February 10, 2010
“Birth and Life” of Glamour Images: Past and Future
As a prominent artistic school, Glamour Photography has been altered dramatically through the past years; knowledge of what happened to it earlier can give us the clue of what awaits glamour images in the future. Glamour photography has seen a number of downfalls and artistic revolutions before it achieved its modern condition.
Let us have a short walk through the past years of Glamour Images and then venture forth to predict some of their future.
Childhood. It is a very controversial issue of where the history of glamour photography really begins. Some derive it from so-called “French postcards” which were quite popular in the streets of Paris in the early 1900’s, some address to Victorian pioneers of this art. Some think that cultural foundation and inspiration for glamour images lies in XVI and XVIII centuries. So, to be honest, glamour photography is a really a child of uncertain origin. My personal point of view is that both modern and classic arts were equally involved in the process - 1920’s and 30’s were the real boiling point of world culture, and this genre is likely to have been born in exactly this period of time. Also, it is from the first half of 20th century that the history of classic beauty photography can be traced.
Brilliant 50’s and Beyond. After World War II, glamour images reached the apex of their glory, closely followed by controversy and outrage. Shining star of Betty Grable was in zenith ever since pre-WWII time; thank to Marylin Monroe beauty photography gained open support and recognition, as this world-famous actress appeared on Playboy’s front in 1953. Pamela Green and other famous and charming models contributed to glorifying glamour photography at its finest, winning the heart of audience worldwide.
Modern Times – Going Digital. Color wasn’t the only achievement that glamour images acquired - they turned into something more creative and provocative. Hope Talmons and Dita Von Teese gave way to Heidie Van Horne, Bernie Dexter, Lucy Pinder and others. As it happened, film gave way to digital photography. The tidal wave of progress improved glamour images’ technical quality and drastically simplified the very process of photo production. Any amateur with a DSLR became a potential glamour photographer. In a combination with Web technologies, this was like a clamor of billions and billions of both talented people and senseless dabblers.
Are you Afraid of 3D? At long last, 3D art hits the stage, offering computer graphics as an arguable alternative to photography. Though nobody doubts it is art, 3D appears to rival not only the photography techniques but artists and models themselves. I strongly believe that no artificial computer rendering can ever excel the natural beauty and genuine work of a talented artist. If it is really a competition between old and new, I would like to remain on the side which has a beating heart, long hours of studio work and live relationship to it.
I feel optimistic about the future – oils, film and digital have found their admirers and seem immortal. 3D art undoubtedly deserves for its own niche and admirers. It is not technology that is behind each glamour picture – it’s the soul, the inspiration and the dedication: that of photographer and the model. A true artist at heart can never forget this simple truth – so you remember it as well.
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Nowadays almost any prominent artist – or the one with desire for prominence – needs to be appropriately represented in online world. The Glamourous Photography niche is exactly alike –lots and lots of websites, blogs and online portfolios are created online every single day.
What urges both professional and dummies to set up their online havens? There are several reasons for that:
- It is extremly popular to go onlin right now – every day the pressure to be online increases, mostly because it is such a rewarding place for building a huge following without the need to spend big money. The Web is a great field for self-PR - contrary to offline promotion, this strategy is more flexible, inexpensive and time-saving. Using this modern publishing mechanisms it is relatively easy to become an established authority in very little time;
- Like any other professional community, glamour photographers need to establish communication, exchange experiences, show off their latest works, find prospective customers, learn and teach. The online world makes all of it doable with little expense from photographer’s side;
- With Glamour Photographs actively exploiting digital format, it has become much easier to host them in electronic format, skipping the stage of actual printing. There’s no need to involve film any longer – ergo, digital photos can be conveniently stored on one’s hard drive, showcased in online galleries and easily displayed in one’s Internet glamour portfolio.
Considering this trend, you might as well want to establish your little online haven to market your expertise, trade your skills, share your knowledge and boast your proficiency. While I wholly approve of this decision, I recommend you to try blogging format before building an actual Internet site. I can name at least six most important reasons to start up a glamour images blog.
To begin with, there’s nothing simpler on the Web than blogs - to use them effectively, you don’t have to be a pro of HTML, CSS and suchlike specialized stuff. In this case everything you need would be to acquire a domain name, a reliable hosting service; then you simply install the desired platform for blogging. Blogs are highly customizable, so you would be able to create both unique design and layout for your online home. Adding new content is a quick and effortless process, so you will not be overwhelmed with complicated tasks and will be able to update regularly and efficiently.
