How to take sexy lingerie pictures!

Shoot Location:    What do you want the background to be? Many amateur photographs look amateurish due to the background. It is a shame when a photograph has a beautiful woman in a sexy outfit laying on a messy bed, in a room filled with exercise equipment and last weeks dirty laundry. Proper planning is a necessity as the background is very important. Try to get out of the bedroom, if possible. The more unique the background, the better. A living room, game room or even a dining room offers lots of potential. Just be certain to keep it clear of clutter, and make it clean. What do you want in the picture, beside the gorgeous woman? A piece of art, a picture, a fire place or just a chair? Perhaps she is holding a glass of wine, a book or an article of clothing? Be sure there are no family members pictures on the walls, no kids toys and nothing that draws the eyes away from your subject. Think about the location. 

Lights, Camera and Action:     Lighting is essential to a photograph and can make a perfectly posed shot a disaster. Professional photographers use light meters, spot lights and indirect lighting for a purpose. Stay away from using your own flash! Turn it off! Why, because you are going to get a hot spot, red eye, and shadowing that is not appealing to your subject. Whenever possible use natural lighting, like the sun! Try to have your model pose in different lighting situations and pay attention to the shadows she casts. Be prepared with additional lights, and work at getting a well lit environment before your subject is available. You may have heard professional models say that a photo shoot is hard work, and you may have responded "what is so hard about sitting around in your underwear all day"? The answer is, getting the shoot ready is painstaking, tedious and tiring. Work it is! Don't be tempted to use that flash as the lack of lighting will not be helped much by a small flash aimed at a portion of your subjects anatomy. 

Lingerie, what to wear?:    This is all important as the lingerie she owns may or may not be acceptable depending on how large and varied her lingerie wardrobe is at the time of the shoot. Keep in mind that bras and panties are lingerie, sort of. Also, it is not necessary to spend a lot of money to get a quality set of photographs, but again that depends on her wardrobe. To begin, open her lingerie drawers and thus begins the adventure. She must be present, and it shouldn't take long. Take an inventory of sorts. What fits her, is not overly worn, torn or tattered? What lingerie does she like, love or hate? By process of elimination, you should arrive at one or more candidates. Next, you need to go online to Flirtylingerie.com or go to your local boutique for a shopping trip. While beyond the scope of this article, you need to find the right style and color of lingerie that will fit into your camera shoot. There are so many options such as bustiers and corsets , bra and panty sets, teddies, babydolls and fetish wear, just to name a few. Don't forget the stockings, sexy shoes and any accessories she may want or need. Yes, this may just be an excuse to buy her some sexy lingerie, but you will both turn out to be winners. 

Details, Details, Details:    There are the location details and the model details. The location details are covered in the shoot location, but once again, play the shots out in advance in your mind. Is the area ready for a photo shoot? Is the area clear and uncomplicated, so as not to draw attention away from her? Do you want her sitting, standing or laying down? Do you have her props ready? Have you done your job, before she has to do hers?

The next detail is the lovely model. Start at the top or the bottom and go in the opposite direction. Is her hair done to her satisfaction? Is she happy with it? Is she wearing anything in her hair, and if so, be sure it is straight and fits properly. Next, her make up. Models wear more make up usually than the girl on the street. Consider asking her to wear false eyelashes, a colorful eye shadow, deep red lipstick, earrings, maybe even a temporary tattoo on her back. The point is these are photographs of a beautiful girl in sexy lingerie, not Sunday school photos. Next is the lingerie. Is she going to wear more than one outfit? If so, have it ready and by all means cut off the tags. There is nothing tackier than a picture of a girl in her panties with the size/care tag showing. It was there to help you buy it, you can cut it off, I promise. Also, be sure she undresses in plenty of time to take these pictures as you do not want lines on her skin from pantyhose, panties, bra straps affecting her appearance. Have her wear a loose fitting robe for comfort, warmth and no panty lines before the shoot. Once she is ready to have her photo taken, other details are: Make sure the garment fits, that the garter hangers are even, the thigh high stockings are even on her legs, the bra straps are not twisted.  Hint: Have her wear her highest heels, and consider props. Take a look in her closet, drawers and anywhere she has her belts, hats, scarves and accessories, including jewelry. Be creative! A pair of sunglasses, or a hat she wore with a costume, or a chain belt from her discarded Christmas gifts may be a great prop. How about one of your cigars, a football jersey and the list goes on and on. Remember this not a photograph for the Department of Motor Vehicles! Spice it up! A vest she wears to work regularly makes a different statement when there is nothing else on underneath. Everything looks better on a woman in high heels. 

