Guest Post & Photo by Joe Farace
Many photographers are intrigued at the prospect of creating glamour photographs but may feel that a lack of “proper” equipment makes this goal unattainable. Nothing is farther from the truth. My No Frills approach to glamour photography doesn’t require a studio and, as Wilford Brimley might have said, “You don’t even need any fancy studio lighting equipment.” All that’s really necessary to produce professional quality glamour images is a camera with interchangeable lenses, a few simple photographic accessories, such as reflector and speedlight, and models that are willing to pose for you.
Here’s a few simple tips that will help make your first glamour photographs a little bit better.
- Avoid flashy jewelry. Make your model’s face, especially her eyes, the focus of the photograph.
- Have her wear solid colors. Nothing detracts more than clothes covered with busy patterns and prints.
- Clothing fit. If a model’s clothes don’t fit, use wooden clothespins (out of camera range) to snug them up. And this happens more than you might think.
- Hairstyles. Ask the model to style their hair differently for each change of clothing to add variety to the session and the photos that she can have in her portfolio.
- Expression. Some models look great with a smile, others look better without one. Shoot a few test shots each way and make a determination what looks best for her. It will be obvious, right there on your camera’s LCD screen.
- Make-up. When changing hairstyles or outfits, ask the model to changes her makeup style and color too. It doesn’t have to be drastic, maybe a different lipstick color or darker eye shadow. Red lipstick rocks. Ask her to try it.
- Footwear. For a more a statuesque posture, ask the model to wear her highest heels. No high heels? Ask her to stand on her toes for s few shots.
- Relax. A glamour shoot is a team effort. Model and photographer must work together to achieve the best possible images.
Joe is the author of a new book called Joe Farace’s Glamour Photography: The Digital Photographer’s Guide to Getting Great Results with Minimal Equipment