Have you ever thought why artists and infopreneurs turn to blogs more willingly than traditional internet sites? This is due to them being more comprehensive. Establishing the connection between the author and the readers is very important; blogs help to accomplish it by initiating the dialogue - the very thing most websites fail to do. Tell your audience that you are concerned about what they think - and the efforts will pay off.
To be honest, the peak of blogs’ popularity is yet to come - this trend is rising rapidly. Blogging is hot, so there’s no wonder that thousands of individuals get involved in this growing community. You can also jump in – provide some wise insight, create valuable content, market yourself and communicate with your readers. This will make you stand out of the crowd, gain credibility and establish firm foothold in the online world.
Besides, blogging is a very flexible instrument; when it comes to functionality, it is unrivalled in terms of both quality and quantity. It can be you own article directory and collection of useful tips on glamour photography. Your blog can become a “hall of fame” with your glamour pictures in it, a showcase of your infoproducts, a platform for marketing your profession of glamour photographer etc. The functions of your blog are only limited by your creativity and imagination.
Fifthly, blog has a great potential for monetization. It is more than possible for an accomplished artist to make money from mere blogging - by advertising, marketing their expertise and goods, selling their works, providing training programs and a dozen of other original ways. Indeed, it is a flexible and lucrative instrument for increasing your income.
Last but not least, your blog is the web version of your personality. You can’t possibly promote yourself more effectively than through your very own glamour blog. Even considering strong competition in the world of glamour images, you still possess everything required to find and occupy your well-deserved place in it.
The fact we live in informational society is often under-estimated. Information is at the same time a resource, a product and a tool. Any glamour photographer can make great use of online world for themselves. Reaching the world through blogs is just one of the strategies to secure income and acquire credibility. Fine arts are going digital; the Web opens up a whole universe of prospects - don’t be a slow-poke and jump on the wagon.
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Nude portraits undoubtedly belong to the most popular subgenres of glamour photography. But how does one make it look artistic rather than vulgar? I would like offer you some general insight on how artistry can be achieved in shooting nude portraits.
Nude portraits are not about our physical desires – they are all about art. Even the most brazen nude picture must have a touch of idea and concept to it - otherwise it’s anything but art. This is all theory though – to hell with it, it’s high time to see how it is done in practice!
I offer you 7 useful tips that will help you take off into the world of nude Glamour Photographs with some knowledge of the subject and, hopefully, great motivation.
- Balancing artistry and vulgarity is a must: you don’t want the latter, you want the former. Accentuate the natural curves of model’s body, nuances of texture, light and shadow - great nude images emerge out of these visual trifles. Unless you know what you’re doing, refrain from depicting genitals - not many photographers know how to make them look appropriate on a nude glamour portrait. Learn to trust your photographer’s intuition - if you manage to develop a firm understanding of what will work and what will not, you shall benefit from it in the future;
- Don’t overload your model with trinkets and jewelry – when it comes to nude photography, human body must dominate the shot. Think small, sophisticated and well-balanced items that could add some glamorous and beguiling touch to your concept;
- Refrain from using hot lights during a nude photo session, unless you want to turn it into some kind of a desert. It’s always better to use cold lights – they are more economizing, they don’t make everyone in a studio sweat and they are very powerful tools to make a great photo. In order to acquire more subtle light, use soft-boxes. Actually, always try to make light as soft as possible – it creates a proper mood;
- Watch out for the proportions: shooting from too high or too low might make your model look either a long-legged giraffe or a humpty-dumpty. You don’t want any of that, do you?
- Unleash your artistic nature. Different poses, lighting angles or backdrops and accessories will certainly deliver you several great variations on the same motif;
- Shoot, shoot, shoot and did I mention shoot? Really, the more you shoot - the more good pictures you will have to pick later. That’s why professional glamour artists produce thousands of photos per studio shoot - to choose 10 to 20 really good pictures in the end;
- Try to reach mutual understanding with the person you shoot. She is not just an element within the frame – she is your vital partner and your very best friend when it concerns working in a studio. She is not simply posing nude but co-creating. A model who doesn’t feel comfortable can ruin the shot, however skilled you are!
Nude photography is not easy – nor is Glamour Photography in general. Everything can be accomplished, however, if you try hard and do your best. Remember – a journey of thousand miles begins with one step! Or, in our glamour photographers’ case – with one flash.