I need glamour photos and I like your work, will you take
pictures of me?Here I’m not so lucky. This e-mail tells me that I have an admirer of my
work, but that’s about it. For all I know, the author could even be a
minor—and I don’t photograph underage subjects when it comes to sexy
glamour photography; that’s a huge taboo.
When I get an e-mail like this, I’ll send a polite reply asking for more
details, clarification, and specifics. Once I receive a proper response with
more detail, I’ll pick apart the letter as I did in the previous example.
Working with Models.
Usually, your first communication with a model will be via e-mail or
phone. In this case, I’ll ask up front what her goals are in modeling—
specifically the genres she’s interested in, such as glamour, glamour
nude, figure nude, fashion, etc. It’s important to know up front
what the model wants so you don’t have her come to the studio
and expect one thing then get another. I’ll also ask her to direct me
to any online portfolio she might have or to send me some photos.
Some models even have a MySpace page; checking this out can
help you understand the personality you’ll be working with. If
you’re lucky, you’ll be able to meet with your new model ahead of time.
This will give you an opportunity to study her standing and sitting, and to
evaluate her body language in addition to discovering her personality.
Once I have an idea about her goals and personality, then I have an
idea of the types of poses the model is looking to achieve. For example, if
a model says I want something with aMaximstyle, normally she means
she wants photos in which she is clothed (though sometimes scantily) but
posed more provocatively. She may even be interested in topless implied
nudes. I can also gather that posing in lingerie will not be a problem,
which means I have to keep in mind that we’ll show more leg. This means
I’ll have to match the poses to her proportions; not all leggy poses work
with all models.
Normally, the first time I meet a model I’ll hand her some current
magazines, such asGlamour, Zink, Maxim,and (if she’s indicated some in-
terest in this style) a currentPlayboyor some of their monthly Special Edi-
tion issues. I also like to hand her some Victoria’s Secret catalogs. Once
the model has these items, I’ll hand her a box of paper clips and ask her
to clip the photos and poses she likes.
I’ll tell the model to take her time so she doesn’t feel pressured, then
I’ll excuse myself and check my equipment or do something to give her
If you’re lucky, you’ll be able
to meet withyour
new model ahead of time.102POSINGTECHNIQUESFORGLAMOURPHOTOGRAPHY