This week, I got the most disturbing call. A good friend of mine in tears and the only thing she could say was ' I quit ' That gut wrenching feeling of regret, remorse and wrath ran through my body in an instant. I vividly remember making that same phone call to a friend of mine years ago. She didn't even have to tell me what happened. I already knew.
"I was at a photoshoot." "He was oiling me up and he stuck his tongue in my ass." "I was posing and another man that I didn't know was coming was standing behind me trying to take pictures with his phone." "Then he felt me up when I never wanted him to touch me in the first place." "The photographer just stood there with his dick hard." "I had to leave because I was in fear of what would happen next."
Imagine that happening to your wife. Girlfriend. Mother. Daughter. How would you feel someone took one of your loved ones out of their comfort zone and violated them. If they don't deserve it, then why do we?
I will never forget. I was at a shoot in Atlanta. Photog gave me no issues on day one. Day two...
he made sure the house was empty. Called me to come shoot again...pressed up against me and had me against a wall. The tears began to fall. I had just seen his wife. Played his his daughter the day before. All I could say is "I don't want to do this." I knew that he would respect my wishes, let me gather my things and let me leave. Never did I expect a well seasoned, well known photographer wipe the tears from my eyes & whisper in my ear " Either give it to me or I'll take it." The tears came even more. I was in an awkward place. Who's to say that I said no again that he wouldnt drag me into his bed room and shoot me and say he caught me stealing. Maybe he would take all of my belongings and kick me out of his studio in the buff...Who would i call? If I couldn't trust this man, who could I trust? Those two minutes changed my life. It changed my outlook on trust. On life.
I want every woman to notice the signs EARLY. I was lucky. The next model may not be.
NEVER GO TO A SHOOT ALONE.
If a photographer cannot respect the fact that you'd rather have an escort for your safety/ trust and tell you that you can have no escort on a shoot, FIND ANOTHER PHOTOGRAPHER.
THICK SKIN. GOTTA HAVE IT IN THIS INDUSTRY. WHAT OR WHO DOESN'T KILL YOU WILL ONLY MAKE YOU STRONGER.
- No regrets
Emily Camille
www.theemilyexperience.com
