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How
to Take Better Dirty Pictures
Or: Mikey’s Guide to Photographing Naked Babes.
(or maybe just,"How to photograph nudes")
Me
Let me start by saying I am not a writer. Mandy is the literary
talent here and I simply point and click my camera. What she
creates with her beautiful mind, I create with my eyes (and
shutter finger).
She offered her considerable editing skills to this article,
but I thought it might be better for you to see me as I am,
proof that you don’t have to be literate or even smart
to take nice photos.
I see, I love, I click the shutter..
Over time I have learned a few things while clicking that shutter
and I’m passing ‘em on here.
Let’s start with the essentials--
All women are beautiful
The Babe: It doesn’t
matter what she looks like. All women are worth photographing
partly or fully naked and it’s just a matter of concentrating
on her best qualities. If she'll willing, do it... just like
sex!
The Camera: I’m
starting with the assumption that you are shooting with a digital
camera. (Nikon just announced it’s discontinuing their
film cameras). A photo is a photo…and the digital image
is now.
You must have a camera that takes 4 or 5 million pixel photos
(or more commonly called megapixels as in 5 megapixels).
Even the newest automatic point-and-shoot cameras are 4 or more..so
odds are you are fine.
If you are serious you will need a single lens reflex camera
with changeable lenses and an add-on flash. These cameras cost
between $800 and $2,000. (I shoot with a Canon 5D and with the
extra battery, two lenses, a flash attachment and 2 gig memory
card, It costs almost $5,000. There are four things you get
with this set-up: 1: a flash to bounce off the ceiling, 2: a
choice of “wide” or “long” lenses. 3:
it shoots FAST and often, with no delay or pause between shots.
(This is important when your model is rolling around like a
cat in heat and you’re trying to capture the action),
and 4: big file sizes allow you to crop into the photo later,
improving the odds that you have a nice final photograph.(The
big memory card helps here too, it stores big files and allows
you to shoot hundreds of photos without having to stop shooting
and download the pics from the camera).
Having said that, today’s point-and-shoots have zoom lenses
for flexibility , shoot big files and have great built in light
meters to take the worry out of exposure. The built-in flash
is the biggest draw back...so see if you can find one that allows
a flash to be added. If you shoot outdoors…there’s
no real difference between them and a SLR.
Then there’s the old Polaroid.
So
you have the girl and a camera, she has fixed her hair and put
on makeup, now you're ready to get on with the nuts and bolts
of taking photos.
Where to Shoot:
Outdoors...Getting naked is easy in the country
but gets more difficult in the suburbs and near impossible in
the city (unless you are very adventuresome).
Try the back yard (with a high fence) It provides
lots of light, no flash needed and if you keep her in the soft
shadows with a plain background, the effect is pretty much like
being in the studio with a simple no-seam paper background.
The
soft light of a shady back yard works well. The plain wall could
pass for the studio.
Indoors is the easier option. You have privacy
and can shoot day or night. (You know she is probably
more in the mood late at night). Make the surroundings comfortable
with music and anything else that’ll feed the mood (dirty
vids?). Some interiors give you a wealth of opportunities but
more often than not, the bare apartment or hotel room hampers
creativity and you have to either treat it as a plain background
or be creative and use the space to make a statement. Make it
more interesting by staying out of the bedroom. Consider the
bath, kitchen and hallway as options, or maybe where you have
your miniature trains set up.
These
interiors vary widely, They don't always have to be "attractive"
to make the photo work.
Go with what is available and let it guide you to tell a story.
But You Have to Light the Indoors:
Don't be intimidated. There are only four ways
to shoot indoors: 1: By daylight coming through the window.
2: Room light (letting the lamps and overhead bulbs do the job...the
photos usually come out soft and blurred, but the effect is
often dramatic and artsy. It also softens the model and can
be quite flattering. 3: Direct in-camera flash. This is the
only flash option with a point-and-shoot camera. The results
usually look amateurish but can be used to make harsh revealing
studies as well..never flattering to the model! 4: My fave:
bouncing an adjustable flash unit off the ceiling. This creates
a good overall light that imitates studio lighting and allows
you to shoot fast with good exposures and captures any action
without blurring. 90% of what I shoot is lit this way.
Daylight
is dramatic, but limiting.
Direct
in-camera flash is revealing and dramatic, but rarely flattering.
The
room light on the left (in this case a near-by table lamp) is
very different than the bounce-flash lighting on the right.
Each has it's time and place. Below is an example of how to
use bounce-flash.
The
flash shoud be pointed at the ceiling, slightly behind you.
The light bounces down with a well lit, flattering overall effect.
(See
a page of photos to compare all these lighting techniques, here)
Ready, Set, Shoot:
Tell the model to look at the camera at all times (eye contact
makes for a better photo, trust me).This is the time to try
expressions...tell her, “smile”, “pout”,
“be mean”, or simply, “be natural, no expression”..
discover what works best and stay with that.
With
each of these models I found their best expression early and
stayed with it for the entire session.
Shoot wide...take two steps closer, shoot some more, then get
even closer, shoot some more (at this point look for the best
details of her body and face, while avoiding the less attractive
parts..scars..wrinkles..pimples..bad teeth...every woman is
different and what is good for one body ain’t for another).
This is the time to find her best qualities and focus on them.
Finally, get up close to the nitty gritty....or as they say
in the porn world, "the money shot".
