Photographer Convicted of Sexually Assaulting Models

Photographer Convicted of Sexually Assaulting Models

| by Dawn Danko | blurMEDIA |

I heard a disturbing story today about a (so called) photographer who was recently convicted to 16 months in jail for sexually assaulting several models during photo shoots.

According to an article by Mike McIntyre in the Winnipeg Free Press, photographer Richard Dow was a former police officer who operated a part time photography business.

Dow took advantage of aspiring models who agreed to pose for photos but were then touched by him in places such as their breasts or thighs without their consent.

I am struggling calling this guy a photographer, because really he is just a creep with a camera who leveraged the guise of a photographer to lure young women into compromising situations.  I haven’t seen his portfolio, and honestly I don’t have much interest in trying to find some of his pictures online, but I will venture a guess that his portfolio looks a lot like too many other amateur photog’s portfolios – lots of young women in lingerie and swimsuits.

In fact model networking sites such as Model Mayhem and One Model Place  seem to be made up of mostly young women posing in lingerie and swimsuits.

We do occasionally use Model Mayhem to find low cost models for personal projects where our work is being financed out of pocket, so I thought I’d offer a few pointers to young women looking for legitimate, experienced photographers to help them build their modelling portfolios.

1.  Do your due diligence.  Check out the photographer’s website, flickr page, 500px portfolio, blog, facebook page, anything you can find online.  Does he consistently create the type of work you want to be part of?  Check with other models who have worked with him in the past (if he doesn’t have a list of models he has worked with posted on one of the model networking sites – ask for references).  How was their experience?

2. Always bring an escort to your meetings and photo sessions until you have established a firm working relationship with a photographer.  Always.  There is no good reason for a photographer to require you to be alone in studio or on location.

3.  Check to see if the photographer has a physical studio.  There are way too many guys running around with an expensive camera claiming to be photographers who just want to take pictures of pretty girls in bikinis at the beach.

4.  Insist on monetary payment.  The trend on model networking sites is to work on a “time for prints” (TFP) basis (models exchange their time modelling for finished photographs from the photographer).  Even if you insist on a token cash payment – such as minimum wage for your time – you will come across as much more professional (and therefore not an easy target).

5.  Don’t model in lingerie or swimsuits.  There is no reason an aspiring model needs to include lingerie/swimsuit work in their portfolio.  In fact, models are much more likely to be taken seriously by agencies and potential clients if they don’t have these types of images in their portfolio.

Above all, trust your instincts.  If anything seems weird or off, get out of there.  Stay safe!

Handcuffs

Here is the original article “Former Cop Gets 16 Months For Sex Assaults” by Winnipeg Free Press reporter Mike McIntyre, published on September 13th, 2012.

Former Cop Gets 16 Months For Sex Assaults, by Mike McIntyre, Winnipeg Free Press

A former Winnipeg police officer is headed to jail for sexually assaulting 11 young women whom he persuaded to model for his off-duty photography business.

Richard Dow, 57, hung his head Thursday after learning his bid for a conditional sentence had been rejected.

Queen’s Bench Justice Chris Martin ordered Dow to spend 16 months behind bars for what he called “humiliating and demeaning” acts.

Martin denied the Crown’s request for a 5-year sentence.

Dow pleaded guilty earlier this year to 11 counts of sexual assault involving women in their late teens or early twenties. The Crown dropped additional charges involving seven other complainants.

All of the crimes occurred between 2001 to 2005. Dow was still an officer at the time.

Dow took advantage of aspiring models who agreed to pose for photos but were then touched by him in places such as their breasts or thighs without their consent.

In at least two cases, court heard, the women said he touched their vaginal area without permission.

In one case, Dow went up to a 19-year-old girl and her mother in a mall, saying he was a police officer. The 19-year-old agreed to be photographed by Dow and her mother came with her, but on an occasion when she came alone in 2005, Dow squeezed her breast while she posed in a bikini.

In another case in 2003, Dow suggested nude photos to an 18-year-old girl posing for him and then straddled her as she lay on her stomach and massaged her.

Another case happened in 2004, after Dow and his daughter met an 18-year-old girl at a local restaurant and told her he was a photographer. During a later photo shoot, the girl said Dow told her she could be in magazine and rubbed oil all over her body.

By September 2006, police had announced Dow, who had 18 years on the job, had been placed on paid administrative leave for accusations of sexual assault, and he later retired.

www.mikeoncrime.com