Amateur Glamour Photography: Photo Session Tips

Photography comes in many genres, and like Hollywood producers, photographers cater to their different audiences in different forms. A good photograph, like a good picture show, will leave movies in the mind. Some genres of photography are sought more than others, some genres pay more than others, and some are easier to master than others; but one form of photography, glamour, is not as “publicly” accepted as the rest, though elements of glamour are more sought after in images today.

How does one become a “great glamour photographer?” Assuming you already have a firm grasp on composition and lighting concepts, the first thing to do is study what’s out there. There are a wide variety of styles within the field of glamour photos and not all of them will appeal to everyone. Find a style you like and dissect it. The idea isn’t to outright copy existing images but to imitate them and innovate them until you have created a style that’s all your own.

One of the best resources you can have to get you through this is a model that you are mutually comfortable with. At first you are going to be paying so much attention to technical details that it may be hard to coax a model into reflecting the mood you’re after. Someone that you already have a good report with will help relieve this burden.

The technical things you are looking at all the while are things like lighting, composition and focus. Presumably you have an idea of what kind of mood you want your photos to reflect. Choosing and positioning the right toned lights is great and making sure you don’t lose sight of the end result. Everything looks good, but did you meter properly? For most glamour shots you’d want to take your light readings off of the models flesh as opposed to their clothing. Don’t let your model get too caught up in the shoot and move away from this metered light or you’ll just be wasting time and money.

I mentioned focus which seems obvious, but a lot of glamour photographers like to shoot with a remote switch. They keep their eyes on the model, often making eye contact, in an effort to keep things more intimate. The less experienced photographer can let this situation get away from them and by not looking through the lens they won’t notice the model moving out of the focal range.

When composing the shots it’s almost always a good idea to fill the frame. A glamour shot is about the model and nothing else. Taking a glamour shot where the model only takes up half the picture is rarely worth effective; however, this doesn’t mean you should ignore the background. On the contrary. The background can make or break any glamour photo. While a plain backdrop is easy it might take away from the desired effect. If you decide to take the picture in a certain setting, make sure the surroundings work with the model and not against her.

Don’t ask anyone how to shoot fashion. There are simply no common techniques, and we shouldn’t forget that photography is a nonverbal art. You just shoot, really a lot. You can study some technical and other details by checking such magazines as L’Officiel, Vogue, Esquire. You can also refer to the classics – books by Helmut Newton and Richard Avedon.

You can attend photo-classes as well – for a sum of money you will be taught how to use you camera so that you don’t scare the models, but the real tricks of the trade can be gained through practice and experience.

Nevertheless, there are some common recommendations. If you’re filming in a studio, it’s not enough to simply put an attractive girl in there, set the lighting and press the button. You need to create an image, a portrayal. That’s the most difficult part. No matter where and how you work – it is essential that the interior and the background and the lighting to work for the entire image, and not vice a versa.

If you keep all of this in mind you will soon be able to create an appealing portfolio. This will not only lead you towards financial success but it will encourage other models to want to work with you.