30 Tips for Pinup Models
Pinup Tips for a successful photo shoot. Printed with permission from Varga Photography. You can also catch him at his Myspace page: Roy Varga’s Myspace.
- It’s all in the face… I don’t care if you’re flat as a wall or have curves for days if you’re good at making faces that’s all that matters…
- Props make a huge difference…in all pinup pics the main focus is the gal of course…but sooner or later you will run out of poses… that’s where props make a world of difference… plus they are fun and you can play make believe.
- Always have a backup plan I don’t care if it’s a backup outfit or a backup location you always have to be ready… ha-ha one time a gal showed up in what she was wearing and 1 other outfit that didn’t match… yeah those are the rough ones.
- When it comes to hair and makeup leave it to the professionals… I mean personally I don’t know jack about hair and makeup. I just tell my gal to make’m pretty… but in my experience if your gonna go all out and make the effort to take pinup pictures… go that ‘lil extra and be sure to get a hair and makeup person.
- Get an old Varga pinup book or an old Bettie page pinup book something with alot of pictures… And sit in front of a mirror and try to make the faces that the gals make…its all in the face….that’s what tells the story…and that’s what makes the difference between a good picture and a bad picture…some people cant make all the right faces…
- Make a cd with all your favorite songs and have the photographer play it while you pose… It will help you relax and make it more fun
- Ok this one sucks but it makes a world of difference on outside shoots…practice posing while looking towards the sun without squinting… I know its hard and you might see dots after… but it helps a lot without door shoots
- 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
- You would think this one was common sense…but if you know that you will be shooting that day try to be freshly shaved….you would be surprised how many spiky pits I have to air brush…
- This one is for the hair dyers…this rule applies to all gals with colored hair, but blonds are usually the ones that break this rule…. always try to have freshly dyed hair for a shoot… it’s a pain to Photoshop roots.
- Nude shoots…trust me hun we do not care what you look like naked… it’s funny when a gal wants to pose nude or semi nude and they are trying there best to make sure the photographer or the crew doesn’t see anything…trust me no one really cares we just want the shot…. it’s all about being professional and the time you waste being shy can be used to take a great pic…
- Always have double stick tape… it’s great for those shots where you want maximum cleavage but don’t want any nipple slips.
- Try to limit who you bring along to your shoot…most photographers don’t mind if you bring a friend as long as they don’t get in the way… it’s always good to bring a friend cause you never know the guy could be a psycho… personally I prefer gals bring a female friend. Cause it’s kinda awkward to have a gal half naked or dressed sexy and the boyfriend is there watching you…
- Try not to party too hard the night before a shoot… some girls forget this and show up hung over…..
- When modeling for the first time try to do some warm up shoots first… this will help relax you… as for me I usually have the gals save the sexiest outfit or their favorite outfit for last since usually by that point they are well relaxed.
- Always try to be on time or early for a shoot I know this just seems obvious but you would be surprised how often gals are late… especially in cases like mine where I like to shoot right at sun set… if your late 1hr… I can’t be faulted for the picture quality… when shooting at sun set you have maybe 2hrs of perfect light at best… so if your late your pictures will be effected.
- Try not to bring a camera along when you model… most photographers will allow a few souvenir pics… but you have to understand any pics taken at a shoot are property of the photographer unless given permission.
- Don’t ever get a big head… I hate when gals hit me up and feel that I should be honored to work with them… I treat every gal the same I don’t care who she is…
- Have fun with it… it’s funny cause it’s when a gal is most silly that we get the best pictures. It may feel lame to make those Betty Boop faces but sometimes they come out the best… the more animated you are the better.
- You have to adapt to what’s around you. A good model can make anything look good. I once had a gal complain that a car wasn’t curvy enough for her.
- When posing try to keep your tongue firmly pressed against the roof of your mouth… this will help make your face slimmer and cut down the double chin action.
- Every one gets nervous from time to time but try not to self medicate. It sucks when you’re shooting a gal and she’s super high or extremely drunk. I mean I understand you might want to take the edge off… But know your limits cause it’s not gonna look so hot when you turn out cockeyed in your pics
- 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.
