Friday, August 16, 2013

Glamour Photography Techniques

By Amy Renfrey


In the portrait photography world there are several different types of portraits. These are domestic portraiture, weddings, newborns and babies, celebration and events and glamour photography. What is glamour photography and why do we need to know?

Glamour photography is a stylised portrait. Stylised means that someone is styled, had their hair and make up done to look a certain way. It also uses props such as furniture, clothing and beauty to make someone look a certain way. Fashion photography is very similar but it's not quite the same as glamour. Glamour photography is created for the domestic market and fashion is created for advertising.

I will share some glamour photography techniques with you about how to get the best from your photography. First, lets look at how to use the correct lighting and shooting techniques to bring out the very best in people.

In this glamour photography tutorial I will be discussing how we, as photographers, can use lighting and shooting techniques to bring out the very best in people. To begin with, lets look at how people want to be represented. It's a good idea to ask the client how they want the photo to look.

Colour is really important in glamour photography. Usually, glamour photography relied on strong colour with soft skin tones. Sensuality is one of the keys to this type of photography. It's kept respectful to the client and they must never do anything you or they are uncomfortable with. Always remain highly professional at all times before, during and after the shoot.

Colour matching is essential in glamour photography. They usually have a sensual feel to them, with striking colour and feminine make up styles. One of the best and most effective ways to get your colours looking real and true to life is to do a custom white balance. Why is this so necessary? For skin tone mainly. There's nothing worse than skin tones looking a little yellow or green because the white balance is wrong. Always, always use custom white balance with a grey card.

Chiffon is a gorgeous, feminine fabric that falls nicely. I folded it over a few times so that no body parts would be distinguishable. This maintains the clients dignity, which is the pivotal point to your relationship with them.

Next, lets look at some glamour photography tips to get you started. Once you have a solid understanding of how your friend wants to look, set up your lighting. Usually glamour photography is done in a studio using what we call modelling lamps, or key lights as they are known, and fill lights. The key light is your main light source and your fill lights are the lights that help reduce some of the shadow. Usually your key light is brighter than the fill lights. This is how you know which is which.

Think about your lighting. Diffused flash lighting from the side works well. If you can take your flash off your camera and link it remotely to your camera then do so. Each time you press the shutter the flash will fire. You can change the intensity output of the flash manually. This is done using the manual mode on your flash.

If you do not have a background then don't use a background. It's better to use no background than a background that doesn't look like glamour. Try to crop the photo and just shoot the head and shoulders.

You have your lighting and background set up, which is great. Lastly, lets look at some glamour photography poses. These are usually done by creating lot of angles of the body. A flattering glamour photo of a woman is not one where she is standing front-on. It looks flattering to have one shoulder higher than the other or her head slightly titled away from or towards the camera. For ideas of posing, have a look at glamour photography websites. See how other photographers have asked their models to pose. If you get stuck for ideas use these photos as examples for inspiration.

You have your lighting and background set up, which is great. Lastly, lets look at some glamour photography poses. These are usually done by creating lot of angles of the body. A flattering glamour photo of a woman is not one where she is standing front-on. It looks flattering to have one shoulder higher than the other or her head slightly titled away from or towards the camera. For ideas of posing, have a look at glamour photography websites. See how other photographers have asked their models to pose. If you get stuck for ideas use these photos as examples for inspiration.

Try to shoot from different angles. I shot my model from up above, from floor level as she lay in front of the camera and then at normal standing height as she sat on a chair. You can get really creative. Make sure you have the background to support this. If you don't try some closer angles that crop the background out.

Always remember your lighting. It is one of the most important things in glamour photography. Use flattering poses and opt for no background if you can't find a suitable background. And most of all have fun!




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