What is SC Happenings?
Southern Charms Happenings is the place where you can go to
see the Southern Charms and Southern Gents spotlighted in an article or
interview. The interview will contain more personal information
about the individual Charm or Gent than would normally appear on their
individual Southern Charm or Southern Gent page and will always have an accompanying
photo shoot. The articles usually tell the story about the
particular photo shoot that it accompanies. Sexy and funny things
do happen during these shoots and I try to bring it all to you in words
and pictures.
What do I get for joining SC Happenings?
Well that is a simple one. You get several
benefits. The first of which is that unless a Charm or Gent leaves
Southern Charms or Southern Gents their photos here on the Happenings
pages will always remain available. The articles and preview
photos always remain in the free area no matter how many articles are on
Happenings. Secondly, Happenings is a
convenient location to go to preview some of the Charms and Gents prior
to joining their sites. It helps you get to know them better
before you make the decision to join their individual sites.
Thirdly, the Charms and Gents go all out to provide a special set of
photos for the Happenings pages. In some cases, poses and activity
can be seen in Happenings that up
until that point has never even appeared on their own sites.
Why
is there a membership fee to join Happenings?
Another simple one. I have to travel all over to
do the interviews and take the photographs that you see here on Southern
Charms Happenings. As anyone knows who has ever taken a trip there
are expenses when you travel. In some cases the Charm who I am
doing a shoot for will offer me the hospitality of their home, but over
half the time I have to pay for a motel/hotel room plus all other
related travel and food expenses.
If I join Happenings
does that mean I get membership to the individual Charm's or Gent's
sites who appear on Happenings as well?
No!!! Every site on Southern Charms requires a
separate membership fee including Happenings. However, one
membership fee for Happenings does give you access to all the photos on
Happenings no matter how many Charms or Gents are spotlighted. There is only one membership area in Happenings and all
the Charms and Gents appearing in the Articles and Interview pages are
available in the Happenings' Membership Area for one membership fee. All the
Charms' and Gents' photos will always be there for your viewing and
downloading pleasure unless they leave Southern Charms. The reason
the photos are pulled if a Charm or Gent leaves Southern Charms is they
sign a licensing agreement which allows Southern Charms to make
available their photos only as long as the Charm or Gent allows
it. Some do allow me to keep their photos on Happenings even
if they close their site on Southern Charms. That is why you may occasionally
see a Charm or Gent with photos on Happenings but no link to their site.
I have seen ads or been contacted by a
photographer who says they represent or work for Southern Charms and are
doing photos for them or Happenings. Are they real?
As Southern Charms and Southern Charms Happenings have
become more popular this has become a problem. We are aware that some
photographers and other companies have placed ads advertising for
amateur models to appear on the web. Some of these are legitimate
endeavors and we commend the "get up and go attitude" of these
photographers. They say that they have an association with a number
of Adult oriented web sites and that they can help you get a site up
and running. Normally, they will charge you a fee which is a
percentage of the money you make from having a site on Southern Charms
(or for that matter any other site they get you on). Although this is
acceptable for those who want to use them it is not necessary in most
cases. If you do decide to use one of these photographers, I
recommend that you contact Southern Charms (or any other web site they
may put you on) and verify the payment rate you have been given by the
photographer or other company. The current rate being paid to
new Charms and Gents by Southern Charms is 50% of the gross income
from their site.
There has been at least one case that I am aware of
where the photographer told the Charm that he was getting less than
Southern Charms was actually paying. He then charged a
percentage of that amount before paying the Charm for "taking the
photographs and submitting them to Southern Charms." That means
that he took a cut right off the top and then took an additional
percentage from the amount he told the Charm he was getting paid by
Southern Charms.
Another example is a company saying that they
represent Southern Charms and that you have to work through them to
get photos submitted for your site on Southern Charms. This is
not a true statement. Any Charm or Gent is welcome to work
through a company that works like this example, but you should be
aware that they are not part of Southern Charms and they are wrong if
they represent themselves as such. You should also be aware that
you can always work directly with Southern Charms and there is never a
requirement that you go through a photographer or other company.
Also, be sure and read the info below about signing a contract with
these photographers or other companies.
My recommendation is that you contact Southern Charms
directly and that you do your own photographs. Digital cameras are
not that expensive now. I am sure that in most cases you will have no
trouble finding a willing photographer to take the pictures or you can
use one of the many cameras that now come with a remote.
At any rate, if you do decide to use a third party
photographer you can either contact me,
Lord Hardcore, or
info@southern-charms.com
for the current payment rates and procedures. Just because they
helped you get on Southern Charms doesn't mean that you can't carry on
a direct dialog with Southern Charms. In fact, if they try to
persuade you not to contact Southern Charms then I would be suspicious
of their motives.
