A History of Pin-up Art & Glamour Photography

Glamour photography focuses the photograph on the model and not a specific product. These types of photos, usually involving female photography, are sensual and sexy. There are a number of elements that go into creating the best glamour photograph. For instance composition, lighting and background are essential. Here I will focus on the importance of background.

Choosing the right background can basically make or break your photo. In glamor photography, as with all photography, you should always be conscious of the background’s importance to your photo. You must remember that you want your eye to be drawn to the model and not the background. The primary goal is to keep the model as the center of interest in the picture. You don’t want the model to be washed out by the background or be lost into it.

Often photographers, especially in the field of female photography, will use the background to contrast and bring the best color to the model. This is often achieved by using various solid colors as a backdrop. These colors will vary depending on the lighting that is used and the clothes (or possibly the lack of clothes) the model is wearing. Using the solid colors has the effect of removing anything distracting so the sole focus is on the model.

Glamour photography doesn’t have to mean a solid background. A background with a little more personality can improve the photo and add to the overall effect. For instance, a pin-up model posing next to a nice car gives a different impression than one posing in front of a solid background. Both can be interesting and well taken photographs. But changing the background can help to bring out the personality of your subject. Fun backgrounds can bring out their humor, or sober ones their calmness and tranquility. It is up to the photographer to bring out these important traits in your subject.

When people think of intimate or boudoir photography they conjure up images of photographs with scantily clad women posing in bedrooms. While this is common and can make for a quality shot, boudoir photography by no means has to take place in the bedroom. This typical setting is rapidly moving to other locations such as outdoors, off-site locations or in an obvious studio setting. Boudoir models are moving out of the bedroom and shooting in locations with natural surroundings like your back or front yard, the beach, or even inside your home like the bathtub. The best way to find the perfect location and background is to experiment until you find the right combination of elements that will fit your photograph.

These other settings help to enhance the models personality and create a fun, sexy picture. It is important to choose the right background for the intended picture though. If you choose a background with a lot happening, it can overpower your photo. A too busy background or the wrong type of background can be distracting and you will lose your audience’s interest. It may also have the effect of confusing your audience. For example, you wouldn’t want a fitness model posing in front of a corporate office; it would be confusing and leave your audience wondering why you took this picture.

The background you choose should depend greatly on the type of photograph you are taking. Intimate photography needs a background that will enhance the models and show off their best features, whether it is solid or on location somewhere. You need to always be conscious of the background and should be able to visualize how it will look in the final photograph.

There are many people as well as photographers who might find any difference between glamour or fashion photography. Although they are similar in certain aspects, but glamour photography is about photographing a model to bring out certain key aspects of the subject and is not for endorsement purposes. The standards of this area of photography have changed over the time and today it reflects changes in social morals. In the early 1920s, photographers from the US like Ruth Harriet Louise took pictures of celebrities to add glamour to their stature. During the World War II, glamour took another form and was displayed in the form of pin-ups of scantily clad movie stars. This was extremely among US soldiers.

The most important change came through Playboy, which was the first magazine instrumental in giving a new name to glamour photography. This was the first magazine to focus on nude models and its target was the mainstream consumer. Hugh Hefner published the first issue of Playboy in December 1953 with Marilyn Monroe on the cover. Nude photos of Monroe were printed in the inside, which enhanced her image and also subdued the public outcry. Off late several popular glamour magazines have started to reverse the trend by focusing more on glamor and less on nudity. Some of these magazines include Maxim, and FHM.

Photography of models has been through transition over the years and as a photographer you need to possess the knowledge of these transitions before you can step into the professional world. As a glamour photographer, there are certain key aspects that you need to master and understand. You need to understand that the sharpness of your models eyes is very critical. As a beginner with auto-focus cameras, most budding glamour photographers tend to focus on the nose, chin or shoulder. The important lesson here is learning how to focus on the subject or models eyes while shooting. This is an emerging problem with photographers using auto-focus cameras. The auto focus camera focuses on the center of the image by default.

Focusing starts first with finding your subjects eyes in the frame. Once this is done, you should ideally depress the shutter-release button slightly, hold the focus steady, compose the subject in the frame and push the shutter-release button to take the photo. This technique can be quite slow in the beginning but once you develop an understanding and a feel for it, you’ll always find subject’s eyes in focus.

