Photographs of ‘pinup girls’ in magazines, calendars and on posters are nothing less than an American photography tradition; they’ve been around since the 1910s. The ‘pinup’ part comes from the fact that the pictures are meant to be put up where people can see them – inside lockers, on notice boards, and in lunchrooms across the land. They were a particular favorite with American GIs stationed overseas during WWII, and they continue to be popular in mechanics’ workshops across the land.

So what distinguishes pinup photography from other types of photography, and how can you replicate it with your camera? Here’s a list of the unique elements of pinup photography:

#1: Good pinup photography always incorporates a sense of flirty fun. This is often done with the use of props, costumes, and settings. You could have your model pose on the hood of a sexy car in her underwear, wearing a pair of mechanic’s overalls (open suggestively at the top, of course) and holding a wrench, pretending to throw a beach ball, or mowing the lawn in a pair of shorts. Use your imagination! Everyday-type settings are what you’re looking for.

#2: The other element to the ‘fun’ aspect of pinup photography is that the model should always be smiling or laughing. In other types of photography where the end product is designed to titillate, the model may be instructed to look ‘sultry’ or ‘sexy’, but pinup photography is about making the model look friendly and accessible – a sort of ‘girl next door’ effect.

#3: Bright colors are another big feature of pinup photography. Use colorful props, costumes and locations to achieve this. If you judge that your shots aren’t colorful enough straight out of the camera, you can increase the color afterwards in photo editing software. If your program has the option to, increasing vibrancy rather than saturation is a good idea, as this will make bright colors ‘pop’ without making skin tones look unnatural.

Taking pinup-worthy photos is more or less as simple as adhering to the above three principles (oh, and finding an appropriate model…but that’s all up to you!). However, one final piece of advice: get a strong creative vision straight in your head before you start shooting, so that you’re able to give your model clear directions. Look through examples of pinup photography in print and online to get ideas if you need to.

More Tips:

Clothing Tips:

Always have double stick tape… it’s great for those shots where you want maximum cleavage but don’t want any nipple slips.

Straps and strings should not be twisted but should be straight and perfect. Stocking height should match on both legs and be perfectly aligned. Labels on the sexy lingerie should be cut off. Watch out for lines that might be left on her skin from tight fitting clothing. To avoid them, it is best to have her change into something loose fitting, such as a bathrobe, at least 30 minutes before the shooting begins. 

Posing:

When posing, try to move gracefully from one pose to the next. This will give a better transition from each pose and help to make sure you don’t miss the subtle details of each pose. If you move to quick you’ll get blurry pics. Also, sometimes the best shots happen when you least expect it. The photographer will see it and ask you to hold it, or try to shoot it while he can. Keep an eye out for candid, non-posed shots that convey a look of startle or surprise.

Have fun with it. Sometimes the more animated you are the better.

Face the camera but have your eyes face the light furthest to your right or left. This lights up the whites of your eyes and gives of an effect that you have sparkly eyes since its bouncing light back to the camera.

Smile with your eyes… As the old saying goes “the eyes are the windows to your soul” and you must learn how to use your eyes to express the feeling or emotion you are trying to portray. Work on your expressions…remember its all in the eyes. A shy look away from the camera, or from the corner of the eyes can be sensual.

Make a CD with all your favorite songs and play it while you pose… It will help you relax and make it more fun.

Props make a huge difference. In all pinup photos the main focus is the girl, but sooner or later you will run out of poses. That’s where props make a world of difference.

Appearance:

If you are serious about being a pinup… but you love tattoos and feel you must get some ink done try to stay to 1 side of the body… that way you can shoot traditional pinup from one side and edgier stuff from the other… You want to stay multi dimensional.

The Room:

Locate a good area or room to set up the shot. Open, clutter-free rooms are ideal as they afford enough space for complex poses.

Don't forget about the mess in the background. There should be nothing in the shot by accident. If you see a pack of cigarettes in the shot, they should have a purpose and should not just be there because you left them there. 

