The past few weeks have seen an eruption in claims of sexual abuse throughout the creative world. Now attention is being drawn to a book sold by Amazon, entitled "An Introduction to Camera Game: How to Seduce Women Through Photography."
The creative and entertainment industries have been shaken by continuous allegations of sexual abuse over the past few weeks, most of the claims notably filed by women. It's shocking a book of this nature would ever retail on a global service such as Amazon, but it feels in particularly bad taste given the extent of abuse that many actresses and models have been suffering.
The bizarre book, which somehow spans 90 pages, is listed as being from an obscure author simply by the name of Goldmund. The baffling description reads as follows:
Photography is an art that is as enriching as it is seductive. It can open up new ways of looking at the world, train you to become more social, and create opportunities to meet an endless amount of attractive women. This guide will: Suggest the proper equipment needed to get started. Teach you techniques to become proficient using a camera. Explain different ‘projects’ that will make it easy for you to approach girls on the street and get them excited to be involved in your photos. Include tips on how to easily set up dates and seduce the women you meet. And much more… If you are interested at all in photography and meeting women, An Introduction to Camera Game is the best place to get started.
Elsewhere, there is talk of “[getting] comfortable meeting and modeling beautiful women on the street, but also seducing them into bed,” as well as the author remarking that he will “provide a detailed script that you can follow. One that has gotten me laid many times over […]”
The cover, below, speaks for itself.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, almost all the reviews on both U.S. and U.K. Amazon have been 1 star, many of which are insisting that it encourages rape culture. There are plenty of stories and stigma surrounding male photographers abusing their power; or sexual predators using photography to gain access to vulnerable young women, and books like this do us no favors.
What do you think? Is this acceptable for Amazon to be selling?
[via PetaPixel]
I don't suppose it's a question of acceptable or unacceptable, but it is frightening if you know the case of a serial killer named Rodney James Alcala. This POS murdered an unknown number of young women in the '70s by being a charming PHOTOGRAPHER. The fact is he really was a sometime working professional although his pictures are amateurish at best, but with his camera he was able to charm maybe 50, maybe as many as 130 girls and young women into posing for his "portfolio." When he got them alone he would actually take pictures, seducing them into removing clothing and posing more and more provocatively, eventually attacking and killing them. He is currently on California's death row although his unknown number of killings occurred in several states. Amazon has a whole section devoted to "seduction psychology" and there are predatory guys out there teaching courses that are basically rape courses, but the argument is always "free speech" and that's a hard nut to crack. The takeaway, if there is one, is that the entire culture has to change. MEN need to take charge of their own behavior. If you happen to be a photographer, your camera does not entitle you.
Bob, if you scroll down to the Featured Photos directly below, almost every picture of a female is "sexy." There is not a thing wrong with "sexy," and if a woman chooses to pose sexily that is her choice. If she chooses to dress "provocatively" (which is some cultures seems nothing short of a burkha) that is her choice. For pretty much ever, men have put the onus on women to "behave," but be sexy. Show a little ankle. Cleavage. Yada yada. It is all part of the mating dance, but as the latest explosion of scandals involving men pushing "unwanted attention" (all the way to rape) on women, it shows (at least to me) that women have a problem, and it is US. Men behaving badly. I am no kid. I know what "locker room talk" is and I've far too often listened and smiled and nodded rather than speaking up. I'm too old now to be in locker rooms but I hope maybe I would now speak up because the onus should not be on women, but on us men because we are the ones making the moves. Women are capable of sexual harassment but I suspect it's relatively rare. Guys tend to want sex (!) and far too many are aggressive about it, and culturally it's been women who've borne the brunt. Bob, I know you are not *some* men. I don't think changing the culture will upend and destroy it. I think it's past time.
" Guys tend to want sex (!) "
"I hope maybe I would now speak up because the onus should not be on women, but on us men because we are the ones making the moves. "
I think this is the problem. The generalization. ANY generalization. That men want sex. That women should dress a specific way (sexy or unsexy).
