To explain why I even ask this question, I think I need to explain the case for why I shouldn't find them sexy. Surely, finding an attractive girl attractive isn't wrong, so what is the problem?

As I said, I try to be professional. If someone is going to be brave enough to come to my home studio and take off her clothes in front of a virtual stranger, she deserves a comfortable environment to do it in, and a lot of respect. If she is a friend, that doesn't mean she deserves any less, and in fact, the room for awkwardness is even greater sometimes.

One reason to be as professional and dignified as possible is simply good business. Models will not want to come back if you letch over them constantly, and the word will spread. I have heard my fair share of stories about photographers who want all the girls to sit on their lap, and seem to constantly need to adjust the girls' g-strings by hand to "get the shot just right". I don't want to be one of those guys, because I don't want those storied to be told about me.

There is more to it than that, though. Even were being a scumbag the best business practice, I wouldn't do it. Sure, the photos are being taken for the public to see, but nudity is a very personal thing. Models deserve to be treated with respect, because that is the right thing to do. A photographer who can't keep business and pleasure separate is objectifying the models in a very nasty way.

I think all of that may make it a little more clear why I wonder if I should be even a bit attracted to the models I work with. Getting turned on by their poses is a little too personal. So, its important not to take your appreciation of the models too far, even if you don't act on it.

In the end, though, I admit that I think a good photographer should find his models attractive. He shouldn't think about hitting on them, or treat them as romantic prospects, but he should find them beautiful. How you see a model comes through in the photos. If you don't find a model attractive, you can't help but take unflattering photos of her.

So, a good photographer needs to see his models as beautiful. How he feels about the way they look can't help but come across in the photos, and it will help you, the viewer, see her in that way as well. The first model I worked with, and the one I work with most, is my girlfriend Vail. (We started doing all of this for her personal site, GothicAmateur.com.) I am deeply in love with her, and have been for a few years now-- since I met her. The tenderness that I see her with comes across in my photos of her, as does my lust for her! The photos wouldn't be as good if I didn't feel any of that.

I am friends with a few of the models I shoot, and one of them is an Ex of mine. Knowing someone lets you take better photos of them. You can shoot the poses that express their personality best, and they will look much better in those photos than if you treat them like a generic model. If you find your friend spontaneous, you can let that feeling enter the photos. The same goes for any impressions.

Take my friend Bianca link: http://www.blood-dolls.com/preview/bianca/, who models for both of the sites I run, GothicAmateur.com and Blood Dolls link: http://www.blood-dolls.com . She has been my friend for even longer than I have known Vail, and we even had a brief relationship. She is one of my favourite people in the world, and I find her very attractive. I think she can be very mysterious, but I also know she is down-to-earth in a number of ways. I love her pearly pale skin, and think she has fantastic legs. You can see all of that in the photos, if I am doing my job.

Even if you aren't close with a model, how you see her makes a big difference to the photos. If a model strikes you as mysterious and alluring, you can put that into the photos, and she will coem across more real, and therefore more beautiful. If a model strikes you as sweet, put that in-- I know you can tell if my pictures are fiction. I want to show something real.

Take the model GemmyC http://www.blood-dolls.com/preview/gemmyc who I work with on Blood Dolls. I don't know her well at all, but I have some impressions of her. I know her enough that my photos of her aren't generic. I capture the things about her that I think will have the most impact, and be the most real.

There's another aspect to all of this. When you find someone attractive, you are attracted to the whole image, usually, but elements stand out. Some girls just have lovely smiles, some have breasts you have to remember to look away from. When you appreciate someone, you come to appreciate their best qualities. As a photographer, if I shoot with an eye to those best qualities, I take a better picture.

I think my friend Jenny http://www.blood-dolls.com/preview/jenny illustrates this point very well. We became friends after she started modelling for us, so I know her better now than when we started. Our next shoot is going to be a lot better than the last one, because I can make the photos truly be of Jenny, not just of some model. Also, I find Jenny just breathtaking. She has fantastic breasts, nobody could miss that... but take a look at the small of her back, or her collarbones. The way she moves is ten thousand times sexier than how she looks frozen-- but since I know that, I can try to capture that beauty in the photos, too.

Imagine if I didn't find the models I work with to be sexy. I couldn't really capture how great Bianca's skin is, how striking GemmyC is, how Vail's smile lights up her face, or how perfect Jenny's ass is. I wouldn't be able to do it, because I wouldn't even be able to see them that way. A photographer doesn't just click and capture what is there-- to capture what is there takes more work than a snap at the surface. Because I know my models are all beautiful, and unique, I can show you what I see. I should never take it too far, or lust over them (well, most of them) but seeing them as they are means seeing how attractive they are. It might leave me with a little lingering guilt, but it is the best thing to do.