You are invited to be a part of Data Points, the latest massively large-scale naked-people photo project being hatched in my totally not creepy basement studio. Whereas my past projects such as Self Censored Portraits, Common Thread, and the Ant Farm pulled together upwards of 100 participants each, this one is likely going to need around 250 people. Seriously.

Project Details

So, what is the finished project going to look like? Basically, I’m creating a giant histogram with all the participants grouped by age along the X-axis. People will ascend along the Y-axis climbing on the tick marks. Why? For no other reason than I think it will look cool. And no, I don’t need all 250 to be in my basement at the same time. Each person will be shot separately and then I’ll spend a lot of time in Photoshop putting everyone together. 

And that’s pretty much the extent of how much I want to describe it at this point. The final piece is going to depend on many factors, so I’m keeping the finished design a bit fluid for now. But I think it’s going to be pretty awesome.

The finished project will be submitted for display at the Seattle Erotic Arts Festival in either 2020 or 2021, depending on how quickly I’m able to run people through the studio.

I Want to be a Data Point!

Data Points is open to absolutely everyone regardless of age (well, 18+) or body type. These projects become significantly more interesting when there are a wide variety of people in them, so all are welcome. There are, however, several things you should know ahead of time:

• I live in the Green Lake area of Seattle. You should live in the Seattle region or be visiting sometime soon. I’ll give you the address once we book the shoot; there are several nearby bus routes.
• This will be very quick. The actually shooting usually takes about 10 minutes.
• You will be posing fully nude. This could have an adverse impact on any future political plans (or maybe it will help them). If you do require anonymity, we can work out a pose that covers the delicate bits or even obscures your face.
• You will be standing on a structure made of horizontal metal pipes that are kind of like ladder rungs. The lowest rung is less than 10” off the ground, so you’re not going to be up very high.
• I prefer to have NO PROPS – no hats, boots, or fancy gloves. But I do have to admit that some props could be… interesting. Tell me what you’re thinking and we’ll see what happens.
• Due to how the project will be constructed, there can only be one person in each shot. If you’re with someone and you were hoping to do something together, we can do a separate shot after we’ve done the individual shots.
• People will be grouped in the final project by what age they are on January 1, 2020. So yes, you need to tell me your age. And yes, I realize that for some, this might be more uncomfortable that standing naked in front of a stranger. But no, I’m not requiring any proof of age because I trust you.
• My goal is to get plenty of people at every age between 18 and 65. If we go higher than 65, great! But I assure you we will not be going lower than 18.
• I frequently have an assistant with me when doing the shoot. This is usually my wife, but sometimes it’s a trusted friend; on rare occasions schedules don’t work out and it’s just me. Just know that there might be two people seeing you naked.
• There is no cash compensation for participating. Each person will, however, receive a high-quality print of their contribution. This printing probably will not happen until the project is wrapped up.
• IMPORTANT: You must be able to conduct our entire scheduling conversation in email. This is for my sanity; I can’t track conversations with dozens of people if they are happening across multiple channels.

Need a Bit of Extra Help?

Our 1929 house was built long before the ADA. There are steps up to the front door, narrow doorways throughout, and then even more steps down into the basement studio. That said, if you have any sort of mobility issues I will absolutely work with you to figure something out. We can make this happen.

Ready? Here We Go!

OK, you’ve read everything on this page. Maybe you’ve even heard glowing raves from a friend who already took part in the project. And damn it, you want to be part of it! Here’s all you have to do…

WAIT! Before we get to the actual Call to Action, I have an extra challenge for you. You’ve probably noticed that I’ve mentioned several times that I need a LOT of people for this project. Therefore, I encourage you to grab 1 or 2 or 17 extra people to bring with you! Tell the Marketing Department at your office that you have a fun offsite team-building event planned! Tell everyone at your family reunion that you’ve arranged a special activity for Uncle Seth’s birthday! But hey, if it’s just you coming over, that’s great, too.

To arrange your visit to my totally not creepy basement studio, simply shoot me an email at photo@peterman.net. It will save us a bit of back-and-forth if you can tell me:

• Your general availability
• The age you will be on January 1, 2020
• If you’ve been in any of my past projects (not that it matters one way or another, it’s just fun to know)

Thanks for reading all this. I hope to see you soon.