Date: Sun, 06 May 2012 13:03:18 +0200 From: Moritz Subject: The Triathlete And His Photographer - Chapter TWO - Gay - Beginnings Hey guys, This is chapter two of my sixt story. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter. I should also like to thank Charles (USA) for all his help in the preparation of this manuscript. In particular, for his additions. I would love to hear what you think about it! Please send me an e-mail at traumfotos@gmx.de and let me know what you think. I am a German from Hamburg. I need help improving some new prose. I have translated my work into English but some of the prose needs a finishing touch. So, if you can spare a few minutes, I would appreciate your advice. Visiting me on my weblog http://moritz-erotic-stories.blogspot.com (only with stories written by me!). Hope you enjoy! Moritz The Triathlete And His Photographer Chapter TWO To begin, I got the light brightener from my study room. As I returned to the living room, Miguel asked, "Oh, what's that?" "This is a light brightener (or reflector shield). It takes a little of the daylight coming through the windows and reflects it back onto you to help light your shadowed side." "Oh. I wondered what you could possibly be doing with a silvercoated screen. Shows how much I know about photography. So what do you want me to do now?" "First, I would ask you to stand near the window; that way, I can take advantage of the position of the reflector. I prefer to take pictures without a flash." Miguel moved tentatively to the window. "How about here? Is this OK?" "No, I need you to take one step back. I think a little more distance from the window will be just right," I said. After I had positioned Miguel just where I wanted him, I quickly picked up the camera. "Let's start with a few face shots. The important thing is that your face express some emotion; otherwise, you'll wind up looking like a deer in the headlights. So either you smile friendly, look skeptical, or flirt with the camera. You can also look very cool or thoughtful. But how about a simple smile, for starters? That shouldn't be too hard." Miguel had a real killer smile that somehow went straight to the heart: natural, open, and honest. I squeezed the trigger several times and had quickly made a few really good portraits, if I do say so myself. "Great, we have photographed your "nice" page. Now show me another side of you, maybe your energetic or masculine side. Facial expression and body language have to harmonize with each other. It's best to cross your arms over your chest and adopt an aggressive or arrogant expression." "So you want me to become--what, an actor?" joked Miguel. "Yes, being a photographer's model has a great deal in common with acting. Through these photos, you and I are telling a story -- one that the viewer will imagine." "What do you do if you ever want to shoot a man who can't act? Use Scotch tape to hold his face the way you want it, or something?" "To be honest, I mostly take pictures of amateurs, which is one of my main problems. But usually, with a little coaching and some imagination, I can get the subject to produce a nice smile for the camera or a telling glance. All I have to do is find the key word or phrase, and most subjects will respond almost automatically." "Okay, Moritz, here's my most evil leer. See if you can guess what I'm thinking about." Miguel did several poses and facial expressions in quick succession before the camera. I was thrilled. "Hey, Miguel, you really kick ass. These photos are going to be fantastic." We then took another couple of photos of Miguel in profile. "Why don't you take off your shirt now," I said. My voice cracked a little, just from the idea that I would see Miguel bare-chested. Without hesitation, Miguel pulled off his T-shirt. The sight was breathtaking. The first thing I got to see was his flat belly and slender waist. After he took off his T-shirt, Miguel did the first thing many men do: he showed off his muscles. A little male display. "And do you find these arms satisfactory?" he joked. You like what you see?" "A-a-aah, I seen bigger guns on a tugboat!" I teased back. In fact, his "guns" (his biceps and triceps) would do any battleship proud. What a physique! "Oh, you spend a lotta time on tugboats, do ya! Wiseguy. You're probably used to shooting bodybuilder types with mighty, manly mountains of muscle," Miguel laughed. "No, not really, but Heaven forbid you should get a swelled head." Nothing is sexier than a man who has no idea how sexy he is. (And nothing is less sexy than a man who thinks he's hotter than French toast.) Miguel's muscular torso would make many professional photo models spit with envy. We took several shots--front, side, and back. Miguel stood there with his V-shaped back to the camera, his head turned to one side so I could capture his face in profile. After I had photographed his back, narrow waist, and round butt covered by his jeans), I asked him to turn from the hips more and more toward the camera. His arms hung loosely from his shoulders. "May I see a few shots?" he asked. It is always somewhat problematic to show a model all the photos I have taken of him. Any photographic session always produces a lot of terrible shots, which the photo- grapher would prefer not to show the models, lest they get the wrong impression. Many times the shutter snaps accidentally while a model's eyes are partly closed, making him look drunk or confused. So it's always better to show the models only the most flattering shots. But Miguel was more than a little eager, so I could only make the best of things. I went up and stood close to him. Then I put the camera in view mode. "Here, use the dial on the camera to scroll to the next image." While Miguel was preoccupied with the results of the photo shoot on the small screen, I looked at Miguel's robust upper arms and strong chest muscles. Above all, his