Taking sexy photos

[FoxtrotUnder]

Hey yall. Might be a silly question, but how do you take a sexy photo? I seem to fail at this every time! My SO is away for a year and I love to pleasure his mind, but I dont wanna look ridiculous every time!

What are some good, sexy ways to take a photo of yourself BY yourself? How can you get flattering and hide your trouble spots (for me, my stomach! Still losing that baby weight! Its also hideously covered in stretch marks still! While I know he doesnt care, I still do! ) Nude, partial, or fully clad. Tips for taking each would be awesome!

What are your dream photos to receive? Do you like to randomly get a photo or do you like sexytexty leading up to a photo? If you send a sexy photo, do you expect one back equally or more sexy?

 

[chipcarver]

There are many sites online to help you. However I would look under exotic photography instead of nude etc.
One way to hide "non" sexy areas is to drape muslin over that area. An example for you to hide your stomach area is to sit on the floor with your legs to the side, kind of twisted to the side pitting all your weight on one arm, with the muslin coming over one shoulder draping across your lap then over your legs. Almost like wearing a toga. It is easier to show than explain.
Use a tripod with your camera, cheap ones can be purchased for $20 at Walmart. If your camera can use a remote control that would be the best way. Otherwise use the timer.
I have never had to opportunity to exchange photos with anyone (don't feel I am very sexy enough). However I have taken some for others to entice their SO's with.
If you would like specific websites to look at or further ideas PM me.

 

[KlaytonFrost]

A tripod, as has been said, is absolutely essential. Have you considered maybe making a video? I always think it's a bit easier to look sexy in a video than it is in a picture.

Google "Beautiful Agony". Those videos are very easy to make, but very sexy, and it's hard to get them wrong. Might be a good place to start. If you don't want to go for video I'm sure you could come up with a suitable photographic equivalent too

 

[DuckLover]

Do some searches for "boudoir photography" - that's the name for the style of shot you're seeking, and there are lots of good examples and advice sites out there. Granted, not many are designed for working solo, but they'll give you an idea of what you can do.

Alternatively, consider booking a boudoir photography session with a professional photographer. Certainly you should review their portfolio and talk to references first, but there are lots of reputable ones out there. They won't mind if you bring a trusted girlfriend or two with you, if that helps you be more comfortable.

 

[FoxtrotUnder]

boudoir is very neat! I just dont think I could get the right look for them.
Video would be awesome but SO is having issues with all videos sent to him. No computer, only phone and sadly none will work.
I will see about finding my tripods. I used to do photography until my gear got stolen but I never did any portrait work nonetheless anything erotic! I dont even know where to begin. LOL! So I have quite the issues when I am told to "be creative" by SO! What is a good, quick ,easy pose to get when he "needs one right now" type deal (meaning no time for tripods and cameras... its all phone work! iPhone, by the way. With rear face only camera.) Of course I will whip out the camera and tripod later in the week (and maybe even share some on Lit for all you lovelies <3 )

 

[BiTodd]

the mirror can be your best friend. Use your phone and the by all means post some of your pictures here for us to enjoy too. Oh yeah take a shitload of pics and only use the best ones.

 

[glynndah]

the mirror can be your best friend. Use your phone and the by all means post some of your pictures here for us to enjoy too. Oh yeah take a shitload of pics and only use the best ones.

If you turn the camera so the viewing window is pointed to the mirror and the lens is pointed towards you, you can take a fine photograph WITHOUT seeing the camera in the picture.

I'm not sure how this works with your particular phone but you might want to do a bit of experimenting. Seeing the camera in pictures, especially erotic ones, is a pet peeve of mine.

 

[PrettyKitty10]

Have a drink or whatever loosens your inhibitions a bit, put on something (or nothing) that makes you feel sexy, put on some music and just start snapping away. Take LOTS of pictures, in many poses so when you go through them later you will see what works and does not. Pretty soon, you will be having lots of fun and I bet he will still think you are hot regardless of the baby weight!

Here are a couple sights for ideas:

http://www.boudoirlouisville.com/#/home/
http://fotoflixphotography.com/2011/04/06/lingerie-and-posing-for-plus-size-boudoir-photos/

 

[bobinks2]

One advantage that men have over women in this regard is that after you've looked at two or three trillion photos of naked women, you get kind of a sixth sense of what works and what doesn't work.

You might want to look at some photos of naked women to see what you think might work for you. There are a bunch of threads with images on the General Board and The Playground (under Personals).

