Many young women dream of a career in the modeling industry. Idolizing the likes of Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen, Adriana Lima, and Miranda Kerr, these ambitious hopefuls prize their looks above all else and unfortunately face rigorous training and tough challenges on their way to eventual stardom or miserable mediocrity. Those that don’t make the runways of Milan often end up in department store catalogues or, perhaps worse, adult publications. Step 1 Models is one such online publication, a website that aims to bring to your attention many women that are just starting out in the porn industry and haven’t yet proven themselves as performers. Although still in its early stages, Step 1 Models appears to host a number of very attractive pornographic upstarts that all have a fresh-faced, girl-next-door appeal. Two of your favorite letters, H and D, are bandied about on the tour pages (in relation to videos, specifically) and we’re promised photoshoots, too. At a monthly cost of $29.95, membership is a fairly standard price. The question is, can such a young site really warrant such a fee?

Pros:
Obviously a site called Step 1 Models will keep its focus on the women in front of the camera: what they look like, who they are, what they enjoy. Step 1 Models certainly has some great amateur girls working here and, although only 23 individual models are online at this time, all of them are attractive, fresh-faced amateurs that don’t look like your average porn whores. There are even some great video interviews that let you know more about these great girls!

The guys behind Step 1 Models started the site with an ambitious game-plan: to keep everything 100% amateur on both sides of the camera. The webmasters recruit the models (no agencies are ever used), shoot the photo and video content, manage the website, and respond to your comments. Alert Ian MacKaye: DIY lives!

While they don’t arrive to a strict schedule, updates are promised to arrive four times a month. The webmasters both work full-time and cite model cancellations and rescheduled appointments as reasons for the lack of update consistency. Hey, it’s great that they’re forthcoming and aren’t making promises they don’t think they can keep!

Although everything here does have a definite amateur look, the videos hit great resolutions (720x480 and 1280x720 pixels), as do the photos, which reach 2592x3872 pixels and give a huge amount of detail!

Cons:
So, I know I just gave mad props to the HD videos, but it must be pointed out that these videos are incorrectly labelled. The “High-Def” format doesn’t reach true HD levels and the “SUPER High-Def” video isn’t really that super, only reaching 720p. There is also a download limit of 25 GB per day.

Due to the models’ varying comfort levels and contract agreements, some do not get fully naked or perform any sexual acts. While I personally don’t mind this refreshing change of pace and enjoy the timidity of the less vivacious models, many members will see this as a huge negative and wish each girl was seen taking a load on the chin.

The site design could use some work and will definitely need attention as the archive grows to a larger size. Preview thumbnails are often repeated for different sets (albeit ones from the same model) and the general layout feels clumsy and awkward. I suppose that’s an inevitable downside to DIY site building.

There’s not a lot of content online yet and although Step 1 Models’ webmasters promise four new scenes each month, it will still take a while for the archive to grow to a size more rewarding to members. The 42 scenes currently hosted here just aren’t enough to satisfy porn-hungry amateur fans.

Conclusion:
Critics and reviewers should never themselves be beyond criticism and reviews, and Mr. Pink is no exception. I am occasionally knocked for being a little too harsh on younger sites with small content archives, but I feel mine is a fair stance to take. When you’re forgoing dinner, desert, and a movie or tickets to see your favorite Wilco-inspired band of college graduates, you should expect something impressive from a $30 pornsite. Step 1 Models may not have a huge archive to offer, but it does have a great DIY aesthetic and 22 genuine amateur models that you won’t find elsewhere. If you’re a fan of amateur modeling and porn who often finds himself dissatisfied with “amateur sites” presenting polished scenes starring recognizable models, you’ll definitely appreciate the genuine amateurs at Step 1 Models, small archive be damned.