Posts Tagged ‘glamour’

Magazines With Glamour Images Fly Off The Shelves Like Sliced Bread. The Reason: Sex Sells

Friday, March 4th, 2011

When I was a teenager, I couldn’t help but feel surprised at so many magazines with Glamour Images on the covers which I frequently spotted when shopping in bookstores and magazine stores. Not only did women-centered magazines like Vogue or Cosmopolitan or Maxim had such covers but I would be amazed to see glamorous ladies showing off their skins in magazines related to Mens Health. I and my mates inevitably ended up looking at those attractive magazine covers and pondering why such images would decorate Men’s magazines. In addition, I was more than amazed to notice that the shelves with such magazines emptied at the speed of light. After I became more knowledgeable about advertisement and plucked up some photographic experience, I have unraveled the secret. It is quite simple - “sex sells”

For many soaring artists sexual context and motifs are a formula of success in Glamorous Photography, as there is hardly a more influential stimulus to be used on the market. The cover of almost any periodical edition is vital for attracting customers, and sexually appealing glamour images provide the right psychological trigger - for men, they perform a role of something desired and irresistible, and for women they become a certain role-pattern or a paragon of glamorous and sexy appearance.

In the past, average women responded negatively to covers with extra glamorous images or with explicit sexual content. However, now with the advancement in electronic media and the ubiquity of pop culture, women have been more glamorized and tend to love covers with such glamour images. Therefore, as photographers, we need to give extra emphasis in trying to create glamour image while doing female shots. If a cover of a magazine has a glamour image of a well toned female in a stunning pose, it will definitely appeal to the people of all ages or sex, and it definitely will have a better value in the market. We all still remember how popular the cover of Vogue go when teenager Miley Cyrus bared almost everything for the shot of the infamous glamour image that caught the attention of the world. So as photographers, need to keep that in mind and try to create sensual glamour image because we know that sex sells.

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5 Sure-fire Ways To Achieve Good Exposure On Your Glamour Images

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

It is indisputable that a glamour picture should possess not only good composition, but also great exposure. Nobody enjoys looking at badly shot glamour images with poor colors, scarce detail in lights and shadows, darkened edges and so on. When it comes to exposure and lighting, in Glamour Photography those standards are quite formidable.

This may seem pretty simple, yet in practice a perfect exposure is difficult to achieve. As a rule, a glamour photographer takes several thousand photos during a single shoot - and afterwards they choose up to 20 shots. However, in such a way they end up having some really great photographs that require minimum post-editing and can be brought to the audience.

If you’re interested in learning how to achieve good exposure in Glamour Photos, you will definitely find these 5 simple pieces of advice helpful.

1. Light - you can’t be too concerned with it. Yes, this a no-brainer, but what I really mean by this is that before you actually start shooting, you need to have some lucid image of what the pictures will look like and what mood they will bear. Several testing shots would show you the light pattern and reveal some obvious flaws, if any. So it would be a fabulous idea not to work in haste but take your time to build up the necessary lighting. Later, when you consider changing it, you will do it with less effort and more actual effect.

2. White Balance. To avoid unnatural colors and shades, adjust your white balance in advance. If you have a sheet of paper, you can easily tweak your DSLR for good white balance. A manual that goes with your camera must have some step-by-step instructions to help you deal with this issue.

3. Soft light in softboxes. Softbox is a simple tool photographers use for more natural lighting: it only consists of a black body and a white screen. The light becomes more subtle and dispersed, which helps avoid deep shadows and make a photo glow. Usually these things are quite effective, because nobody likes extensive shadows on, say, a portrait. If you need subtle light, there is nothing better than a softbox.

4. Aperture and how it influences exposure. Aperture number can affect overall exposure, as well as the shutter speed. High aperture number makes it narrow, thus admitting less light into the camera body; it results in darker pictures but extensive sharpness. Lower aperture numbers ensure more light gets in and create the so-called depth of field, blurring the picture’s background. Both ways can deliver astonishing results - you only need to figure out what you’re after.

5. Post-production. Yes, I know real gurus dont do Photoshop at least they wouldnt confess. Never-the-less, it really isn’t very clever to trash a good picture only because it is slightly screwed up in terms of color or lighting, is it? A little of graphic editing could bring it back to life. That’s why we all need to abandon our snobbery and work on the visual flaws of our creations. But it really doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try and take a good pic that would require minimum post-editing - ot none at all. Another practical advice would be to use RAW format. It is much easier to deal with than JPG, as it preserves more initial information that can restore good colors and exposure.

There actually should be the tip ? 6, which is think small a dozen of light sources will not make you a masterpiece. One or two are usually enough to produce a decent work. Additionally, Id like to mention the tip ? 7 PRACTICE. Other tips can be omitted; the last one mustn’t.

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Lighting For Glamour Images Photography

Thursday, December 30th, 2010

In literal translation the term photography can be traduced as writing with light As photographers, we cannot even imagine creating any kind of image without the presence of light, and we need to be really virtuosos in manipulating light in creating effective photographs. Additionally, for glamour images light is even more instrumental, for good lighting can easily beautify your beauty photographs and extract some awed sighs from your viewers while bad one will definitely leave them indifferent to your newest creation.

