How To Shoot Truly Artistc Glamour Images
Nude portraits undoubtedly belong to the most popular subgenres of glamour photography. However, it’s far from easy to shoot aesthetically flawless pictures without falling into banality – so how can the latter be avoided? We will now investigate a little about how a glamour artist can accomplish mastery on this delicate subject.
Nude photographs first of all serves an artistic purpose, and so it is meant to create an appropriate impression – that of aesthetics rather than “oh, what a pretty lass!” kind of rapture. However bold they may appear, the chief goal of a good nude portrait is to evoke thoughts and deliver spiritual pleasure. Enough talk of abstract matters – we need some practical knowledge!
I offer you 7 useful tips that will help you take off into the world of nude Glamour Photographs with some knowledge of the subject and, hopefully, great motivation.
- Balancing artistry and vulgarity is a must: you don’t want the latter, you want the former. Make emphasis on body shapes and texture. Unless you know what you’re doing, refrain from depicting genitals – not many photographers know how to make them look appropriate on a nude glamour portrait. Learn to trust your photographer’s intuition – if you manage to develop a firm understanding of what will work and what will not, you shall benefit from it in the future;
- You shouldn’t fall victim to the game “look how much junk I managed to stuff into this picture!” – your model is to wear only essentials that contribute to the mood of the picture and correspond to basics of good taste. The best way to go is seeking out little and exquisite tokens that will add up charm to both your model and the atmosphere of nude portrait;
- 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. In fact, softer lighting always contributes to the atmosphere of your nude portraits, so don’t disregard with this opportunity;
- Always mind the proportions: depending on the angle from which you shoot, your models body can become too stretched or too short. 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;
- Take as many shots as possible, will you? Really, the more you shoot – the more good pictures you will have to pick later. No good photographer takes less than a thousand of pictures per session – just to have a vast choice;
- Establish a connection with your model. She is more than merely a model, but your best friend and a co-author. She is not simply posing nude but co-creating. A model who doesn’t feel comfortable can ruin the shot, however skilled you are!
It’s never a piece of cake to be a nude portraitist, nor is to shoot Artistic Glamour Photography. Yet you can achieve a lot if you keep practicing and pushing on. Remember – a journey of thousand miles begins with one step! In the case of glamour artists one flash is enough.
“Birth and Life” of Glamour Images: Past and Future
The art of Glamorous Photography has come a long way from its very appearance to what we can see today. After countless changes and transformations, numerous revolutions and much controversy, glamour photography became what we can see today.
Let us have a short walk through the past years of Glamour Pictures and then venture forth to predict some of their future.
Childhood. Nobody really knows from where to begin the history of glamour photo genre. There are people who believe it can be traced back to “French postcard” that flooded Paris back in 1930′s, whereas many prefer to think it originated from Victorian photography. There are even people who seek the roots of glamour images in Renaissance and Baroque. To put it simply, the question of origin of beauty photography is far from being answered. I prefer to consider that classic and contemporary fine arts contributed in equal measures to create this unique genre – and it is the melting pot of 1920’s culture that we owe its birth. Also, it is from the first half of twentieth century that the history of classic glamour images can be traced.
Glorious 50′s and Onwards. After World War II, glamour images reached the apex of their glory, closely followed by controversy and outrage. Betty Grable conquered the hearts of the audience before the war started, and remained one of the prominent figures in glamour images ever since; in 1953 Marilyn Monroe emerged on Playboy’s cover and led glamour photography from darkness of controversy and public outrage into the light of recognition. Pamela Green and other famous and charming models contributed to glorifying glamour photography at its finest, winning the heart of audience worldwide.
Nowadays – Digital Fever. Color wasn’t the only achievement that glamour images acquired – they turned into something more creative and provocative. Hope Talmons and Dita Von Teese gave way to Heidie Van Horne, Bernie Dexter, Lucy Pinder and others. As it happened, film gave way to digital photography. Technical progress improved the visual quality of glamour images and made the process of shooting dead simple. An amateur in possession of DSLR could potentially become a glamour artist. Due to rapid development of Internet technologies, a swarm of “people with cameras” emerged, awaiting recognition.
3D – Death, Downfall, Decay? Finally, nowadays we face a new era, when 3D rendering easily re-creates that very glamour that we are so striving to deliver. 3D modeling is an art as well, and a complex one, but it seems to be taking over the field of glamour images. However, it is my firm belief that no computer-rendered beauty can ever substitute for genuine model, real lighting and sincere artistry. If it is really a competition between old and new, I would like to remain on the side which has a beating heart, long hours of studio work and live relationship to it.
The future, however, is bright – despite everything, oil, film and digital live on and remain popular. 3D art undoubtedly deserves for its own niche and admirers. It is not technology that is behind each glamour picture – it’s the soul, the inspiration and the dedication: that of photographer and the model. Remembering this simple truth is a mark of a truly passionate artist.