Another thing that you should be very aware of is the
contract. Make sure that you only sign the official contract for
Southern Charms. If you want a copy you can e-mail either of the two
addresses above and request one. Under the Southern Charms contract
and model release you always own the copyrights to your photographs
and no other use can be made of those photographs without your
consent. That may not be the case with a contract done by a
photographer or company. Any conditions in a separate contract with
the photographer should only pertain to the amount of money that
he/she will receive, but not to the copyrights or ownership of the
photos. If you sign over copyrights or ownership to the photos then
they can do whatever they please with those photos. This could
include placing them on sites that you are unaware of or putting them
on CDs and selling them without you getting a cut of the profits.
Additionally, they could deny you the right to use those photographs
elsewhere or even on Southern Charms if you decided to work directly
with us instead of through a photographer or another company.
Some of the photographers are not legitimate at
all. A few have represented themselves as working for Southern
Charms. This is NOT true. Southern Charms does NOT have an official
photographer or another company acting on their behalf. I am the
closest there is to an official photographer for Southern Charms that
exists. I do all my photography work for Southern Charms and Southern
Charms Happenings on a contract basis and not as an employee. I, of
course, run SC Happenings from which I get income from the
memberships. Even though I do a lot of updates for some of the
Charms, I never charge them anything for those sessions. One pretty
safe way to deal with a photographer is by writing to either me at
Lord Hardcore or
Southern Charms at
info@southern-charms.com and verifying the photographer. Be aware
that some Charms and Gents have Southern-Charms.com e-mail addresses,
but that does not make them an official representative for Southern
Charms as a photographer or otherwise. Additionally, Southern
Charms does not issue SC e-mail accounts any longer.
The last item to be covered under this topic is
probably the most important. We know of a couple of cases where the
photographer or representatives of another company have put sexual
favors from the Charm as a condition for them to appear on or have a
site on Southern Charms. This is never tolerated by Southern Charms.
Southern Charms doesn't do this nor do I. There are never any
conditions or requirements other than those stated in your contract
and release with Southern Charms and it will never contain any such
condition. If this ever happens to you please get all the
identification information about the photographer or company that you
can and notify either Southern Charms at
william@southern-charms.com or myself at
Lord Hardcore
immediately.
I
am a Charm or Gent. How can I appear on the Happenings pages?
Write to me and request a photo shoot and interview. The
closer you are to the southeast the quicker I can get to your area for a
shoot. If you live a long way away from the southeast then read here
for another option.
Once I request an interview and photo
shoot with you, what happens next and what do I get for it?
Once I receive a request for an interview and a photo
shoot I will work out a convenient time and place for us to get together
to do the shoots. Usually it is in your home, but other locations
have been used as well. Of course we can always shoot at multiple
locations as well. If there are additional costs associated with
the shoot such as special costumes or locations such as a motel with a
Jacuzzi, you are responsible for those extra expenses.
I
also encourage you to bring someone along with you to the shoots.
This usually makes everyone feel more comfortable. Plus, if they
are your usual photographer we can talk about tips that will help make
your own photo sessions better. I also like it when they help
direct the shoots as they know you much better and are able to direct
you in a manner that helps keep your comfort level high.
I
like to set aside anywhere from two to four hours for the photo
sessions. I like to do at least three sessions, but I have been
known to shoot many more. In one case I shot ten different sets,
but usually it is from three to six sets. I get to pick one set to
be used along with your interview or article on Southern Charms
Happenings. You get to keep all the other sets for your own
use. Use is restricted to your site here on Southern Charms.
The set that I pick for use on Happenings is exclusive to
Happenings. This means that the photos appearing in Happenings
cannot appear on your Southern Charms site, but any of the other photos
that I take can be used on your site.
You do not need a
separate model release for these photo sessions. Your current
Southern Charms contract covers everything. That provides you with
protection. Without a separate model release I cannot use your
photos for any other purpose which means that you won't see them
appearing on any other web site or on a CD offered for sale, etc.
The only exception to this is that I will pick two of the photos used in
the free area on Happenings which are then "branded" with the
URL for Southern Charms Happenings and your page here on
Happenings. These two photos are then distributed for advertising
purposes to bring more traffic to both Happenings and your site.
There
will never be any other use of your photos unless we both specifically
agree to that use (you as the model and me as the photographer).
An example of this is the request by one of the Charms to use six of the
photographs that I took to submit to Penthouse
magazine to see if she can appear in it. If you would like to
use any of the photos that I take for any purpose other than on Southern
Charms just ask and we will see what we can work out. As long as
they aren't to be used on a competitor's site I am usually willing to
work something out with you. You also need to remember that any
other use of any photos is governed by your contract with Southern
Charms in which you give exclusive license to Southern Charms to the
photographs appearing there. Another words, any photos used for
another purpose or on another site have to be extra photos that do not
appear on Southern Charms or Happenings.
