Sketch legend:
It's often just little things that turn an insignificant photo into an "eye-catcher". And it is often only small mistakes that prevent an average photo from becoming a masterpiece. Paying attention to or avoiding such small - but important - things makes all the difference, and at this point I would like to reveal some of these tricks, which I have acquired myself in the course of my work as an erotic photographer. The aim of this article is to provide the reader with suggestions as to how the effect of nude and erotic photos can be significantly improved by paying attention to seemingly minor details, or to ensure that the corresponding photos are recognized as professional results by the viewer in the first place.
Such a list of tips and tricks always has an arbitrary character and can never be described as complete; rather, I would like to address points that I have repeatedly noticed in my many years of practice and which I therefore consider to be particularly important.
Please note, however, that such focal points are strongly dependent on the personal working style and the intended message of the image as well as the intended use of the photographs. And in future, also pay attention to other things not listed here that you yourself have noticed - positively or negatively - in your photo shoots!
Preparation measures
All nude photographers are sure to agree on one point: pressure points on the model's skin caused by tight clothing such as bras, briefs, sports socks, jeans and watch straps that are too tight should be strictly avoided, as this would destroy the image effect of even the (otherwise) best nude photo. As pressure marks have an astonishing lingering effect, the model should take off tight clothing and jewelry about two hours before the start of the photo session. Of course, all these annoying pressure marks can be retouched away later in an image editing program - such as Photoshop - but why go to more work than is necessary?
If the model in this photo had not taken off her panties in time before the shoot, you would now see the ugly pressure marks in the photo, which would certainly have destroyed the appeal of this erotic shot.
No less important are shaved armpits on the female model. Even if not every viewer attaches importance to this part of body grooming, the prevailing notions of beauty in Central European culture mean that a shaved armpit is preferable to not shaving in beauty shots.
Imagine this photo with unshaven armpits ... There's hardly a better argument for shaving and grooming before photo shoots, is there?
Body painting
Since the seventies, nude photography has increasingly resorted to an art form that deals with painting the human body. The clash of image ideas between photographer and make-up artist can result in synergies as well as friction ("Too many cooks spoil the broth!"). It is therefore essential that the concept for the photos is discussed by the whole team before painting begins. This allows differences to be resolved and a "fit" between body painting and nude photography can be realized. And the nude model, who should preferably be shaved all over (except, of course, for the hair on her head), also benefits from the collaboration, as experience has shown that posing with body paint is easier (the model has the feeling of being less naked).
You should allow sufficient time for painting the model. A professional body painting session can easily take up to three hours, which is why the room available for this should be sufficiently warm and heated. Bear in mind that the model has to remain almost motionless during this time; posing for the camera afterwards will be pure joy...
Use of make-up artists
It will not always be possible to bring in a professional make-up artist or make-up artist for the planned shoot. In many cases, it is completely sufficient in body-oriented nude photography if the model applies her own make-up.
However, in order to fully exploit the model's charisma and natural beauty potential, the skills of make-up artists and hairstylists should be used without reservation. The services of these creative professionals should be used for beauty-style nudes in particular, although sufficient time must be allowed for make-up and hair styling. As a rule, up to two hours should be set aside for this.
However, it should be noted that every era prefers its own make-up and that professionals in this field often prefer the latest trends, which is why the respective era in which the photo was taken can be recognized a few years later based on the make-up alone.
This can be quite a hindrance to your plans to create timeless photos, as they could quickly appear old-fashioned. The same also applies to the model's hairstyle and any accessories used.
The job of make-up artists is to apply make-up in keeping with the spirit of the times. The photo here is from January 2006, but take a look at photos taken 25 or 30 years ago for comparison: You'll be amazed at how easy it is to tell the age of photos just by looking at the make-up!
Time required
When taking nude photos, you should always allow for a period of time that is not required for the time being so that the photo session does not degenerate into a stressful race against time, as good results under such conditions would only be a stroke of luck.
It's amazing how many adverse circumstances can arise just to make our work more difficult as photographers: The model has overslept, the train is late or there is a traffic jam on the A46, a downpour comes during the photo session despite weather forecasts to the contrary, walkers prefer this otherwise deserted wooded area on this day of all days, etc. None of this can be ruled out, even with meticulous preparation, so the only way to avoid unpleasant surprises is to plan a sufficient time buffer (I recommend at least 60 minutes).
