I just finished reading Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuck. It’s an awesome quick read. His spin on social media is very interesting and as he seems to have the midas touch on leveraging social media in order to get a following, I believe that we photographers should have a very close look at what he does and how he does it. That’s why I think this book is a must for every glamour photographer
In case you like to order your copy of Crush It via Amazon, like I did, please considder clicking on my afilliate link below. Thanks a lot for your support.
Mark Ludwig and his team launched a special kind nonprofit project: The Karma Calendar. The decorative calendar shows warmhearted photos of Indian children. The proceeds, as well as donations, collected around this calendar project, go completely to the organization „Doctors for Developing Countries Committee“. This organization sends voluntary doctors to extremely poor region of our world.
This is now the 6th time that Marc Ludwig executes this charity. In recent years, the Karma calendar always has been crowned with success. Over EUR 200,000 in donations have been raised by this calendar.
For a donation of EUR 10,- the calendar can be ordered until the end October. It’s guaranteed that it arrives in time for Christmas. A beautiful gift idea. And whoever distributes 10 or more calendars among his peers, will be mentioned by name on the website and in the calendar – a nice thank you for the helpers.
I’m in between an installation artist, video artist and photographer.
And when you work with nude bodies, you’re immediately
called a pornographer or a fashion photographer.
Spencer Tunick
Glamour photos get extra life when the communication with the model is really good.
The beauty of a nude body has immense artistic potential, that’s for sure. But how does one make it look artistic rather than vulgar? Let us see in which way glamour photography can make it happen.
Nude portraits are not about our physical desires – they are all about art. They may be rather bold or provoking or sexual, yet they provoke thoughts rather than carnal excitement and raise emotions much subtler than plain loathing. This is all theory though – to hell with it, it’s high time to see how it is done in practice!
I offer you 7 useful tips that will help you take off into the world of nude glamour portraits with some knowledge of the subject and, hopefully, great motivation.
Think simple. One light from the side, one neclace and a nice window in the background.
Balancing artistry and vulgarity is a must: you don’t want the latter, you want the former. Make emphasis on body shapes and texture. Avoid showing too intimate details e.g. genitals if you don’t know how to make them look beautiful rather than embarrassing. Let your sense of taste take flight – if you’ve got one (and you must have, otherwise why in the world would you take interest in glamour photography), nothing can go wrong;
Don’t overload your model with trinkets and jewelry – when it comes to nude photography, human body must dominate the shot. Think small, sophisticated and well-balanced items that could add some glamorous and beguiling touch to your concept;
Don’t use hot lights for lighting if you don’t want your model to melt down like a snowwoman. It’s always better to use cold lights – they are more economizing, they don’t make everyone in a studio sweat and they are very powerful tools to make a great photo. You would also want to obtain some soft-boxes to get more diffused light. Actually, always try to make light as soft as possible – it creates a proper mood;
Watch out for the proportions: shooting from too high or too low might make your model look either a long-legged giraffe or a humpty-dumpty. You don’t want any of that, do you?
Be creative. Different poses, lighting angles or backdrops and accessories will certainly deliver you several great variations on the same motif;
Be simple with your props and closing. An oversized panty hoase is more than enough.
Shoot, shoot, shoot and did I mention shoot? Seriously, you want as many photos as possible, in order to be able to choose from a vast selection of captions. Even hardcore glamour photographers make some several thousand pictures in one studio session – so they could later pick really astounding images;
Communicate with your model, make her feel at ease. She is not just an element within the frame – she is your vital partner and your very best friend when it concerns working in a studio. She is not simply posing nude but co-creating. If your model feels uncomfortable, you won’t get anywhere – even if you’re Helmut Newton!
Nude photography is not easy – nor is glamour photography in general. Yet you can achieve a lot if you keep practicing and pushing on. Remember – a journey of thousand miles begins with one step! Or, in our glamour photographers’ case – with one flash.
This eBook contains the actual planning documents that photographer Michael Zelbel used for his successful Beijing glamour shoot. And furthermore it comes with a lot of downloadable resources including all checklists that you will ever need to prepare a shooting much more.
You Are Guaranteed To Always Come Home With Wonderful Photos From Your Shootings, even If You Don't Know How To Get Started.
