(no subject)

[erastes]

Now here's a business opportunity for someone.  I love taking photos but I'm no expert. Why isn't someone already doing this?  Someone finds some hot men, dresses them up in Regency (or other period) clothes - and takes loads and loads and loads of photos of them. Perhaps together, perhaps alone, but mainly dressed.  Perhaps one has an undone cravat, or one has his hand in his boyfriend's waistcoat and so on ... kissing, holding each other - whatever .  I can SEE it in my mind's eye but don't have a shit-hot camera, or a studio. Some in colour -because wore such gorgeous colours - some b&w, sepia etc.

Then you offer the covers to authors at whatever the rate is - seems to be anything from $100 upwards.  I'd certainly pay money to have a wonderful period clothing picture, that's for sure. There's no period men (not gay ones anyway) in the Period Costume section of the stockphoto sites - not that I know of anyway.

Someone do it! Gay Historical Fiction needs you!

Comments

[eternalism.livejournal.com]

I may have just found my new calling!

[cynbaby.livejournal.com]

The problem is finding men who would be willing to do it, and clothing.
*sigh* If I could solve those problems, I could make a mint by taking your suggestion.

[aunty_marion]

I'd put this idea to two of my gay friends, but although they do re-enactment stuff, I'm not sure they have any Regency clothes.

[storm-grant.livejournal.com]

Please do. And not just historicals. Spare me from B&W torso shots.

There is a stock photography site that specialized in gay shots. It's exponentially more expensive than istock. I think there's money to be made.

I paid my cover artist $150 for an original drawing and felt it was cheap at the price.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Where are you? I sew.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

And, see, this is what eternaleponine and I keep saying we want out of Hollywood: Costume porn, boys kissing, and happy endings!

[aunty_marion]

I'm in north London, they're in south London. Alas. And they make all their own garb. (And, by god, they're *good* at it.)

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Oh, bother, you're an ocean away from me.

Don't suppose you can get pictures of them snogging in ANY period garb? I would pay good money for a framed print.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

If costuming is a problem, get in touch with a local theatre and/or costume supply place. Most cities have them. Failing that, try re-enactment societies.

[ggymeta.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

Finding the men #1, and then getting them to do it for free #2. Most gay men posing for photogs want a fee these days because they know it'll end up on the net. :)

Straight guys? They want to get paid and want to know where the photo is going.

[mister-robinson.livejournal.com]

If your interested, I have shots ranging from 16th century to Victorain era. No regency yet, but soon there should be something.

[vinnie-tesla.livejournal.com]

Aren't authors gonna want exclusive rights to a given shoot? That is to say, aren't you gonna feel gypped if you pay $100 for a shot, and someone else's gay Regency turns out to have a cover with the same models in the same clothes?

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

Exclusive rights to one picture, maybe. It depends on the fees paid, and the contract with the photographer. But it's practically a running joke in conventional romance--there are lots of duplicates. Speak Its Name has the same photo as a 'best of' anthology, but the photo's been flipped and our cover has an old-photo frame.

A handsome pic in period clothes ... A, would be worth the trouble, and B, would not be suitable for most m/m stories.

GREAT IDEA, Erastes!

[alex-beecroft.livejournal.com]

I second Storm_grant's 'please do'. If you think you can, I know a lot of people who would be very grateful!

[alex-beecroft.livejournal.com]

I'm sure clothes could be hired. For a photograph you don't necessarily have to have every seam hand stitched. And then you could offset the price of the clothes by charging more for the photos ;)

[alex-beecroft.livejournal.com]

I'd love to see this too. And yes, I'd be plenty willing to pay for them if the opportunity was there.

[m-barnette.livejournal.com]

Me too, because I can't find good gay images that I haven't seen at a dozen different publishers already.

I looked everywhere for 'gay pirates' for a book I'm publishing and couldn't find anything, not even a pair of guys dressed for halloween.

[crawling-angel.livejournal.com]

*applauds*

*dreams of ghostly lake boys*

People could 'request' poses!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Me too. I'd say you would tap a market that no-one is doing. I just got my artwork for Frost Fair and while it's not HORRIBLE, it's two naked men in a frosty background. There's nothing that says 1814 - or indeed the 1814 Frost Fair.

