To think the photos aren’t appropriate/too revealing for college work

[ThatsMyPenguin]

DS is 18, he’s in his second year at college doing an Art and Design course, one of the units is all photography based. He’s loving it.
As part of the unit they need to create a mini portfolio of some portraits, landscapes and still life images. There seems to be a fair amount of creative control. He wants to be a photographer so this unit is important to him.

Last night he was working on the computer downstairs and I was looking at his images (he was editing them).
He has taken some pictures of an old school friend (currently 17) in lingerie. They are quite tastefully done (I won’t post them here as like I said they seem inappropriate to me).
Some have been done to look like she is laying on a bed I think and the placement of her hands make it seem quite sexual, another is from behind and the lingerie doesn’t provide much coverage of her behind so that seems quite inappropriate. He’s taken pictures of her which aren’t revealing too, focused more on her face etc. They are much better but he is insisting he will be fine to use a combination and it’s “art”. They are well done I just don’t think it’s appropriate to take pictures like that of a 17 year old!! His college tend to display some of the work too so I’d be surprised if they allow it, DS says they are fine with it but admits they don’t know she is 17.

AIBU to say pictures of this nature aren’t appropriate considering they are for uni and she’s not 18?

I think your DS is in for a life lesson here.
Come the group tutorial - the “crit” when all students view and discuss one another’s work - female students are likely to hand him his arse on a plate.
The more immediate concern is that her parents have not signed the release form and until they do these photos should not be displayed, not even to the student group.

It's not groundbreaking, but exploring the human form is a huge part of art generally. I expect that's all he felt he was doing, and he has given a good explanation of his intention.

I don't think there was any sleazy or sexual intention, and he thinks he is being tasteful, he's simply naive. He's 18 so his ideas aren't likely to be groundbreaking and unique, are they?

Minimalistic and natural beauty. Ha! Did he take any of males then?

It's what all male photographers say in the name of 'art' - progressive indeed.......

This ! How is it different or artistic ?

Sorry op, this is far from good, and he’s not different with his art, he’s just a common or garden lad whose got excited about a girl in her undies, and used his art course as a way to let him photograph her and see her in her undies. Prob going to flunk it.

Ok I think we are all being a bit harsh calling him creepy. I genuinely believe he didn't intend for them to be sexual, he is gay so not naturally viewing her in a sexual way. I think he was actually trying to do what he has said and perhaps not thought it through fully.

Putting the legality of her age aside for a moment.
There is a big difference between him Putting them in a college portfolio for marking by a select group of examiners, and him displaying or publishing them publicly.
Just because the college displaying some artwork doesn't mean they have to either display this OR not allow it at all. It can just go in his portfolio.

I think it's inappropriate and completely lacks imagination as an assignment project. Can't he take a nice photo of leaves or squirrels, why is it always naked attractive yoing girls and women 🙄 it's using sex and female body to get marks and recognition.

It's this for me. His tutor will probably roll his eyes at the fact that an 18 yr old given a camera defaults to taking pictures of a woman in her underwear and calling it art. it's a bit cringe and he may get the piss taken out of him for it. And that's aside from the valid safeguarding points others have made.

Go phone the girls Mum and Dad and see how happy they are about it. They'll be over the moon I guess.

Ask her dad!!! Of course only a male relatives opinion counts.

We can’t put aside the legality of it. If he wants be a professional photographer he has to attend to all the troublesome boring bits. Like consent forms. He should also try and understand the reasons behind them.

I work for an exam board. The college may very well decide it's ok - we will not. It will be flagged to our safeguarding team who will report back to the school, potentially to the police, and will not award his grade.

We have all sorts come through that teacher sign off on, especially in EPQ. Knives are made, experiments done on small children and babies. Photos of a barely dressed teenager is definitely in the same category.

I can't see the images, but it sounds like he has other options to submit. I'd encourage him to do so.

As a member of staff I'd not want to see any nude or semi-nude image of a child.

Me neither. What a position to put the teacher in.

My dd posed for some photographs for her friends A level photography coursework and three years later when the next dd and I were looking round the college some of the photos of DD1 were on the tables. A3 size.

From what you’ve described it sounds like soft porn not art. Your DS better be careful he doesn’t get in an awful lot of trouble due to her age. And tell him to aim higher than a page 3 photographer

Isn't this kind of photography of minors illegal? She's only seventeen and if it involves lingerie it would definitely fall under the "sexual images in underwear" clause that someone posted upthread.

I would suggest your DS deletes these photos immediately and focuses on something completely different for his projects.

My stepbrother did a similar photo project on the human body. But he used my 60 year old dad, wrinkly bum and all.

Even though coverage is the same lingerie is different to a bikini and it is very likely this would be classes as illegal sexual images of a child. Her parents can give consent to that.

Bollocks.

Are you saying that when people look at people from the opposite sex of the one they are attracted to they can't look at them in a sexual way?

Surely you can't think he didn't know what he was doing!

His sexuality isn't relevant.

He's been taking lingerie photos of a minor in her h underwear - it's illegal.

Him being gay is irrelevant. Do you honestly think there are no gay photographers out there exploiting women? I was sexually assaulted by more gay men than straight in my youth but it was always 'ok' because 'I'm gay, it doesn't mean anything, darling'...

On what planet is lying on a bed in underwear not sexual? He is taking the piss.

Like previous posters have said- absolutely nothing even remotely original or ‘artistic’ about this.

Plus he chose a beautiful young woman rather than a middle aged post 3 kids one- funny that! 😂

Sorry but even if this is legal it is creepy and weird at worst, not very thought out at best. I have also done similar courses and this definitely wouldn’t have been appropriate. At 17 the model is probably quite vulnerable and doesn’t realise what she is consenting to (if she is consenting at all).

Having struggled with low self esteem and self worth at that age, I may have also agreed to something similar. However I know full well that at my age now and with a daughter of my own, I would deeply regret this decision and question why nobody stepped in.

It is illegal. Close family member works in this area of policing, they agree, especially as your son will be displaying and distributing pictures of a minor.
Stop making excuses for him.

He's just left for college now and before he left said he would probably just not use the full body ones and might see if she can come into to retake some.
He's showed me some messages between them where she has asked if he can still edit the pictures as she wants them for herself.
He's admitted that he hadn't really thought about her being under 18, they were in the same year at school and he forgets that not everyone in his year has had their 18th.
He has asked me if I think plain black sports shorts and a black crop top would be more appropriate I said most likely yes.

I really don't think he intended to be sleazy, that's not his nature at all. He was naive and didn't think it through, he's learning it's ok.

Even if she’s wearing full Victorian mourning dress he will still need to have the model release form signed by her parents.
If his pictures are okay her parents will see that they are okay and they will probably sign quite happily to help out a student.