lost the bright white leggings. Most of the poses were classic nudes, like I’d
learned in art class. In a few poses we used a small swatch of white chiffon to
keep a little too much flesh from showing—I remembered what she said
about the magazine.
A Self-Image Booster.The experience was really valuable for me. It
helped me understand that some women like and are proud of how they look
either naked or without much on,
and there aren’t many outlets for
them to get undressed without sex-
ual pressure. By doing glamour ses-
sions, I provided just such an outlet.
“If I thought I looked this good,
I’d walk around naked all the time,”
Kristal said, half joking as we watched
her slide show. “This isn’t what I see
in the mirror after I get out of the
shower.”
Both Athena and Kristal were
thrilled with their images and, in
both sessions, a good percentage of
their images were nudes. For some
people, psychologically, a glamour
session is a real self-esteem booster—
as it was for these two. But, as Athena
said, there’s beautiful, artistic nudity
and sleazy, demeaning nudity, and
you have to differentiate the two
when talking to the women you’re
photographing.
“When you think about posing
nude, you hesitate,” said Janilee.
“You think ‘Oh my God, I’m in [a
sleazy men’s magazine].’ But when I
saw your slide show, I didn’t have to
worry about it.”
Not all the women you work with
will want to pose nude—in fact, most
won’t. I chose these examples be-
cause nudity represents the most sen-
sitive situation for both the photographer and client. But the same principles
apply with partial nudity, lingerie, or other revealing clothes.
Ask her how much she’s comfortable wearing or not wearing. Ask at her
consultation. Then ask again before you begin your session. Don’t hint at it.
Be direct but polite. And don’t worry if she changes her mind. She’s in an
intimate and vulnerable situation.
36 MASTER GUIDE FOR GLAMOUR PHOTOGRAPHY
Talking with your client about what she’s com-
fortable wearing is critical—both before the
shoot and at the start of the session itself.