Seem complicated? Not at all. You just have to concentrate on
a few things… talk to her, remind her to look at the camera,
tell her often that she looks GREAT, (yes, that old cliché
of a photographer saying. “yes, yes, baby… great,
great, show it to me...beautiful”, works!. Say it!). Keep
moving side to side, closer and closer...That’s it!
If she doesn’t seem to know what to do, give her a prop;
cigarettes are a fave. Sex toys might make her feel awkward,
common everyday items can make her more comfortable and be used
to create a narative.
Xmas lights as a prop?
Why not?
Having her go through a change of clothing is a two edged sword.
On one hand you get variety (especially if you can’t change
the environment), but changing clothes takes time, can kill
the mood, and if she gets pre-occupied with her wardrobe, she
might lose interest altogether. I recommend you start with her
dressed and have her take things off slowly. She can get used
to you taking her picture, you can feel her out (that’s
feel her out not up), Do all this in the wide
shots…as you get warmed up and move in closer, you don’t
want her fussing with getting undressed. When it is starting
to feel right, get those clothes off. But I shouldn’t
have to tell you that! Leaving one small piece of clothing is
good for adding interest, so the shoes, stockings or a few pieces
of jewelry can stay.
Edit and Fix:
If you want to do great conversions of your photos to black
and white or sepia, clean up pimples and unsightly blemishes,
and correct exposure errors, you need to use Photoshop or the
software program that comes with your camera. You don’t
need to be an expert, but will need to manage final file sizes
for the internet as well as preparing galleries for web publishing.
I’ll show ya a few examples of my alterations after taking
pics out of the camera, but if you want to get really good at
it, you’ll need a book or a class. (This is a good time
to remind you to copy ALL the photos before you make
the cuts. Save 'em...you may want to go back and look again
long after you've edited).
Top
left: The original photo of Bridget the Midget, taken
in her back yard against the garage in daylight. Top right:
Lightened and converted to black and white. Bottom left: Altered
in photoshop with a filter. Bottom right: My final version,
cropped and altered in photoshop. This is the beauty of digital
photography. I managed to take a fairly ordinary photo and (I
think) make it special.
I hope these notes along with the examples pulled from my photos
at MikeyandMandy.com
will make it easier (and more fun) for you to get great dirty
photos from your models-lovers-hookers-adventuresome friends.
In the end the actual picture taking techniques you use will
be up to you…you could probably teach me some things.
Ten Tips for Photographing Women:
1: Concentrate. Good photos don’t happen
by casually snapping away...pay attention to every detail as
you shoot.
2: Shoot a lot. Remember, the photos
are free, now that digital has replaced film. You may find it
weird to throw out 9 out of 10 photos, but even the best pros
only use one out of ten shots. In the end, no one needs to know
what it took to get to those 15 great photos.
3: Be prepared to lead or
be lead by your model. A shoot can go either
way and you have decide early on. A tough call…you have
to see if she can take direction from you or just go wild, while
you try to keep up and capture the action. Just like sex.
4: NEVER show her the photos as you shoot…NEVER.
Show her the first test shot maybe..(she may insist)..but after
that it’s like letting her look in the mirror…and
she’ll get very uptight.YOU have to be in control of the
photoshoot.
5: Don’t confuse the photoshoot with sex.
Be professional, leave your clothes on, don’t touch without
asking. If it’s your girlfriend or wife, save the sex
for after…you’ll be plenty hot.
6: Be flexible under changing circumstances.
You may start with one idea, but as you start shooting, things
can take on a life of their own…go with the flow.
7: Shoot fast…don’t stop for long.
If’s she’s getting into it, you don’t want
to break the mood.
8: Review the photos calmly in the light of day…(the
next day). You’ll be more objective after a few
hours. After you’ve edited and found the best ones, make
a few nice prints for your model.
9: Cover your ass. Be sure you have a signed
photo release. Don’t have one?…Google “photo
releases” and print one. Be sure you record the age of
your model, and have a copy of two forms of I.D. showing her
age. Take a photo of her holding the I.D. next to her face,
br sure you can read the birthdate and name.Be sure she signs
the release before she leaves the studio ( house, location,
whatever). If you have to get one later in the mail, it may
never happen, and you will NOT have the rights to use those
photos, regardless of any verbal agreement. Yes, this includes
your wife or best friend!
10: Study other photographers. Start with mine.
Look at the galleries found on MikeyandMandy
and you can see a pattern, the above notes will become obvious.
Don't like my photos?...look hard at someone else's work, (
Bob Coulter, for instance) and see if you can spot a consistant,
useable approach to apply to your work.
BONUS Tip: Keep it fun!
Want to see 100 of my favorite photos?...Click
Here!
Michael C Gross (aka: Mikey) Contact
Me Here
PS: See
my article, "How to start your own pay site"
Michael C
Gross is an award winning art director: National Lampoon,
Esquire, Heavy Metal, as well a free lance
designer for The Rolling Stones, John Lennon, The
Muppets, and the Mexican Olympics (1968).
He has his art and design displayed in 5 museums around the
world.
He was a film producer for 15 years producing such movies as:
Heavy Metal, Ghostbusters (1and 2) Twins, Dave
and six others as well as three TV shows. He has 4 Emmy
nominations.
His photography is published world wide and his
personal site has examples of his art, design and photography.
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