Just Relax:    I mean relax her, not you! If you have done your planning correctly, the work is only half done. Don't forget about the model Few, if any women warm up to the idea of having photographs taken in her near nakedness all that inviting. So you have a job to do, and that is putting her at ease. Just telling her to relax just isn't cutting it. There are a couple of reason why she should be concerned. First, she has certainly seen lingerie models whether in Vogue, Elle or People magazines for that matter. But, she is rightfully concerned whether she is going to look good, or not. Fat or not, hot or not. It isn't enough to give her a pep talk, and hope for the best. Plan on relaxing her. How do you intend to reassure her? First of all, let her have a role in deciding which photographs are keepers. If this were a shoot for Playboy, and you were a professional photographer, then letting the model have a role might be less of a good idea. But this isn't a Playboy shoot, and she needs to see that you are going to make her a gorgeous picture. If you are using a digital camera, let her see the results of a picture, and genuinely ask for her opinion. What does she like, or dislike about the photograph? Stay away from close ups or any what I like to call gynecological shots as they are always unattractive. Always! You will know she is having fun when she can actually smile. Smile? Yes, don't try to have every shot a sexy one! Capture the real girl, and she is at her best when she is smiling! Sure you will want some come hither looks and glances. Getting her relaxed is a step in the right direction. 

Posing as a Model:    As the photographer it is your job to make certain that she looks sexy, desirable and alluring. She doesn't see what you see, and a good photographer sees everything. Like a good boy scout you must be, Prepared! What facial expressions do you want? What physical poses do you need? What is her best side? What features do you want to highlight? In order to get the best shot, you will need to experiment. You will need to be professional with her, yet be prepared to direct her every move. Keep in mind, normal expressions and poses usually don't work as well as exaggerated posture and positions that may be unnatural. Ask her to hold her stomach in, point her toes, twist her head to look behind her in order to get the best pose, look and mood. Again, experiment and you will see that a models work is indeed work. Standing in front of the camera with her shoulders slumped, her tummy distended and an expressionless look on her face is not a good picture. Hint: Look at men's magazines or women's magazines for inspiration. Look for the details! Why does the photographer have the girl facing the camera and her eyes are turned to the side? Why is her back arched so completely? You get the idea!

The eyes have it!    So you finally talked her into wearing some skimpy lingerie to have her picture taken, and you are not going to waste this opportunity, are you? Well, after you get that out of your system remember that her eyes are the window into her soul. While this old saying may or may not mean much to you, take heed. Avoid the temptation to catalog her body parts. What makes a woman sexy? Well, we don't have space here to argue the finer points, but we express ourselves with our eyes. Keep her eyes in focus for a memorable photograph. Try it!

Frame her:    How many times have you seen an amateur photograph and the image has cut off the head, or the person is not centered ? That is a bad photograph, generally. When you are looking at your viewfinder, frame her in the picture. Frame her in the picture. If she is laying down, her head should be in one corner and her legs, feet in the other. Consider the framing of the subject in every photograph. 

To tripod, or not to tripod:    Don't ruin a photograph because you jiggled the camera accidentally. Use a tripod, and if you don't have one you do have a table, a stack of books or whatever it takes to make sure the camera does not move. Also, use the timer. No, not because you are getting in the picture, but because the camera must be perfectly still when the lenses opens.

Practice, Practice, Practice:    Practice doesn't make perfect, but practice moves one towards perfection. Review your photographs with a critical eye. Keep in mind that some photographers work for years before they take that perfect photograph with the right lighting, expression and model. While it may not be appropriate, your model may allow you to get others opinions, such as on internet sites websites where you can submit photographs can be reviewed, but again, this is her decision.  In any event, keep working at it and you will both enjoy the results.

About the author: Richard Romo is the author or this article. All uses of this article require prior authorization of the author
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