which can be very provocative. Then, have the model come up off her
hands and sit in a traditional “page three” pose (see chapter 9).
Thin Subjects.If the body is tall and lanky, you can add weight to your
subject and shorten them by shooting from high angles; just stand on a
ladder or stool and shoot down. If your model is short and slender, posi-
tion yourself at a lower angle and shoot upward, adding height to
your model (just be sure to avoid shooting up her nose and show-
ing too much of the nostrils). With this type of model and this
pose, this is one time you can turn the hips straight into the cam-
era without fear of making her look wide.
Turning the hips only slightly away from the camera works too,
making the hips look fuller and sometimes hiding the protruding
hip bones of a very thin model—especially if your subject rests her hands
on the natural hip pockets.
Heavy Subjects.If your subject mentions the extra pounds she’s car-
rying, do your best to thin her out through your photography. Never dis-
cuss your subject’s weight, however; mentioning it will only confirm that
you think she has a weight problem. If she raises the issue, say, “I call it the
good life.” Then, move on to another topic. You should also avoid saying
that you’ll “make her look thin.” Again, this only implies that she is fat
and needs to be fixed. Keep to yourself the various posing and lighting
tricks you might have in mind and just say, “I know you’ll photograph
wonderfully.”
I prefer to use medium telephoto to telephoto lenses in most of my
private glamour photography, as these lenses provide a compression of the
background, good composition of the image, and a comfortable working
distance between the subject and the camera. If your subject is short and
heavy, however, you’ll want to shoot with wider lenses and use lower cam-
era angles. This will normally thin the subject out and give them height—
but watch out for distortion.
Even if the body is tall and heavy, shooting up will take pounds off your
subject’s figure. When using this technique, be careful to avoid distorting
the subject’s body so much that it looks abnormal. Also, take a close look
at the nose; no one likes to look up a person’s nostrils. When using a low
camera angle, use a loop- or Paramount-lighting pattern to produce shad-
ows under the nose. This will conceal the nostrils.
Whether on location or in the studio, you can almost always find ele-
ments that will block your view of any problem areas the subject might
have. If you’re shooting your subject wearing lingerie in a more boudoir-
type setting, use the sheets, blankets, comforters, a teddy bear, or some
other prop to hide the midsection. Sometimes, even the position of theYou can almost always
find elements that willblock your viewof
any problem areas.
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