Only if you have enough time available can you concentrate sufficiently on the model and build up trust.
"Perfect" models
The times when the person in a good photo was not allowed to be cropped are (thank goodness!) over. And even with nude photos, the model's face no longer necessarily belongs in the photo. On the contrary, the deliberate exclusion of the face (and thus probably also the identification of a personality) can even enhance the image statement. The reason for this may lie in the fact that the viewer of the picture is now invited to contribute his or her own interpretation of the nude.
Even if the - very beautiful - face of this model is not recognizable in this photo, the shot still has its charm. So if it suits the message of the picture, feel free to leave out the face and use a tight crop.
This deliberate "concealment" can also be applied to other parts of the body to give the viewer's imagination more scope. The viewer will now project his or her wishes onto the model, which is only known to him or her in partial views, and thus elevate it to his or her perfect ideal.
What I did with Nicole in this photo may seem somewhat drastic: Arms and legs cropped, which was almost unthinkable 15 years ago. And yet you don't get the impression that anything is missing from this photo.
It's a different story when you move away from beauty nude photography and want to photograph the (average) body of the model in its natural nudity and beauty. In this case, the photographer should definitely discuss the image idea in detail with the model beforehand, as this type of nude photography requires a lot of courage on the part of the model to allow herself to be photographed against the prevailing ideal of beauty.
Posing tips
In most cases, it is only the many little things that distinguish a professionally designed nude photo from an amateurish (or worse: embarrassing) nude photo. These little things are often much more important than choosing an impressive location or the most beautiful model. A good nude photographer is able to take expressive nudes with (almost) any model in (almost) any location under (almost) any lighting conditions.
If necessary, the front seats of your car will do. I wanted this photo to look like a snapshot, hence the angled camera position.
The idea for this actually came to me quite spontaneously while driving through Düsseldorf, actually on the way back to my studio from the photo shoot. I simply pulled over to the side of the road and pressed the shutter 10 times. I didn't have any more time because I was blocking an exit and an angry driver, who seemed to have no sense of erotic art, honked his horn so annoyingly that I finally drove on ...
One of the most important "little things" in nude and erotic photography is choosing a suitable pose for the model to adopt in front of the camera. It should be noted that there is no such thing as the "right" pose: A pose is suitable (correct) if it emphasizes the desired image statement, or at least does not counteract it. Since nude photography is in most cases also beauty photography, choosing the right pose is about the most advantageous representation of the human body, which ideally should almost give the impression of weightlessness and elegance.
Ideally, it should look as if your model is floating weightlessly in space, as if she is flying - but even if you don't have a trampoline available ...
Even if the model is hanging from a steel girder for the shoot, the effort this causes her or him must not be visible in the finished photo. The viewer then only sees the "ideal world", the "erotic dream". If you have achieved this, then you have done everything right. Incidentally, the photo was not digitally processed at all.
The 33-year-old model really was hanging for a brief moment from one of the steel beams that support the ceiling under the gallery in my studio. A ladder, which I had to pull away quickly just before the shutter release, helped her to grab the beam.
It's more difficult when you have to direct two models at the same time so that they both look equally advantageous - and sexy. In most cases, this means that your models should pose stretched out so that no wrinkles are visible in the photo.
The model's feet are always a problem for nude photographers. It is best to photograph them at an angle of approx. 45° (or 315°) to the axis of the lens; photographed directly from the front or back, feet look stubby, photographed at right angles they look large and bulky.
Also make sure that the model's toes are not pulled in, which happens regularly as soon as the model is cold or cramps up at the start of the shoot. The same also applies to the fingers (clenched fist)!
As already mentioned, these are all subtleties - but they make up a large part of the image effect.
Eroticism through the "sweat" effect
A frequently practiced "trick" among nude and erotic photographers is to enhance the erotic image with sweaty, shiny hair and skin. To achieve this, the model's skin is first smeared with oil. I use ordinary cooking oil for this - not only is it cheaper, but the desired glossy effect lasts for an unusually long time, as cooking oil, unlike normal body oil, does not absorb into the skin. The next step is to spray the skin and hair with water. Atomizers, which are usually used for spraying houseplants, are well suited for this.
