For me, it is a large investment when I take on a new model, because of the consistency I need throughout my work. If I hadn’t told you that The Altis series spanned 10 years, you would never know it. Some of the models are 10 years older from one image to the next, but they look the same. When I pick a model, I can usually tell what type of longevity she’ll have with my work. During the time I was casting for The Altis series, I was very upfront with a model about the commitment she needs to make toward our collaboration. Many models pose nude for an artist as a fluke onetime thing, or to fulfill a fantasy, perhaps to make their husband/ lovers jealous. It’s very important to know why a model has come to your studio. It’s your job to find out. If I feel it’s a financial thing, I tell them it’s not the project for them (I do pay my models, and never do time in exchange for prints, but freely give prints on a merit basis). If I feel it’s a curiosity thing, I tell them this is not the project for them. I love a model that understands why she has chosen to be in my studio and present herself in the nude. That she understand how her body moves in space. And I love a performer. I never seek a model for a sense of “perfection.” Perfection is so unapproachable. I like character and something that makes her both real and ideal at the same time. She doesn’t have to be experienced at all, but it’s everything to me if she wants to be part of the creative process and build images together in a collaborative way. Rhythmic Gymnastics, Stance

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