Lighting:

Do you have a flash on your camera? Shut it off. Flash lighting kills a sexy shot. The lighting from a flash is harsh and leaves hard shadows on the face and body of the lingerie model. Flashes may also leave a shiny/bright area on the face.

If you rely on the normal incandescent or florescent lighting in your house or apartment, you will probably find your lingerie model has a strange blue or greenish tint. Unless you like your model blue or you have professional photography lighting, take your photos during the daytime. Open the windows and use natural sunlight. Do not position your model directly next to the window; otherwise, there will be harsh shadows on one side of her body, or under her eyes, and probably a lot of attention from the neighbors. 

Watch out for harsh shadows, they can either add drama to a shot or completely ruin it. To minimize shadows, many photographers use a reflector on the opposite side of the light source. A reflector might either be a white card, a shiny metallic surface or even a mirror. The purpose of the reflector is to add lighting to the model, to fill in the shadows on the opposite side from the light source. Move the reflector around to see the optimum impact on the shadows.  

Make certain the studio has at least three lighting angles. One key light that acts as an overfill light for the entire subject. Two other lights serve as overhead and fill lights for shadow effects.

Position the model at least 3-feet away from the background. This eliminates odd background shadows and flash reflection problems.

Getting The Shot:

Move around the model and look for the best shooting angle that provides a full and complete composition. Most pin-up poses incorporate the entire body and focus less on any one particular area of the body.

Instruct the model to illicit a pout or wide-eyed expression to better capture that pin up quality. Models are oftentimes shot at very low angles or even top-down from a ladder for a more dramatic effect

Focus on Eyes: It's possible that the camera will only focus on one part of the lingerie model's body and other parts will appear out of focus. This is known as depth of field. In general, it is best if the eyes are sharp and in focus and other parts of the body are out of focus. Many cameras today have the feature that you can aim, and half press the shoot button, hold it there and reposition for the shot. If your camera functions like this, always focus on the lingerie model's eyes. Make sure that they are crisp and clear.  

Plan the shot: Try to imagine the photo in your mind before you do anything else. Make sure that everything that is seen in the photo fits into the image that you would like to create. You want to consider how you want the objects to be placed.  

Frame the model: Think of the camera frame as a box.  Organize the model within the box so that her body is well distributed within. Many people will simply put the lingerie model's face in the center of the frame and shoot.  Instead try shooting the model off center so that her head is in one corner of the shot and her body extends to the opposite corner. You may hear about the rule of thirds, which will not be discussed in detail. But this suggests that the subject of a photo should always be off center.

Minimize Blur:  It is very difficult to get a sharp image while holding a camera, without using a flash. A flash is a no no when shooting a sexy lingerie model. So what do you do? Rest the camera on something (a tripod is best, but lacking that a chair or table will do) and shoot with the timer on. Why the timer? Even pressing the camera button can cause the camera to shake slightly and cause the image to blur. Many lingerie models hate using a timer, because it means they must hold their pose a very long time. But it is the best way to assure a sharp image, unless you have remote control.

Digital Processing: Now you have taken a few photos and it is time to finish them off. Today, photo possessing softwear such as Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro can improve your sexy lingerie model photo. It can take years to master all of the details of these functions. But three simple steps to a better photo are: Crop, contrast / bright, sharpen. Tutorials explaining how to do these steps are available everywhere. It is simple to learn and will take no more than a few minutes for a photo. But these three steps will make many dull and drab photos come to life.  

Review and improve: You are probably not going to get the best shots the first time. Taking great photos of a sexy lingerie model takes experience. After your first shoot, review your work and see what you like about it and what you don't. If your sexy lingerie model is willing (always get permission before posting a sexy photo on the internet), there are web communities where you can discuss the photos and get input from other photographers about what worked and what didn't. Some of the comments may be harsh, judgmental and critical. But some will be helpful and encouraging and if you keep an open mind you will slowly learn how to take quality sexy lingerie model photography.