Pre-treatment with cooking oil makes the water droplets bead on the skin, which has a more erotic effect and looks nicer than a simple sheen.
Wet hair also supports the erotic image. However, make sure that your model is not freezing, as freezing models quickly lose interest in taking photos. If you don't want to keep the room completely at a high temperature, it's best to use a radiant heater that is about 2 m away from the model to keep her warm.
Details
To increase the expressive power of a picture, you should sometimes choose an unusual, narrow image section; light telephoto lenses and macro lenses are best suited for this purpose, which offer the possibility of capturing individual details (e.g. eyes, chest, mouth, bottom) filling the format up to a scale of 1:1 (such as the AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 2.8/105mm). As far as the lighting of the details to be photographed is concerned, the whole range of lighting accessories is available, as in other areas of nude photography.
In addition, there are so-called ring flashes, which are attached to the front of the lens and allow shadow-free illumination of the subject, even if the distance from the lens to the object to be photographed is only a few centimeters. Macro lenses, in which the ring flash is already built into the lens, are used in particular for dental photography.
The buttocks and breasts of (female) models are probably the most frequently photographed details in erotic photography.
However, eyes (seductive gaze!) and (sensually open) mouth should not be underestimated in their effect on the viewer!
Inappropriate backgrounds
Depending on the location, however, isolated elements in the background, often small and inconspicuous, can have a clearly disturbing effect in the photo. These can even make the entire photo unusable if you didn't pay attention to their presence during the shoot. At best, the photos can still be saved, but only with extensive editing in Photoshop. However, it is always better to avoid capturing the disturbing elements in the first place by clever cropping or set design during the shoot.
We are talking here about objects that are standing, lying or hanging somewhere in the background of the picture, such as the famous socket, which can often be seen in nude photos taken in the home. Other examples are chair legs, radiators, flower pots, cut briefcases, electric cables, the photo of Aunt Frieda in the gold frame, sofa corners and many more that are a nuisance in the makeshift photo studio.
But you also have to watch out for such "troublemakers" when shooting outside: Overhead power lines, carelessly discarded garbage, signposts, educational boards in botanical gardens, or even sun-hungry tourists on the beach in Fuerteventura walking through the background of the picture (especially in wide-angle shots!).
Now, it is not necessarily the case that all of these things listed as examples have to be removed from the background by the photographer. You just have to make sure that they are deliberately included in the background; otherwise they have to be removed (before the photos are taken or afterwards in Photoshop). Or the image section can be changed by changing the location, focal length or format, which is preferable to retouching the photos afterwards.
In this case, deliberately shot means that the objects contribute their part to the image statement, which can also mean that the socket, for example, makes it clear to the viewer that the photos were taken in a private home. In this case, however, the background of the picture should contain a few more things that are usually found in private homes to improve credibility.
Models in motion
In sport, it is common practice to depict (fast) movement using wiping effects. This technique was adopted and popularized in artistic nude photography by the Czech Miloslav Stibor, who had already captured his very own view of graceful dancers on film in the 1960s. His timelessly beautiful, aesthetically pleasing nudes radiate a lightness that almost makes you think Stibor's models have found a way to escape gravity ... Further inspiration for this can be found in sports and theater photography.
Flying hair conveys an impression of dynamism. In erotic photography, however, the viewer can also interpret this as temperament, "wildness" or sexual ecstasy.
Wiping effects
It is a different matter if it is not the model but the camera that moves, naturally during a sufficiently long exposure time, for example by quickly turning the camera clockwise or anti-clockwise, by zooming, by briefly and violently wobbling back and forth, or by quickly moving the housing in (only) one direction ("wiping").
The effect depends on the speed of the movement, the type (see above), the exposure time used (exposure times between 1/8 second and several seconds are recommended), and the focal length used (with a telephoto lens, a slight movement will understandably result in clearer wiping effects than with a wide-angle lens).
I have often used the fact that blurred photos in erotic photography look "hotter" because they are "more real" to enhance the image. I exposed this shot with a shutter speed of 1/8 of a second and moved the camera. When I presented the photo results of our shoot to the two models afterwards, they were amazed at how "sexy" the photos had turned out, because the shoot itself was rather sedate and boring ...