NOTES: Photos used on Happenings will not be removed automatically if you leave Southern Charms.
I give you access to the Happenings membership area and you will continue to have access even if you leave Southern Charms
as long as you do not have your Happenings update removed. I will remove the individual Happenings update if you
request that it be removed. I will also delete your access from the login file.
Additionally, if you participate in a Bash and there are photos appearing in a Bash update those photos
will not be removed even if you remove your site from Southern Charms unless there is a specific important reason and I
will look at the request on a case-by-case basis. The reason for this is that it just takes too long to go through
all the Bash updates and try and find individual photos amongst all the photos taken during a weekend long event.
I have a shoot scheduled for
Happenings. What can I expect during the shoot and what type of
poses am I suppose to do?
Hopefully, you can expect to have a good time. I
think that has been the general experience of all the Charms and Gents
with whom I have done photo shoots. You are, of course, always
welcome to write to any of the Charms and Gents who have appeared or
are scheduled to appear (normally, once their thumbnail goes up on the
Upcoming Page the shoot has been completed) on
Happenings and get their views on both the shoots and the
experience.
Now, as
to the type of poses your are suppose to do. There aren't
any!!! You choose the poses and content for all shoots.
You are not expected to do anything or provide any particular type of
content, etc. These are your shoots, not mine. You do what
you feel comfortable doing. I will give an occasional suggestion
and let you know what helps appeal to your fans, but you have last say
on what will end up in each and every photograph.
I
know that when I arrive for a shoot the Charm or Gent usually already
has a pretty good idea as to what they want to do during the
sessions. A lot of the ideas have been given to them by their
fans and this is a good opportunity to get those ideas captured in
photographs. I always look for that special shoot to present
here in Happenings along with the interview and stories about the
shoots. Of course, this helps me with Happenings, but also gives
that special appeal to your viewers here on Happenings that get them
to want to go visit your site on Southern Charms. A special
shoot can consist of one or several things that make it special.
Those "things" can be anything from the circumstances under
which the photos were taken to something funny that happened during
the shoot to content that has never appeared on your site
before. Take a look at some of the interviews and articles and I
think that you will see exactly what I mean.
A general
rule is that the more explicit a shoot is the better it is received by
your fans. If you don't believe me, just ask them? ;-)
(Note to fans: Just trying to help you out here.) All that
said, you choose what we shoot during the photo sessions along with
some possible suggestions, but never any pressure from me.
Bottom line, you pose how you want to pose and you pick the content
that is represented in each and every shoot.
I have decided to do some shoots with
you and I want to included a partner in the shoots. Is that okay?
Yes, of course, it is. If the partner is a
Charm or Gent or individual who has already appeared in one of your
shoots and has a release on file then nothing further needs to be done
as they already have a release filed with Southern Charms that will cover
the shoots. If they are not a Charm or Gent or do not already
have a release on file with Southern Charms then they must be willing
to provide a Guest Model Release along with the required photo IDs
(the same as you had to do) to appear in the photographs and on
Happenings. The Guest Model Release is required whether their
face is shown or not.
Actually, the desire to have a partner
appear in a shoot with a Charm or Gent is one of the primary reasons I
get requests for photo sessions with a Charm or Gent. Usually
they have no one else who is available or who they trust to take the
photographs and/or they are just tired of trying to get a good set of
photos while trying to "perform" and snap photos at the same
time.
During these shoots of a Charm or Gent along with
their partner I try not to be intrusive in the actual
"performance." I try to capture all the good angles to
show the activity which the fans want to see without disturbing you
any more than I have to. You may feel a slight tap on an arm or
a leg during the shoot so you can shift a little for a good shot but
other than that I try not to let you be aware that I am even
there. The results are usually great and you end up with a photo
session that you haven't been able to achieve previously.
When
we shoot with a partner or partners I always shoot loads of
photographs. Usually in the range of 150-250 shots. I like
to pick a few to use on Happenings (normally no more than about 30 or
40) to do a bonus update on Happenings to coincide with the update
going up on your site. This is usually a good way to generate
extra traffic to your site for that update and along with that comes
new fans who will hopefully start making regular visits to your
Southern Charms or Gents site and better yet, even become a member.
I want to do a shoot with or meet with
another
Charm or Gent. Can you set me up with them?
Yes and no. Just the type of answer you love.
I
don't set up Charms and Gents with each other. I get this
request all the time. What I will do is notify you if another
Charm or Gent in your area has already asked me the same
question. I will let both of you know of the other's interest in
meeting another Charm and/or Gent then it is up to the both of you to
get in touch with each other and make whatever arrangements you like.
When
I do this please do not take it as a recommendation that this is the
Charm and/or Gent for you to meet. I do not want to be blamed if
you do not get along. I am only letting you know that there is
someone else in your area who is also interested in meeting other
Charms and/or Gents with no other endorsements.
