click to enlarge

It’s Valentine’s Day again and you’re wondering what you can do with your honey.  Chocolates and flowers are good, but you want to do something different.  Break out the point-and-shoot and take some nude photos!

I am not talking about sexting....no standing in front of the mirror to iPhone camera your junk.  This is about capturing some artistic nude photos of each other.  You may have thought about asking your lover to try it, but were afraid he or she would object.  You’d be surprised how many people appreciate nude photos of themselves if they are tasteful and private.  Most people just want some assurance that the photos will be anonymous (no faces) and to know what they will be used for.  Trust is everything if you’re going to photograph anyone naked!

Is your valentine not magazine-cover material?  That’s even better!  Learn to take flattering and sexy pictures showing his or her best qualities.  Capture curves and sexy spots instead of pooches and imperfections.  Here is how to do it:

Have a discussion about what the shots will look like.  You’ll need to decide in advance what the photos will reveal. Your lover might be ok with the way his dick looks.  Shoot away.  If your girl is uncomfortable with the spread-eagle shot, leave it alone.  Don’t pressure your honey into taking shots he or she is not cool with.  Most people are not into being porn stars. Skip the crotch pics if that's the preference. There are lots of other great sensuous shots to take. If you want to do the porn stuff that’s cool!  Just be clear about this before you begin shooting.

One of the best ways to decide on content is to look through pictures in magazines or on line and talk about them.  Do a search for boudoir photography.  If you are shooting your girl, think about something between Maxim and Playboy. These are erotic photos but not quite porn-like.  For photographing your guy, look through magazines like Playgirl, muscle magazines, and GQ.  If you want to do the more explicit stuff, there are millions of pornographic images on the net as well.

Discuss where the images will end up.  Are you going to print them?  Are you going to put them on line anywhere?  Are you going to show them to anyone?  Who maintains the possession of the disk or film?  Is there an option to destroy them if one or both of you wants to do so?

One of the greatest objections that people have about having nude photos taken is that they fear being recognized by somebody.  Keep it anonymous, especially if you’re going to print, publish or put the photos online.  Keep faces out of it.  As a matter of fact, keep out jewelry, tattoos, any identifying marks, and even room furnishings such as paintings, headboards, or other things that friends might recognize.  You can shoot down toward the sheets or up toward the ceiling.  Or, better yet, take your partner to a nice hotel.

Don’t expect your lover to take pictures that you would not want taken of yourself.  As a matter of fact, trade places in the middle of the shoot.  You take some of them, and they take some of you.  It will add to the fun and the trust factor.

OK, here are some tips for shooting good pictures:

Lighting is everything.  Either turn on several lights in the room or move closer to a window lit by the sun, or both.  It is probably preferable that the light from the window is diffused with a sheet or sheer curtains.  If you are doing this on a bed, white or bright sheets are best.

Turn off the flash.  Unless you know how to diffuse, bounce and control your flash, it is probably going to make for a very harsh picture.  Use available light.  Newer cameras have the ability to shoot great pictures at higher speeds.  Jack up your ISO to around 800-1000 or higher and set your master dial to “P” for program unless you are familiar with aperture and shutter speeds.  Stay away from the green square “auto” setting.  If you don’t know how to change your ISO, put your camera on “night."  If that doesn’t look good, take a few minutes to try some of the different modes on your camera until you get the one that you like. The goal is to take pictures that are exposed right without blurring your subject.

Turn on some great music. Decide if some slow-groove classic R&B or high-energy pop will work better with your hottie.  All of my shoots include music.  It brings great energy to the room.

Vino. A good bottle of wine might make a nice addition to your Valentine's Day celebration. It can ease anxiety for both of you. But don’t take "too" drunk or passed-out pictures of your sweetie. If your lover gets too twisted, put the camera down. Naked and drunk photos might be great for blooper reels, but you’ll never get your honey naked in front of the lens again.  (Plus, you might find yourself in legal trouble.) A glass of wine to loosen the mood is fine.  Don’t take advantage of the situation.

Oil or spritz the skin.  Dry skin shows up in photos. Consider using lotion, baby oil or even a spray bottle with oil to look like beads of sweat on the skin.  It creates more interest.  Volunteer to rub the lotion on your valentine’s skin prior to the shoot.  Use oil for very shiny skin or lotion to get rid of dryness.

Pube-groom. If you are about being all natural, break out the camera and skip this part.  If you want a more refined look and your guy is hairy, do some man-grooming.  If your lady has too much electric fuzz, ask her if it’s all right to do a little trimming. Most women have hair around their nipples. Is it too coarse?  Don’t do this in bed (or wherever you are shooting).  Clipped off pubic hair in your pictures is gonna suck.