:(

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Yes - what Lee said - you buy rights - once only - for a photo and the amount you pay is dependent on what you want it for -cheap for webuse - graduating payment for how many items to want to print, usually up to 100,000 copies and then the price goes up again.

take a gander at these sitse and see the reusuable covers (thanks to gehayi for finding it when I couldn't)
http://www.libraryjobpostings.org/reusble-covers.htm
http://therapsheet.blogspot.com/search/label/Copycat%20Covers

It's like famous paintings - you can get any of them, just about, on your book, but they don't grant you exclusive rights.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

It's great when a publisher is prepared to pay for an artist (quiet squee) but when they don't.... I've always thought that your cover there is brilliant.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Exactly! - And they could easily have any old boys doing it - using the horrible and fashionable method of "headless models" it wouldn't matter if the boys looked modern in face or were ugly.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Really? How wonderful! I'd love to see!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I think we should petition them. Standish The Movie please!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Very good point.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Yes - but there are a ton of royalty free stock photos of posed gay shots on line for pretty reasonable prices - some almost naked - so why not clothed shots?

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I can't see why men would object - they needn't be overtly gay pictures - not even kissing - less is more! And clothes can be hired - or found from theatre companies.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'd love to see this succeed - I love such pictures.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

And Swordspoint the movie!

Get on it, Hollywood!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

DEFINITELY swordspoint. OMG.

[ggymeta.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

This is true...I wonder how many of those photographers just go to clubs and hit on guys and get them to come back to their place for a photo session. :/

I should've gone into photography. :(

[mister-robinson.livejournal.com]

http://www.redbubble.com/people/MisterRobinson

This is an eclectic collection of my work. Mixed in there are 16th, 18th and 19th century inspired images. One of my vices is historical costume. I am planning on regency and more Victorian.

[alex-beecroft.livejournal.com]

Ooh lovely! I've bookmarked your page, and will be back. I'm always on the look out for new pictures, as I'm considering going in for making book covers as a sideline :)

[erastes.livejournal.com]

If I could master Gimp, I'd consider it - but I think that's a damned good idea, Alex - go for it!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Thank you - I really like the buttons one - but I have a weakness for buttons - please keep me updated and I'll spread the word too.

[alex-beecroft.livejournal.com]

*g* Thanks! I can see that it doesn't say 'sexy m/m romance' though. You really want something that has both elements - some naked torso for those who like it, and something historical for those who are looking for a historical first, with some m/m.

I think we're also working with the fact that the American market has a different aesthetic than the British one. They're used to more highly saturated colours and more pin up models on the front, whereas here in Britain the colours are more muted and you often won't have people on the front at all.

Having said that, I'm half tempted to have a go myself if I could only get the pictures.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Now, I don't see why it has to indicate sexy gay romance on the cover - I've never really understood that. If it's in the gay romance section of whatever book seller it's in - and has a blurb I think that nakedness is completely unnecessary. Lesbian romance isn't plastered with naked women and neither is most of hetero romance (except in the ebook market, I suppose)

I think one should be able to take a cover out in public, that's the main thing!

It'll be interesting to see what Perseus comes up with.

[alex-beecroft.livejournal.com]

If I was going entirely for what I'd like to see, it certainly wouldn't be plastered with naked men. I'm completely with you there. But I just gather from comments in chats that there is a large section of the market which *is* going to want that. I know Lori - when I asked for one of my lads to be in a shirt - said that in their experience the naked torso thing is what people pick up.

Maybe it's just because nobody is taking the risk of putting more 'literary' covers on, though, and they would be surprised if they did. After all, nobody can claim that Standish is selling entirely on the man-boobs on the cover ;)

I can't wait to see the Perseus covers! I'm pretty confident I'll like it because I love everything else the guy has done. But still, the impatience is sometimes extreme.

[alex-beecroft.livejournal.com]

Thanks! There's a photo on mister_robinson's site which is almost ideal for 'Wages of Sin'. Not that I'll get the chance to design that one because it's an anthology. But I will start looking into it, because it's really not that hard, and I do know I can do better than a lot of the covers out there!

[mister-robinson.livejournal.com]

Thank you, If ever you have a need for a specific image keep me in mind. Request, puzzles, and challenges are always welcome.

[mister-robinson.livejournal.com]

When your ready to give it a go, let me know what your looking for and I will see what I can do.

[alex-beecroft.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I will :)