Please
do not get upset with me when I tell you that I don't know if other
Charms and/or Gents live in your area. I do not
have access to the Charm/Gent database due to privacy
concerns. I only know information about a Charm or Gent if the
Charm or Gent has chosen to provide that information to me. I
respect that trust and will not give out addresses or phone numbers,
but will provide the fact that they are interested in meeting with
other Charms and/or Gents. You can then go to their site and
send them an e-mail. There is also a Discussion Board for Charms and Gents
where you can post notices of your desire to meet other
Charms and/or Gents. This is a secure area only
available to Charms and Gents and not open to the general
public. That way you are able to list where you live, etc.
for contact information. Contact me for SC Admin Area
Registration information to get access to the Discussion Board.
Of course, if you do meet and decide to get
together, you can always call on me to come document the meeting in
words and photographs ;-).
I am a Charm or Gent and live in an
area where you haven't visited and I would like to know if you accept
photos and articles for use in Happenings?
There are over 700 Charms and Gents currently on Southern
Charms & Gents and it would be physically impossible to visit all of
them. Of course the ones who live the closest get more
opportunities for shoots and articles. Because of this, I will
accept quality photos directly from Charms and Gents for use in
Happenings. I tend not to accept photos from Charms or Gents who live in an area where a bash has recently been held
or if one is planned within the coming calendar year. I prefer shooting the Happenings updates at bashes whenever
possible.
Once
you submit the photos and they have been accepted for inclusion on
Happenings I will send you an interview sheet via e-mail for you to fill
out (or if you prefer, you can write a story to go along with your
shoot). Since I cannot physically visit everyone this
is the only fair way that I could come up with to allow all the Charms
and Gents an opportunity to be spotlighted on Happenings.
Submissions will be placed on Happenings as the viewers select them on
the Pick the Next Update Page.
If you want an article to appear on Happenings
other than the standard interview you will be responsible for writing
the article if I am not the one to do the shoot. The article will
appear as you submit it, but I will run a spelling and grammar checker
on it and make those necessary changes. You are always welcome, in
fact, encouraged to submit the stories that go along with your photo
shoots that you submit to Happenings.
I get final say on
who appears on Happenings once you submit photos, but it is opened to
all Charms and Gents who have current contracts with Southern
Charms. I will not reject a submission for Happenings unless the
photo quality is just too low. If that happens I will let you know
what you need to do to take and submit acceptable photos. I will
not accept any photos done with a video capture or ones that are less
than 800 pixels on the long side. I also will only accept photos which have
not been cropped (another words - full frame only). Other photos
that will be unacceptable are ones that have had borders added.
Additionally, any photos submitted for use on the Happenings pages
cannot be used on your Southern Charms site or any other site. The
photos must be exclusive to Happenings. You do retain ownership of
the images and the contract/release with Southern Charms governs their
use.
Anyone appearing in a photo with you who is not a Charm or Gent must
also submit a guest model release for Southern Charms if they don't
already have one on file. If you don't know where to find the
release please write and let me know and I will give you the URL to
download it.
Can I appear on SC Happenings even if I am
not a Charm or Gent?
Yes, but you will have to sign a model release and
provide two forms of identification, one of which must be a government issued
ID such as a state drivers license. In most cases, when I get this
question it is from someone who is considering having their own Southern
Charms site and they are the ones who get priority. If you like,
you can have your own e-mail address included with the article and
photos to get feedback prior to making the final decision to have your
own site on Southern Charms.
Do I get paid for appearing
in Happenings?
No, but if you are a Charm or Gent you will get the
benefit of being spotlighted and thereby having the potential of getting
more traffic and new members for your own site. If you are not a Charm or Gent the
answer is still no, but you will get to see what it is all about and get
feedback prior to making the decision to start your own site on Southern
Charms.
How do I get in touch with or e-mail a
Charm or Gent?
You can write to them using the e-mail link on each of
their pages. You can't reach them using the e-mail links here on
Happenings as they all direct mail to me and I just don't have time to
forward all of them. Besides, I don't think my ass looks all that
great and I don't even have tits and some of you who have said that you
"would like to lick me" would be in for a real surprise if you
tried. Another words, if you want to write to an individual Charm
or Gent, please visit their page and use the e-mail link that you will
find there. There is always an e-mail link to them in the header
of each and every one of their pages.
I want to know more about a particular
Charm or Gent, will you tell me?
I
don't give out personal information on any of the Charms or Gents.
If it is not given in their interview or article or on their site's FAQ
or Bio Pages then they evidently don't want that information given out
to the public. Again, if you want to write to an individual Charm
or Gent then use the e-mail link on their pages. Who knows, once
they get to know you better they may tell you what you want to know.