nipples fascinated me. "I am really surprised how little effort you needed to create such a great pictures," said Miguel. "You used only the camera and the reflector, and nothing else." "Well, now: I'll tell you something that a photographer will usually never admit. How good or how bad a picture is, depends 60% on the subject, and only 40% on the photographer. The SLR cameras on today's market from 500 Euro up, relieve the Photographer from almost all the hard work. The camera takes care of the exposure and the focus accurately and automatically. All the photographer has to do is come up with an interesting angle And choose the right moment to snap the shutter. The camera does the rest." "I think now you're belittling your talent," said Miguel. "Friends of mine have such automatic cameras, and their pictures aren't half as good as yours." "So I take it you like the pictures we've taken so far?" "Sure, they're amazing. I'd like to add these to the ones already on the USB stick, if that's OK. Oh, one thing I wanted to ask you, by the way: what, if anything, I am allowed to do with them?" asked Miguel. The question made me a little suspicious, because I had assumed Miguel wanted to use my photos only for private purposes. "Well, since you ask, no, I can't let you use my photos for just anything you want. You may not sell the photos, for example, nor use them commercially. Under German law, the photographer always retains copyright of his photos, unless he makes other legal arrangements. I am happy to give you the photos free of charge, but only for your private use. If you want to use the photos commercially in any way, you will have to coordinate in advance with me. Then we would have to negotiate a fee," I told him. "All right, that's only fair, I suppose," said Miguel. "What I'd like to do is publish a number of these photos on my Web site. I also have a few advertisements on the site, to make a little money on the side. So I don't know if you'd feel my publishing the photos was commercial exploitation. What kind of fee would you need me to pay?" He looked at me, a little insecure. "That's really a difficult question. I take the pictures just for my personal pleasure and cannot and will not take money for my work. On the other hand, I'd be foolish if I were to allow anyone -- anyone to whom I've freely given my photos, that is -- to profit from them without participating in some way myself. Now, if you plan to publish just a few photos at your site, that's OK with me. You just need to include a copyright credit with my name and a link to my own home page. That would be a bit of advertising for me and an acknowledgment of my work. It really hacks me off when I find my pictures anywhere on the Internet without any indication whatsoever that I'm the photographer. This unfortunately happens very often." "Well, with the copyright notice and a link to your Web site, I would have no problems," said Miguel. "But I'd want to show more than just a few photos. I need to earn money and I know your photos would serve to increase my viewership. If you want, why don't we take a quick look at my site. Can you access the Internet on your computer?" "Of course I can. Let's have a look." I went to the computer and Miguel followed me with the camera in hand. Miguel began calling up his Web site as I sat right next to him in front of the computer. This time I couldn't do much else but admire his bare chest. His pectorals were almost perfect. He opened Internet Explorer and entered his Web address. The home page of his Web site surprised me. It was designed professionally. It seemed Miguel's intention with this site was to make some serious money. Basically, it was a kind of athlete's diary. It gave the visitor tips and tricks for training and also related incidents and impressions from his own training and competitions. I was surprised that his Web site was cluttered with advertising. Miguel had already loaded a lot of photos on his site. They were, however, consistently amateurish. He had taken most of them himself, using a timer. "Okay, I see what you're aiming for," I said. "These pictures you took have a certain unmistakable charm (you), but every now and then you need a more professional-looking image. Do you earn much money with this site now?" I was well and truly intrigued. "Well, not much so far, but I have made a small amount and there could even be more over time," grinned Miguel, slyly keeping his trade secrets under wraps. "If I could enhance the site with some interesting photos of my training and my competitions, that would be help a lot. I also want to publish a few short videos on the Web site and also on YouTube. I know some athletes who now make good money on their videos at YouTube. Every time before their videos play, a short commercial runs. The advertising revenue these commercials generate can be enormous, and the athlete gets a small cut of that revenue for allowing them to run on his site." "I had no idea people could actually earn money that way." "All that's missing is someone who can take professional – quality photos and videos at a reasonable price," Miguel said, grinning at me. "Well, with my SLR I can also record videos, of course. However, as I already said I cannot and will not accept any monetary payment for my services: I am strictly an amateur. Besides, if I did take payment, I'd also have to register it with the Government." "Yeah, I already got the part about how you won't take money for your photos. But perhaps we can find some other quid pro quo." I was suddenly very hot--and my penis, which had been asleep for quite some time in my pants, grew wide awake with anticipation. What consideration should I ask Miguel? What was he willing to do? Just how far was he willing to go? ... To be continued ... Visiting me on my weblog http://moritz-erotic-stories.blogspot.com (only with stories written by me!).