The problem with the society is ANY assumption. (from "this girl shoud ____" to "This guy seems nice").
The facts are that its very simple. While working professionally, everything needs to be professional. While private, yes means yes. Thats it.
The assumption that men want sex means that if a man is molested and he didnt want it then something is wrong with him.
And the fact that you say "i hope i would NOW speak up..."
You should have always been speaking up. You should always continue to speak up. We dont get to be good people when its socially marketable.We are supposed to speak up on everything all the time
Amazon sells dinosaur erotica. And you're worried about this silly book?
Of course it's acceptable... it's a book. Do you care about free speech or what? And as trashy as the book sounds, it's quite a leap to go from "seduce" to "rape." Not to mention the term "rape culture" comes from this warped idea that society is responsible for an individual's actions, which is dumb as well. When some random person out there does something good, I take no credit for it, and when they do something bad, I take no credit for it. Own your sh** and don't try to either pass blame or accept it on someone else's behalf.
This book looks classy AF. Twenty bucks says that "Goldmund" is the pen name for the guy who started "Girls Gone Wild".
Hahaha... What a silly book. Almost as silly as "Learn to program C++ in 21 days"...
What? I just ordered that! Doh! ;-)
That's awesome, I'll check out your GitHub on the 22nd day! ;-)
I had to look up GitHub! :-)
Here we go, another social justice, virtue signaling, left leaning post on a photography site...how original.
"Perhaps unsurprisingly, almost all the reviews on both U.S. and U.K. Amazon have been 1 star, many of which are insisting that it encourages rape culture." <-- you mean those fake reviews written by people who think that anything or everything that they disagree with needs to be banned? How many of the 1 star reviews are verified purchases, Jack?
The author just saw a huge boost in sales, so good work!
Instead of encouraging censorship, allow the good ideas to crowd out the bad ones.
They also sell
https://www.amazon.com/Quotations-Chairman-Mao-Tse-Tung-Original/dp/1547...
and
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_5_6?url=search-alias%3Dstripbook...
These are work of two of the biggest mass morder at all time, it is called freedom of speech.
Freedoon is different than debauchery
Rights that are not abusable are not freedom.
People who committed sexual assault should go to jail. While these rubbish ideas should not be censored, but rather publicly bashed.
BTW, speech and action are very different, debauchery is an action, speech is speech. There is legal distinction between action and speech.
Oh boy.
I know one guy and he abuses photography to just get laid.
It's a shame. Just inviting people to his home for boudoir or naked photo sessions at home, then get laid or girls storming out and he keeps the images and doesn't deliver it. Even if those girls forget some stuff at his place, hedoes not send it back. So yeah, those guys are out there. Unfortunately.
And I also heard comments about me like "Wow, that guy gets probably laid a lot shooting all the time so many nice girls." Well, most I girls I shoot with are in relationships and or married. It's disgusting how people think and absue an art for such things.
Of course, it is a good way to meet new people and new girls, but seducing on a shoot....An absolute no-go!
Creepy for sure. Nothing wrong with seduction, if done honestly. But instructions for using photography to effect seduction is creepy and dishonest. It's a way of advancing creepy dishonest attempted seduction. That is the kind of thing that makes it hard for honest photographers who are starting out. And it promotes negative experiences for models starting out, such that they might give up on modeling. Just bad news all around.
This would have to be the most well publicised book by photography websites that I've ever seen. The publishers must be over the moon at all this free publicity!
A water pistol. Sex and the City or Harry Potter are ten times more dangerous. If we condemn such a silly book and police speech and thought, then what about the people who psychologically abuse other people to the brink of committing suicide or acts of extreme violence? I know, life is hard and the world is a dangerous place. In spite of that we have to wash our butt on a daily basis or it's gonna get red.
Yeah, well, that's just like my opinion, man...
Well that is the sleaziest book I have ever seen....