Apologies if it's bad etiquette to post in this older thread but I've only just signed up here and came across this discussion while browsing through subjects. I thought it might be useful to to add a bit from a photographers perspective in case others stumble across this post and are interested in trying out a bit of modeling (although I can go on a bit, so sorry in advance if this turns into a novella!!).
Just to be clear I'm not a professional photographer but I've been shooting as an amateur/hobbyist for a few years now, collaborating with a fair few guys (in fact I came across LPSG originally due to googling the names of a couple of guys I've shot with and noticed forums where my images of them had been posted) but I'm not an expert by any means.
Also I'm from the UK, so some things I'll say may only be true here and the rules in your jurisdictions may differ.
I'm not sure if the OP (or others) managed to sort out a shoot. I see that sites like modelmayhem, purpleport, modelfol.io, model-kartei, adultfolio etc have been mentioned already and I personally think that's a better way to go. While it's very true that these sites are well past their heyday and many models only use instagram etc, these sites all use a reference system of some kind and have an admin team that work to weed out the bad apples. While no system is ever perfect it gives a better idea than finding someone suitable than through social media alone.
The basic profiles are usually free to set up and some initially give a couple weeks grace period where you get all the benefits of the paid subscription. After that you're downgraded to the free, limited, profile if you don't want to pay. As you put in your general location when you join up it's easy to search within a radius of where you live for photographers that will a) be interested in shooting guys and b) match with the levels you're both happy to shoot.
Be aware that adultfolio is one of the few sites that allow fully adult/hard images to be displayed in your profile ... obviously you can arrange adult style shoots on the others sites but you risk being banned if you actually post any images that show erections (full frontal is fine and you should be okay as long as you're no more than half mast).
One point to note is that with modeling, females are far more in demand than males. Most photographers are men and most of those will only be interested in shooting women, so you may have to travel further and do more leg work than the equivalent female model to find a photographer to shoot with. I've shot with guys who quickly get disillusioned after very few photographers reached out to them.
I think OP was concerned about having control of the images after the shoot. As a general rule I'd always say if it would ruin your life, or profession, for nude images to be traced back to you or you have any doubts then don't do it. Limit yourself to non fully nude styles or just keep to taking selfies.
On the flip side I've shot a couple mature/older guys who very much regret not doing it when they were younger and realised it's not something they should have been worried about.
As mentioned, paying a photographer is an option but if you're choosing a photographer due to a particular style or the way they edit then they'll be taking the full set of images away with them to work on. In the UK, at least, you'd most likely be paying for usage rights (ie you're paying the copyright holder for permission to print, share images). Copyright remains with the photographer unless they specifically sign it away, which would usually cost you a lot more than just the usage rights (but obviously that's more just a technical truth and as long as you trust the photographer then whatever you agree to between yourselves is fine).
In reality there are so many images out there that unless you associated your real name with them it's unlikely anyone you know will come across them ..... however, I once found the real name of a porn model when reverse image searching a head shot from a photo shoot he did under his porn alias but because he also used that image somewhere with his real name, it showed up in the search too.
For myself I tend to only shoot TFP (Trade For Pictures) .... which is basically an arrangement where no money is exchanged. As a photographer I get a model to pose for me, try out new techniques/ideas and the use of the images from the shoot. The model gets a selection of edited images to use in their profiles, send to agencies or just for themselves to print etc. (TFP shouldn't really be seen as a 'free' shoot, you're just getting paid with images. Which will have a value, hopefully, at least equal to the time and effort you put in.)
TFP is a good way to get some images with minimal expense. The downside for some is that the photographer will probably want to be able to use any or all the images in their profiles. Although as someone said earlier in this thread, they shot with a photographer that was happy not to share any of the hard images they took unless the model agreed (clear pre-shoot communication is always key).
If you decide to go the TFP route, each photographer's process can be different. So always check if unsure. Some may give you a copy of all the unedited images while others just a few but high quality, edited, pictures. Most will let you choose some of your favorites to edit but another may only pass on ones they select themselves. What you think is worth your time and effort will depend on the photographer and may even vary between shoots ... for an established higher tier photographer you might be happy with just one or two outstanding images for a chance to shoot with them.
I'll finish up by saying there were a couple of comments about being out of shape and wanting to work on that before shooting. That's absolutely fine, the most important thing is for the model to feel comfortable in themselves. I've shot with more than a few guys that suffered from anxiety and body confidence issues and they wanted to model to basically give their anxiety the finger and face it head on.
However, I've also had a few guys put off shoots until 'next month' to spend more time in the gym but for them 'next month' often never comes .... as they'll just find something else to put it off until the 'next month'.
A better idea might be to find a photographer you get on with and do a series of shoots to show your progress over time and how you're shape and flexibility changes. We are our own worst critic and fixate on whatever flaws we have hang ups about, even though no one else will notice them.
There's an example by a New York photographer called Peter Hurley who shoots Broadway stars and corporate head shots. To make them at ease and prove his point he holds up the
FEDEX logo and asks the client to point to the arrow. Usually it takes a while to see it, if at all, but once you do it's all you can
think about .... a bit like if you don't like the shape of your nose, that's all you'll focus on in pictures but anyone else probably won't see any issue ..... (the
amazon logo, with the smile as an arrow going 'from A to Z' is another).