- Amber Marie-“Point your toes. Nothing ruins the smooth, swan-like grace of a lady’s legs in nylons than a 90 degree ankle. The higher the heels, the closer to god!”
- Always… always have the matching set… You have no idea how many times a shoot has not gone the way it was supposed to cause the gal didn’t have the matching set of bra and panties…this is very important…
- 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.
- Here is a good tip when posing for a pinup shoot 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 that light back at the camera.
- No clear heals. I can’t tell you how many gals have shown up with the striper shoes… I mean if your dancing on a pole they are perfect but unless you plan on doing a booty clap for some $1’s then I suggest you leave them at home…unless its a fetish shoot then its fine.
- Have a freaken clue… Ok so I always get gals who just show up the day of their shoot with whatever they tossed in a bag, and they say ” I am open to anything whatever you want” I am sure that they think this is a great thing for me a chance to have free range and all. But you see, its not. When I do a shoot I plan every thing from the outfit to the background down to any detail that may affect the image. So when a gal shows up with no plan /no ideas it really is more of a pain and they are most likely going to end up with just a plane paper backdrop. Which isn’t bad just not original or one of a kind.
- Ok this one is one of the things I hate most. Now let’s get it straight the one on the left is a corset. It shapes it flatters it has boning, it’s amazing. The one on the right is a big rip off that every one has in multiple colors and looks good on almost no one; it’s basically a glorified tube top. I personally hate them and refuse to shoot any one in them… So please invest in a real corset and lose the tube tops
I hope these have helped you out a bit. Just a few things I’ve learned the hard way. If you need some more help or advice feel free to hit me up.
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I have a pin up shoot coming up, my first one and I’m glad I came across this. Thanks for sharing your wisdom!!! :)
I’m looking into being a photography, specializing in glamour/pin-up. These are great tips. I love the one about corsets. Personally, I think the one on the right looks great on curvy women but look horrible and unflattering on skinny women. I understand why you wouldn’t use them though. The one on the left is a true vintage style.
What kind of lighting do you use?
I love the tips. I aspire to do more modeling especially pinup… I am wondering what sets apart two beautiful women who both do these things… its so hard to make it out there.any tips on that?
Thank you so much for putting the tips up. I love pin up and want to do one myself and these tips will help a lot. I just want to prove that you don’t need to be a model or a “sexy” woman to have them look nice. Plus not many natural red heads seem to be doing them.
Thanks for the tips! Very helpful! And so right about the expression and eyes
This is a great article! I’m just about to start my pin up blog and your article will be a great source of information.
This was very helpful, I am looking to do a pin up for my boyfriend as a gift. I am not a model, so this info will help me to make the gift the best it can be.
Thanks!
can you recommend me to a studio that does this in houston texas? One that doesnt cost an arm and a leg? Thank you
Hi Janell,
Most pro photographers travel and set up shoots all over. Trent Sherrill, is one I know goes to TX, but he’s not the only one. I suggest looking at Pinup Lifestyle for photographers or to search around on Facebook and ask other girls. They shouldn’t be hard to find. – pikesan
I have my first pinup shoot coming up next tuesday!
A lot of the tips over here helped a lot. I’d only like to get some more information on the Ligthing setup at studio’s because I can’t really find anything matching a pinup shoot.
Great tips, except for #29. Just like a good model should be able to work with everything, a great photographer should be able to, as well. If a girl comes to you with a “do whatever”, it’s your job to improvise. While your model, by all rights, SHOULD know what she wants out of her shoot, if she instructs you to improvise, you should be able to. If you can’t, you shouldn’t be behind the camera. That’s not meant as a cheeky reply, rather it is to point out that creativity should be demanded of both, the model AND the photographer. Now, what you said about the emotions coming from the eyes… you cannot be more spot on than that. It’s a deal breaker if the face is smiling, but the eyes are not. Good tips, all in all. So good, in fact, I will be forwarding this link to a model I will be shooting in the next week! Hope this helps her prepare for it!
I just got done with my first pinup shoot and followed your advise. It all helped wonderfully and my session went off without a hitch. Thanks for all the great tips. I can’t wait to keep putting them to use. Now, if you have any tips for a car show that would be awesome.