The great thing about digital photography is that you can immediately check the result on your camera's display to see if it matches your image idea and your expectations. With wipe effects in particular, you can't predict exactly how much blurring and how long the shutter speed will be in order to achieve the desired effect. Just try out a few different time-shake combinations!
Act sequences
Sequences, i.e. the succession of several individual photos, are ideal for telling a (short) story. Everyone is familiar with the striptease motif, where a woman (or a man) wears one or more items of clothing less in each subsequent photo. The model's gradual undressing is intended to make the viewer curious for "more", to increase suspense and anticipation. Build up an (erotic!) arc of suspense with such a sequence of images!
But many more possibilities (stories) are conceivable! However, make sure that you don't include too many individual photos in the sequence - after all, you are a photographer, not a filmmaker! It is all too easy for the viewer to get the impression that you are trying to attract attention with "cheap tricks". Careful selection of the photos used for the sequence is more important for success than not being able to make a decision.
Incidentally, sequences do not always have to be "logical" in the strict sense, as "funny" or "surreal-looking" image sequences can also captivate the viewer.
For example, the "striptease motif" sequence can be modified in such a way that the model always wears different clothes ...
... or that although the same items of clothing can always be seen and one less is always shown in the photo, a different model wears the (remaining) items of clothing each time.
The "uncovering" of a beautiful woman is the most frequently realized sequence in erotic photography. But why not? Such series of pictures are always beautiful to look at again and again, and they ensure that the viewer can let their imagination wander ...
Creative experiments
Nude photography in particular is dependent on finding new ways and possibilities beyond all clichés in order to defend its raison d'être again and again against backward contemporaries. Simply photographing beautiful bodies is no longer enough to secure its existence alongside the other branches of photography. Much more than in any other photographic sub-discipline, the nude photographer has to satisfy the artistic demands of an "enlightened" society. A nude photo "only" as a documentation of beauty (of the human body) is often frowned upon - whereas this is precisely what is expected of animal and landscape photography, for example. And yet the desire for new forms of expression can also arise from one's own inner drive; even if it is only due to a coincidence or a brief flash of inspiration, which should not diminish the value of the result.
I always try to try out new things. This can be a new perspective, a new way of lighting (backlighting!), new props, etc. And only rarely have I been disappointed with the result, because the resulting photos were usually much more interesting and creative than any of my previous photographs. So here's my advice: try something new, even if you can't imagine that the result could be successful! To make sure that a certain proportion of the photos will be "usable", you can start with the "duty" first (i.e. you photograph as usual, with a tried and tested lighting setup, in a tried and tested way, etc.) and then devote yourself to the "freestyle" (i.e. experiments with an uncertain outcome) in the second part. You will be surprised how extraordinary you are able to photograph if you just jump over your "shadow"!
This photo is the first in a whole series in which I have tried to include various parts of my studio flash system - like a fetish, so to speak - in my photographs. Normally you take great care to ensure that the lamp heads etc. disappear from the picture, but I deliberately wanted to include the various parts of my photographic equipment as props.
Although light reflections from the large Para screen fell into the lens and became visible in the photo, I really like this photo because it is very atmospheric due to the backlighting and at the same time shows a "typical" studio situation.
Unusual ways of seeing
Photography actually thrives on the ordinary, the banal. Everyday things photographed in an unusual way - that is the art that gives us photographers the attention that is so important to us as a reward for our work. Macro photography is the embodiment of this principle. And the detailed shots of the human body described in the chapter "Erotic details" also make use of the fact that the human eye is used to always seeing complex relationships and looking at things globally. Nevertheless, the human eye does not miss such details - only that they are perceived rather fleetingly, which is why the exhibition visitor enjoys looking at detailed photos in all the peace and quiet that is otherwise not available to them. And the situation is similar with photographs that for some reason deviate from the conventional view.
In this photo, it is the unusual perspective resulting from the wide-angle effect from which the woman lying on the sofa was photographed that makes what is actually an ordinary photo unusually interesting. The viewer is used to looking at the world from a "normal" perspective (as an adult, standing up) and is surprised when his expectations are "disappointed" in a positive sense.
A sample contract for a model release is available as working material.
