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Mr. sunshine is your friend.
Diffused sunlight is the most flattering light there is. It is such a powerful tool in your arsenal, but many photographers get obsessive over their strobes and toys and rarely ever use it.
Besides the flattering look it gives, the lack of stress and relaxed shooting environment it allows are often overlooked.
You can just sit around and shoot without fiddling with stands and strobes, cables and clips.
Trust me..I curse a whole lot less when I am shooting in natural light.
Also, the dazzling flash of the strobe is a constant reminder to a model that her every move is being photographed. To some models, this brings out glamor in them…they really enjoy it. But more often than not with a less experienced model it makes them tense up and go rigid.

So next time you think that you can only get high gloss pictures glamorous pictures by using a strobe…think again. It’s a finicky tool, as it is subject to the weather report…but one you learn to harness it it will be your favorite go-to light source.

To start with pay attention to rooms in your house at different times of the day. Find one that gets good late day light. If it gets direct sunlight through the window put up a very thin piece of white fabric. Silk or gauze are both good diffusers.

For these pictures I was in a small bright room. The bright close walls gives great bounce to even out the light. Make use to set your camera to spot metering mode, and (in manual mode) expose for the skin and bump up the exposure slowly till you get nice well lit skin. A couple exposure steps up usually does the trick.
For learning purposes stick the model on a bed or chair in the center of the room. Walk around her and -see- where the light is falling and what it does at different angles. There is a huge difference between shooting with the sun at your back, shooting with side lighting and shooting into the sun. If you shoot with the sun behind you you get very flattering shadowless light, such as in the picture above.

If you shoot with side lighting you get subtle shadows and emphasis on the curves as in the shot below. Pay attention to the shadows, such as under the nose to see where the light is coming from in pictures.

When shooting from the shadow side (into the sun) you get maximum emphasis on curves with a lot of edge highlights.
My dear friend Michael Helms calls it “seeing the light” and he couldn’t be more spot on.
Once you can see it, you can use it.

Another note on erotic photography is “the tease.”
Just as the courtship is the most exhilarating part of a relationship, the tease is far more erotic than the actual reveal most times. Don’t get me wrong…I like the nekkid parts just as much…but don’t rush into it.

The unhooking of a bra, the thumb hooked on stockings, the slip of a strap are atomic bombs in the erotic arsenal.
Draw the audience out, make them sweat. It makes the end that much more rewarding.

Give it a try. See how it works.

Then come to our workshop and learn how to really nail the shots.

Ciao,

Conan

The Zivity Photography Bootcamp is an all day intensive workshop geared towards bringing your photography to the next level. Taught by three internationally published photographers recognized as the top in their field, the Zivity Bootcamp is your chance to step up your game in the competitive world of photographing female models. Starring three amazing (and highly sought after) models, the Zivity Bootcamp pulls no stops drawing upon the local fashion and makeup scene as well to bring you a one of a kind event.

Held at the spacious Blue Sky Studio in San Francisco, the Zivity Bootcamp is your chance to work with top talent and your chance to get one-on-one time working with all three models.

Course includes lecture and demonstration of the following topics:

Natural lighting

Studio lighting

Content photography- producing photo”sets”

Model interaction lessons including how to work with a nude model Photo retouching and workflow

Q&A:

Q: Why should I pay twice as much for the Zivity Bootcamp as these other

workshops I see happening?

A: Most other workshops around fall into two categories; the group shoots

and the limited “art nude” workshops. At the group shoots you have a bunch

of photographers and a bunch of models eager for portfolio shots. With little direction and almost no chance to work with the models one-on-one you will never get the shot you are looking for.

At the art nude shoots you get direction but in a very limited scope. Art nude workshops tend to center around beautiful, but a very basic style of photography.

At the Zivity Bootcamp you will get a wide range of instruction and a chance to work one on one with every model and you will get a chance to pick the brains of all the instructors.

Q: San Francisco is too far for me to travel, when are you going to hold a workshop in my area?

A: Good question! Go to http://bootcamp.zivity.com and submit your email to get updates for upcoming photography events. If you have a desire to have us hold one in your area please email us a message with your request: info@zivity.com.

If we get enough interest in your area we would love to come out.

Q: What level of experience do I need to attend this class?

A: All we ask is that you own your own DSLR camera, and know how to work it in manual mode. If you know what the difference is between ISO, Aperture, and Shutter speed you should do fine. This class is geared towards photographers that can use their cameras and want to get better shots.

There won’t be long discussions about lighting math or things like that. We will teach you how to get the shots using the tools on your camera. If we teach you how to “see” the shots you want and get them, that is a lot more valuable than any equation on paper.

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