Go slow. Take a couple of pictures and show them to your subject (assuming you are using a digital camera) and then take some more.  You will both be more comfortable with what you’re doing.

Include hands in the picture.  A shot of a nipple can be artistic, but manicured fingers lightly pinching a nipple can be erotic.  As part of the Valentine’s Day fun, you could also get your girl (or guy) a manicure.

If your lover is uncomfortable with the frontal view, there are a few things you can do.  Have your girl cup her hands over her breasts.  Have your guy turn onto his side and shoot the curve.  You can do this in silhouette to by placing a bright lamp on the other side of your subject away from the camera.  This will highlight his curve and darken the front.

Keep props to a minimum.  I have seen amateur boudoir photos with crazy amounts of lingerie, fancy shoes, hats and food items.  One even included the family dog. Really?  Keep it simple and sensual. Props can be distracting.  Keep the sex toys out of it.

Don’t get lost in the camera.  Keep talking with your subject and make it fun. Keep conversations flowing, light and reassuring. If you both get too excited, put the camera down and rock Valentine’s Day.  Pick it up again on Saint Patrick’s Day.  Practice makes perfect.

Shoot outdoors. Shooting nude photos outside can be awesome and give you great light as well.  The best times of day are at sunrise and sunset.  Shooting at the beach, by the water, in a garden or in any wide open spaces can make hot photographs.  It can also be quite stimulating. But be careful!  Public nudity is illegal in most places.  Find a super-secret public place, find someone who will keep watch for you or do it on private property (where the neighbors’ kids can’t see you).

Shoot tight! Fill the frame!  One of the biggest mistakes I see in my student’s pictures is that there is way too much information.  Zoom in and simplify.  In other words don’t attempt to capture an entire body.  Shoot a nipple, a curve, some hair or a convergence. The “Y” created by her legs coming together with her torso, or the "V" his chest makes with the light to one side to create a shadow is cool.  Keep your shots tight. Fill up the viewfinder before you pull the trigger.

[singlepic id=1336 w=320 h=240 float=center]

Shoot it in or convert to black and white.  It simply makes for a more artistic picture.  If you’re going to print it, mat it in white and frame it in black.  It may sound too simple, but that’s the standard for artistic photography.

Take a lot of pictures. Shoot from different angles.  Get on the floor, stand on your tiptoes, turn the camera to funky angles and get some unusual shots. Shoot down the subject's spine and up from the toes. Many times the odd ones are the keepers.

Take a break, catch your breath, take a sip of wine, then start again.  Isn’t this fun?

Vote. When you’re done, review the images together.  Decide which ones are the keepers and delete the rest.  If one of you objects to a picture, just delete it — no questions asked.  This is about working together.  And you may want to do it again. If one of you doesn’t like it, delete the damn thing.

Editing. There’s nothing wrong with Photoshop.  Making your partner look as good as he or she can in post-production is a good thing to do.  As a professional, I have to give strong consideration to what changes I make. I don’t want to offend my subjects.  Making an 80-year-old woman look 20 again is both embarrassing for her and bad for business.  Give some thought to what you’re doing and ask your subject about the changes you are considering.  Don’t insult partners by changing too much and making them think that they’re not OK the way they are.   Trimming 50 pounds off of your lover may be insulting. If someone is overweight, someone is overweight. Removing skin imperfections is fine.  But removing Cindy Crawford’s birthmark from her face would get me fired (not that I have ever shot Cindy Crawford). Ask before you edit. If you need some touch-up for your photos and are not good with editing, find someone you trust and who knows Photoshop to help you out.

Lastly, if you break up, destroy the pictures.  Revenge might be sweet, but don’t be a dick. Crying over nude pictures of your lost lover doesn’t help either. They are gone. Let the DELETE button be your friend!

Checklist

• Camera batteries charged
• Extra media card
• Wine
• Music
• Lotion
• Gift card for manicure

HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!! Happy Valentine's Day!

Getting great pictures takes practice.  If you want to get better at using your camera, consider taking a class.  Here are links to several local classes.

Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (this is where I teach)

http://fmopa.org/workshops.htm

University of South Florida Lifelong Learning

http://cereg.usf.edu/WebModule/reg/index.jsp?categoryId=10027

St Pete College

http://spcollege.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassListing.ClassListingDisplay&int_category_id=12&int_sub_category_id=127&int_catalog_id=