You may want to start with the following two, both in The Playground -"Only Black and White" and "The new 'safe' erotic images thread". There are kinkier photo threads if you want something more hard core.

There's no rule that says you have to take a full frontal, close-up of your belly. I'm picturing a 'quartering away' shot with you looking over your shoulder at the camera. If you twist your torso just right, you can get a tasteful, full body shot from head to toe showing off your butt and a nice boob side shot.

I'm also thinking you could do a side shot with you sitting with your camera side leg drawn into your body, knee up (covering your belly) but again, still getting a full view of your butt and boob.

Practice in a mirror first. If you've ever seen a professional photographer at work on TV, a lot of what they're doing "move your left arm back about an inch", "lift your right foot two inches", "turn a little more to me'... is smoothing out the folds and creases. Practice posing in the mirror to get the pose that flatters your figure. Moving an arm of leg around can change your appearance.

 

[BonnyBlue]

If you have someone you trust, then ask them. Or if you can afford it, have a professional studio do them for you.

 

[EdwardMidweston]

As a professional photographer, my best advice is to "borrow" some poses that you think your SO will like and what seems likely to work best for you. I think this is what Bobinks2 was suggesting in his post. In addition to the General Board and the Playground , you might want to check out the Amateur Pics Feedback forum here at Lit. If a professional photographer did this,the theft of intellectual property would be extremely unethical if not actively illegal, but an amateur who is interested only in private, personal usage is free to "creatively acquire" at will.

I also suggest in making more shots than you plan to use--varying camera angle and other variables. That way, you can discard the ones that aren't quite right and cherry pick the images you like best.

It can be a little time consuming at first, but you'll quickly evelop a feel for what is likely to work once you've examined a few images.

 

[BonBon1976]

I do alot of photography-not erotic but i understand composition...here are some ideas.

Try setting your camera to focus close up...take a picture of yourself chewing your lip or sucking a finger etc where the close up image is the body part you want to focus in on and the rest of the image is softly blurred.

Also changing the colors is good - black and white sepia.

You could try to dress up a bit and do some leg shots or something using the same ideas..have garters showing or something...sorry don't want to plan any shoots for you just giving ideas. if you want some advise on your camera etc post here or pm me

I am not the skinniest person on the planet but have taken some nice shots using these methods myself so I can offer some advice

 

[FoxtrotUnder]

If you turn the camera so the viewing window is pointed to the mirror and the lens is pointed towards you, you can take a fine photograph WITHOUT seeing the camera in the picture.

I'm not sure how this works with your particular phone but you might want to do a bit of experimenting. Seeing the camera in pictures, especially erotic ones, is a pet peeve of mine.

Almost always try to do that but sometimes having short arms sucks

 

[FoxtrotUnder]

Have a drink or whatever loosens your inhibitions a bit, put on something (or nothing) that makes you feel sexy, put on some music and just start snapping away. Take LOTS of pictures, in many poses so when you go through them later you will see what works and does not. Pretty soon, you will be having lots of fun and I bet he will still think you are hot regardless of the baby weight!

Worry isnt of HIM thinkin I'm hot, it's more if he decides to try to be a goober and show me off. I dont want him gettin teased


And all my "sexy" clothes are waitin in line for me to lose some more weight lol! So probably best bet here is nothing hehe

 

[BonBon1976]

okay I took 15 minutes an snapped a couple abstract angles. You get the idea. Then I just desaturated some and changed some to sepia and black and white. These are just quick shots to give you an idea. I don't really think they would pass muster as regular shots but have some art to them.

 

[BonBon1976]

okay I don't know how to ad multiple images. So I will just send them in a message

 

[nakdsub]

As a pro photographer for 35 yrs...

I can tell you that most of everything here is good advice. However, true sexuality comes from with-in. It is your job as the photographer to bring it out in your model.

If you're going to try to pose her in a sexy pose you'll never get a sexy photo. First, figure the half hour of shooting is wasted time. It'll take you that long to get your subject comfortable in front of the camera.

Then you need to get her worked up, talk sexy, get her thinking about sex, get her to make love to the camera.

If you're looking for 1 or 2 sexy photos, take 3 or 4 hundred. If you're lucky, you might get more than 1 or 2.

 

[DrHappy]

Portraits typically look MUCH better if you move the camera away and zoom in, rather than having the camera close and zooming out. I'm not sure that you'll have much flexibility in this regard if you are using a hand-held iphone, though you may, as someone suggested, if you use a mirror.