There are many sorts of lighting tools and equipment which are quite versatile and numerous, from tiny light-brushes to gigantic lighting ramps. If you long to push your Glamour Imagesthrough into the world of editorials and glamorous magazines, you are going to need lots of potent lighting equipment for soft light and artistic smoothness for something less pompous and more exquisite I would recommend more versatile types of light sources that allow you to manipulate light and shadow and go for artistry instead of excessive visual appeal; choose whichever is fine with you. Among the vital tools for glamour artists there are spotlights, which prove quite helpful for creating distinguishable and edgy glamour images. Due to harsh and very bright light, they often create deep shadows which can either make or ruin your shot depending on how craftily you will use them. Never-the-less you will have to be aware of proper metering, as the amount of light emanated by a spotlight is rather huge even if it is your only source. As spotlights are extreme in contrast, you will easily lose details in your highlights if the metering is not accurate.

Apart from metering and the types of lights you choose, another challenge for aspiring glamour photographers is preventing flare in shooting glamour images, especially when the background or wardrobe is white or light colored, for example in shooting a glamour image of a model with white lingerie as flare causes the loss of details of the white area. However, the problem with flare can be reduced by the interplay of the inverse square law and by using proper metering, and using some black or dark colored substances on both sides of the subject. The other important thing about lighting in creating glamour images is the color temperature. Because different kinds of light sources have different kinds of temperatures, you as a glamour photographer should understand the kind of temperature it throws, and you should be able to use the white balance as per the condition of lighting you have in order to achieve required result.

As a photographer it takes effort and patience in being an expert in the field of Artistic Glamour Photography, however, if you have a good understanding of the kinds of lighting sources, metering, and white balancing, you will be definitely be able to create awesome glamour images.

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Natural Light In Glamour Images

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

Mainly photographers prefer a studio for shooting Glamour Images, yet there are many opportunities to jump out of those bounds and create something outstanding by using natural light and conditions. Though Sun is the only and primary source of natural light, there are various effects created by the position of Sun on the sky, the time of the day, and the interference of atmospheric irregularities, and the range of light that we get from the Sun is so vast that it can never be totally reproduced by artificial sources.

To begin with, a glamour photographer can work with three basic kinds of sunlight: in the early morning, in the bright of day and before dusk, or shortly after it.

At dawn lighting conditions near the ideal, yet they are quite short-lasting; never-the-less, it is considered to be great for shooting pictures, due to subtlety and warmth of colors. The morning light is cast rather sharply, almost horizontally against the earth surface, so the lighting comes from the side, subtle and dispersed; it is quite sensual and glamorous a light, so no wonder beauty artists love it.

Evening light is pretty much like one in the early morning: except that the latter is clearer - in the evening the air is full of particles stirred up by day’s activities. In addition, after a hot day the ground sometimes cools down and steams, thus creating haze.

In the afternoon or at midday you can have some more focused light from the sun, with lower color temperature. The shadows get shorter as the light comes from up above us, and it is considered the most difficult part of the day for Artistic Glamour Photography. During this part of the day, there is a huge contrast between the shadows and highlights because of the harsh light that falls on the subject, and even the sensors of the cameras will find it difficult to reproduce the both ends of tonal range. As a photographer, one can take advantage of such lighting condition to create a highly contrasting image as there are extreme light and extreme dark colors on the same frame.

Therefore, depending on the time of the day and the type of light you get from the Sun, you can use the best of your skills and knowledge in creating stunning glamour images. Glamour image photography is an art and there are numerous things you can do with the natural light you get from the Sun every day.

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Creating Vintage Glamour Images

Friday, November 26th, 2010

Shooting vintage glamour pictures is altogether fun and daring challenge: not only it requires profound knowledge of various technical aspects (lighting, posing etc.), but also history of glamour images and what they were like in those glorious days. Shooting vintage glamour image is fun because it makes the subject look as if it was a star of the past golden age or a pin-up model while being dramatic with a lot of contrast. For a glamour photographer it should be quite doable to make an old-school picture using some thoughtful lighting, posing and accessories.

The most vital aspect of such vintage shooting is all about light and arranging it well. Glamour Images that reproduce the very glorious vintage style should be taken in a studio, for the objective can only be completed with complex lighting from various angles. One of the appealing nuances is shadow under the nose, achieved by strong and focused light from sharp angle, so that the main persona would look as if in the spotlight. Then, you are going to need a couple of filling lights to take care of unnecessary shadows and light the model up. To sever the main subject from the background, some backlight would be necessary.

Color mode is another important factor in Artistic Glamour Photography, and black and white is the perfect mode to create an elegant, stark look to bring forward the nostalgia of the golden age. Moreover, the focus should be on contrast, and fill lights need to shine at one third the key light intensity to show the contours of the face.

Posing is of great importance in creating vintage glamour images, as the subject in the past rarely looked straight into the camera, so in order to give the golden age look, you are a photographer should make the model look to the side with a mysterious expression. Vintage glamour image is not about natural appearance but about drama in creating a classic look. In vintage glamour image photography, the primary focus is the model and not the wardrobe; therefore despite shooting glamour image, a photograph should take glamour at a minimum. If you are shooting black and white to create a classic look, you can choose the attire that is plainly black and white so that it is easier to create contrast. Refrain from many colors, as they will fade out because of intense light; in addition, the make up should look matte in order to absorb hard light.

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