will probably help with people’s emotive first reactions to your request.
Here’s an example message text you could use;
Hey,
I am writing with an unusual booking request.
I am a female photographer and am looking for new naturalistic locations, with a cheery lived in vibe to work in. Your home looks ideal!
On a shoot day it is just myself and the model. I bring a small amount of equipment to enable me to light effectively but I am very quiet and discrete. I will carefully put away any of your personal photographs, and will bring items to ‘dress’ your place so it is not obviously recognisable as your space.
I know most photographers do not disclose their intentions when they book via AirBNB, but I want to be 100% honest – I always think it is the best way: I shoot nude models in my work. I always bring my own fabrics so that no naked models will ever be in direct contact with your furnishings, and I would of course keep the nude model out of sight of your neighbours while we work!
I only need the location between 9am to 6pm, and none of the beds will be slept in. I will return the property to exactly how it was when I arrived, before I leave.
This means, you will only have minimal cleaning needs, you do not need to clean and change the bed sheets following a visit, you do not have to worry about smelly rubbish being left in the bin (we’ll take it with us).
How do you feel about this kind of booking? I hope to hear from you soon (but will understand if you are not interested).