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How to Photograph Girls - The Professional Way -- Part 1
How to Photograph Girls - The Professional Way -- Part 1
This is an old article I wrote about 8 years ago and since then digital has changed some of the points I made, and prices. Still some good points raised.
You've started your adult website and now discovering the images you want are not available, too expensive or just not quite right. So what are you going to do? And in a flash it comes to you "I'll take the pictures myself". And without thinking further you're off to the cupboard to find your old camera and ask one of the local girls if they would like to do some nude modeling. So after dealing with some very irate boyfriends, shunned by the neighbors and had your photos shown to the authorities, you're thinking, "Not the greatest idea I ever had" You should have first asked yourself. Do I want to take pictures to make money, get in front and close up to as many naked girls as I can or to prove to the world that my fetish sells?
Reason one keep reading.
First thing to decide is; am I going to sell these pictures to magazines or just use them on the Internet. If the answer is Internet only, go buy a good digital camera. An excellent one for the beginner is the Nikon D70 or if you have the money the D20. To be honest, as a pornographer I know little about photography and cameras. For some one starting to shoot, digital is fine for the Internet.
You will need a camera with a "Hotshoe" or sync lead socket for the lights sync lead. The most important thing with any kind of nude work is colors and skin tone.
Take a couple of days learning to calibrate the color by photographing someone. If it's only them in a loose top to get the skin tones right. Find the best colour setting on the camera to suit your tastes. You must have a zoom lens. Models get put off if you keep moving in and out to take those, so necessary but intimate, close ups.
Now you have to decide, shoot indoors or out? Unless you live in the desert or tropics, consider buying studio flashlights and a light meter, for indoor work. Not expensive two heads, stands, soft boxes/umbrellas and light meter, should see some change out of $1500. Unless shooting in a barn don't go for anything too expensive or powerful, there's no need. You could shoot with a camera-mounted flashgun, but the best flashguns will not give the quality a studio flashlight will. Of course if the "Amateur" style pics a flashgun will do the trick very nicely ($500). But be careful it takes a lot of practice to master shooting porn with a flashgun.
Now spend a few days experimenting and getting to know the camera. Do not suddenly discover a button is not working, as it should, in front of a model. Credibility is everything with the models. Seen the pictures where the girl is looking at you as if she thinks you're a loser? That's what she thought of the photographer who took those pictures. Or even worse bored, that's because she has been waiting twenty minutes for him to figure out how the camera works. Get very comfortable with the equipment even if it's only shooting the cat. If you can get your wife or girlfriend to pose even better. Getting them posing together would be ideal!! But for now nude is not what it's about; it's about learning to use the camera and lights. This is a good time to get down to your local bookstore and buy a couple of books.
Budgeting to spend around $2,500 for the camera and lights should be about right. It can be done cheaper, but this is about doing it right. If you are going to improve you will not do so by cutting costs. Our cameras cost a minimum $3000 and we shoot with a minimum of 4 lights. So when thinking about saving money think, do I want good pictures or pictures. Read the books and manuals that came with the equipment. Then practice using the equipment. Lighting is crucial and you can only learn this by trial and error and a good book on lighting. There are many excellent ones, they have examples of what effects you can achieve and then show how to achieve it. With a digital camera it's possible to check the results immediately after taking the shots.
So that's it for now. Sorry I have not got you in front of a brand new, drop dead gorgeous blonde, performing your every wish or at least posing as if she wants to. That's for the next one.
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