One of the second most important elements of glamour photography is the background. It is the second most important visual element after the subject. If you don’t have the right background then no amount of make-up and clothes can get you a good picture. As a glamor photographer, you should not ignore these elements as they are very crucial for getting the right image. You need to be aware of the background and should be able to foresee how it will look or appear in the final photograph. Some of the best backgrounds to shoot in include natural surroundings, your back and front yard, a bathtub, studio, beach and even inside the home. You can always start by experimenting to find the right combination of elements.

Understanding the art of glamour photography.

Creating nude portraits has long been an element of art - instead of capturing these portraits with the brush on canvas; today they are captured with the pixel.

Since the invention of photography the naked human body has been a natural subject for photographers and there has always been a large audience there for it.

What is glamour photography? Glamour photography covers a wide range - from the partial nude body, which you may see an a billboard advertising ladies underwear to the erotic images or the full nude body you may see on Page 3 of some papers or adult magazines.

There are no special elements to photographing glamour; all the standard photography techniques remain the same. Care should be taken when photographing models, nude or partially nude because some may find a sexual element attached to it.

Finding a market: Glamour photography remains one of the most lucrative areas of freelance photography. For a student trying to break into the glamour photography market, he would be well advised to use a film camera over digital. Film will give you warmer skin tones and give you a greater chance of being published.

When trying to find suitable markets for your glamour photography, the same principles apply as in any other photography field. You must study “Glamour Photography Publications” to find out what sort of material they use.

Where to shoot: If you don’t have your own studio, don’t worry. Most of the great glamour images are shot on location. Shooting in the natural environment will be rewarding - use the early morning light to give extra warmth to the skin. Try different places - your neighbours hay barn can make an effective setting for a glamour image or if you have an attractive garden - perfect.

Choosing a model: One of the basic elements of glamour photography is a willing model. If you are having trouble finding one try your local art classes. People with an ambition to be a model may let you do test work. But if you are serious about being a glamour photographer you should work with a professional model.

Glamour images don’t always need to be sharp. Many of the great glamour photographers defuse their image with a filter to add mood to their nude portraits. The best way to get good is plenty of practise and sharpen your eye by looking at glamour publications.

There should be greater emphasis on controlling light contrast to ensure that the human body isn’t lost in heavy shadows or bright highlights. Controlling exposure is very important to get the perfect body tones.

While many may find this type of photography offensive, the glamour photographer is an artist and should be respected as one. It’s not for me to comment on whether the use of glamour material is good or bad, but to explain the art of this competitive and lucrative market.

Glamour photography is first and foremost about making one look great in pictures, this is the type of skill that is most appreciated in the high fashion world. Glamour photography is generally handled and distributed by big names in the business that create great shots they afterwards sell to magazines and publications. There are all sorts of tutorials and courses that can teach one the secrets of glamour photography, as any apprentice photographer needs to acquire important knowledge that allows expert picture status. Some people say that shooting glamour photos is like making traditional portraits as it requires following certain lighting setup steps.

The main difference between traditional artistic photography and the more commercial nature of glamour photography is that the latter requires more life and shine than the former. Such a unique touch can only be achieved by someone who truly masters the secrets of photography. There are shooting tricks that are learned and decoded in time starting from the background preparation to the choice of props and backdrops. With glamour photography one is not taking simple pictures, but actually making them sparkle; let's see how to add this unique touch to one very rewarding kind of work.

Glamour photography requires the use of special light stands, positioned in such as way so that background items be easily attached to the decor easily afterwards. Every light stand you set up will have to be positioned in such a way so as to create the most stable footing possible, not to mention that they need to be perfectly operable during the photo shooting. Background props and supplies are definitely an important issue when preparing the session as such. Glamour photography devices require both precision and a certain liberty of movement in the operation of the camera, so that professional items are the ones that make a great job.

The models one gets to work with in glamour photography sessions are some of the best paid ones in the business; but this photographic sector is not limited to the fashion world. Yes, this is the main tendency to associate glamor with the catwalk, but film stars, musicians and other famous people often take advantage from the great benefits of professional photographic skills. Prices for photo sessions are incredibly high for both parties operating in the transaction; good photographers are paid small fortunes, not to mention the profit model agencies make from honoring glamor contracts.