 

[ErosArtist]

All the replies have given you some excellent pointers and suggestions - I have a couple of more:

First, hire a professional to do some images for you. (This isn't a plug for my professional brethren, I promise.) Be sure it's a photographer comfortable working with nudes and be specific about what you want. When you're in studio or on set, pay attention to what's going on and ask questions. A good studio will have the camera tethered to a monitor so you can see what's happening as it happens; at a minimum, they'll have a mirror set so you can see how you look. You'll have a much better idea of what works and what doesn't for your body with regard to posing. Many photographers will shoot on a trade basis (you'll receive prints or images on a disc in exchange for your allowing them to use your images in their portfolios, etc. Be very clear and direct about usage etc if you do a trade agreement) or for a fee.

Second, pay attention to light. Light is king. A beautiful subject photographed in ugly light will render an ugly photograph. A so-so subject photographed in beautiful light will render a beautiful photograph. Beautiful light is generally regarded as soft and warm toned - think the hour or so just before and just after sunrise or sunset. A cleaned-up background does wonders too.

I hope this adds to the helpful advice you've already gotten. I'll be happy to share the links to my photography work with the nude if you'd like to see how I direct and pose my models; PM me if you're interested.

 

[subwannabe]

Remember that half the picture is mental. I'm not a photographer of sexy models but I'm willing to bet that they take dozens or even hundreds of pictures to get one they truly love.

 

[ErosArtist]

Remember that half the picture is mental. I'm not a photographer of sexy models but I'm willing to bet that they take dozens or even hundreds of pictures to get one they truly love.

Exactly -

Out of a three or four hour session, during which I may shoot over 750 images, I will usually get one or two that I deem 'blogworthy' or gallery-worthy. And quite often, the gallery director will disagree with my opinion.

 

[tustin92614]

Get good at photo editing!! There is some great inexpensive software out there. I use photoshop elements, and I think it was about $60. It's really hard to take a good shot of yourself. If you get something close that you almost like, you can color, crop, make it black/white, add effects, etc. It's also super easy to cut yourself out and put it in an existing picture.

 

[FoxtrotUnder]

Get good at photo editing!! There is some great inexpensive software out there. I use photoshop elements, and I think it was about $60. It's really hard to take a good shot of yourself. If you get something close that you almost like, you can color, crop, make it black/white, add effects, etc. It's also super easy to cut yourself out and put it in an existing picture.

I've got GIMP and Adobe Lightroom. I like to consider myself a decent photographer and editor. Just not too keen on the human form and how to make THAT look good(and kinky!) in a self-portrait. I want to avoid the myspacey looking snapshots. I also dont have the money at the time for professional shots as awesome as that would be!

I plan on trying out a few ideas I have gotten from you lot tomorrow and I will post em here for some feedback if ya wouldnt mind ^-^

 

[FoxtrotUnder]

Added a moderate "sexy" photo from a bit over a year ago (post-baby haha) Just so people might have an idea of who/what they are working with No worries I do feel a bit more daring since that photo so I guess we shall see what tomorrow brings for me!

 

[ErosArtist]

I've got GIMP and Adobe Lightroom. I like to consider myself a decent photographer and editor. Just not too keen on the human form and how to make THAT look good(and kinky!) in a self-portrait. I want to avoid the myspacey looking snapshots. I also dont have the money at the time for professional shots as awesome as that would be!

I plan on trying out a few ideas I have gotten from you lot tomorrow and I will post em here for some feedback if ya wouldnt mind ^-^

Self-portraits are tough, there's no denying that. But, if you want to avoid the "MySpace" look in your photos, you've got to put the camera on a tripod and use a timer or a remote shutter release - both of which may require an upgrade to the camera you have. Or, you can get a girlfriend to take them for you.

Don't pass up on talking to a professional because of $$. Many will shoot you on trade, and the fees may not be as high as you think. Competition is tough. (Since the advent of digital, everybody is a photographer! ) Plus, there are many good amateurs out there that can do the same. There are some model-photographer sites (Model Mayhem is one) where you can search specifically for photographers.

Light Room is a powerful program that should serve you well.

Added a moderate "sexy" photo from a bit over a year ago (post-baby haha) Just so people might have an idea of who/what they are working with No worries I do feel a bit more daring since that photo so I guess we shall see what tomorrow brings for me!

The light is quite good here - keep on trying!