Photography Tips

[TheCurious]

I thought I would post a lil tip list for those enjoying digital photography. I see lots of great material (the people themselves) and lots of not so great photos. Most photos posted here suffer from some relatively basic problems that can easily be fixed. I hope no one takes this the wrong way I'm contributing to the betterment of all the naked pictures we've come to enjoy

LIGHT!

Most of the photos I see posted suffer from under exposure which is common with the webcam capture most people are using to create the photos. The natural level of light that is comfortable for a human being to see at in an artificially lit room, is not enough for a low end digital camera. Adjust lighting in the room until it seems incredibly well lit and bright to you.... and then it will be just right for your camera. Check the end results. Are the shadows too deep? Is the skin over exposed? (looks all white and uniform, instead of with normal flesh tones) A good way to check for under exposure with lower end digital cameras is to look at the shadow space. Does the shadow space seem to have colorful pixelation (i.e. instead of being relatively uniform, does it have speckles of color all over it?} Increasing the available light should go along way towards decreasing the pixelation.

That one step, adjusting the lighting to a proper level, should radically improve any picture. Poor lighting is the death of many an other wise fine photograph.

COMPOSITION!

Deviating from a standard "smiling face in direct center of photograph" often yields pleasing results. We've all seen photos, advertisements, paintings, etc where the composition was "non standard" with often memorable results. A hand reaching out into a large empty space. Half of a face. One eye peeking through a tear in a piece of fabric. A body lain out at a strange angle. The variations of compositional angles and aspects are limitless. Experimenting with them can bring about suprisingly good photos. My basic advice is "don't put the subject smack in the middle of the picture, try something new" For those interested in this... run a search through google or such with terms like "golden rule photography" "rule of thirds photography" or just "compositional styles for photography" to read up more on it. There is a wealth of info out there.

Lighting and composition will pretty much cover everything an amatuer photographer messing around with a web cam will need to know... for those of you interested in stepping beyond basic web cam snap shots, a great place to start is www.dpreview.com to look at reviews of digital cameras and browse the message boards. I personally highly recommend the Sony line of Digital Cyber Shot cameras, and the Nikon like of CoolPix cameras for entry level or fairly serious photography. I myself use a Sony F707 and have been extremely pleased with it (and the retail price just dropped $200! What a bargain hehe)

At any rate, I hope these tips have been useful, and didn't come across as pretentious. Be well everyone

 

[TheCurious]

p.s. if you've got tips of your own, feel free to post them =)

 

[thequietstorm]

Thanks for posting those tips. I know that we all can benefit from knowing a thing or two about compostion. In my opinion, composition is the most important part of the scene next to the subject itself. Composition can make or break a photo of anything. I recomend for everyone to experiment with their cameras as much as possible. Or look up some other erotic / "porn" photos. This can improve your shots alot. Get creative!

 

[TheCurious]

Composition is probably the hardest part of good photography. Some people naturally have a good sense for it, most children do. Its not until they see tons of bad photographs and get conditioned to the idea of "subject centered" that they loose the ability to compose well.

 

[Talespin]

Good Suggestions, TC

Watch out for hotspots when using on-camera flash for closeups. Try putting one or more layers of cheesecloth or coffee filter material over the flash (not the lens!) to diffuse the light. If the flash is detachable, bounce it off a white refelctor rather than lighting the subject directly.

When photographing people reclining, back off and use a zoom to optically get in close. Getting too close physically can often result in disproportionate enlargement of the features (e.g., feet) closer to the lens.

Pay attention to what's in the background so there are few distractions. If you have no control over the background, then use a larger aperture to reduce depth of field (puts distant objects out of focus).

Start with the technically best photograph you can possibly get, and then run it through any of the less expensive photo editing software programs available to touch up minor defects and make corrections. But again, these products are not magic wands. Start with the technically best photo (composition, lighting, etc.) possible.

 

[TheCurious]

Re: Good Suggestions, TC

Watch out for hotspots when using on-camera flash for closeups. Try putting one or more layers of cheesecloth or coffee filter material over the flash (not the lens!) to diffuse the light. If the flash is detachable, bounce it off a white refelctor rather than lighting the subject directly.

A great way to make a bounce flash even if the flash is attached to the camera is to use a business card. Take a white business card (any thin, easily bent and molded glossy white cardboard will do) and fold it in such a manner that it looks like the pour spout of a box of detergent. Know what I mean? Like a triangular scoop. Put it in front of the flash so that the scoop is up (just like on a box of detergent) so it looks like you are about to "pour" the light out of the flash. Some people have had luck putting a lil bit of foil inside the cup area to make it reflect more. Essentially what will happen is the flash will be directed up into the room, and not directly forward on the subject. It works great for flash filling, without light glare on skin or glass.

Start with the technically best photograph you can possibly get, and then run it through any of the less expensive photo editing software

This is a really good point. Lots of photos I snap need to be color corrected or have the contrast adjusted... minor minor things that can be done with any good photo editing software. I work almost exclusively with "digital" film, and have become addicted to tweaking the end product.

 

[Viper Vic]

Thanks!

 

[Talespin]

What Size Image Should I Post?

The maximum file size Lit allows is evidently 102.4K.

With my Adobe PhotoDeluxe resolving at 72 pixels per inch, that works out to an image about 2.1 inches high by 3.1 inches wide. The image dimensions could be increased by decreasing the resolution. Play with your photo editor to achieve the best balance between size and resolution.

Some cameras will also allow you to preset image sizes for certain functions. My Sony DSCS-85 allows this. Experiment and get to know your digital photo equipment's capabilities and limitations before posting.

 

[TheCurious]

You could always host your photos on an offsite server and imbed them as you wish. I often host my photos on Snapfish and imbed the link in the message so that the photo displays without the user having to click on any attachments.

 

[Talespin]

Posing and Composing

If the model does not want his or her face to be recognizable, it's preferable to pose him or her so that the face is out of the picture. That does not necessarily mean cut off; it can also be tilted back or turned to one side. Try to avoid cutting off the model's head either accidentally or intentionally. And please don't use burn-in's or dodges or pixellation. Those are distractions. Just pose the model so that the face cannot be fully seen.

 

[TheCurious]

Re: Posing and Composing

If the model does not want his or her face to be recognizable, it's preferable to pose him or her so that the face is out of the picture. That does not necessarily mean cut off; it can also be tilted back or turned to one side. Try to avoid cutting off the model's head either accidentally or intentionally. And please don't use burn-in's or dodges or pixellation. Those are distractions. Just pose the model so that the face cannot be fully seen.

Oh for sure, censoring the face is awful. It makes for a crap photo. It is way sexier to position the body to create an alluring tempting pose with the face just veiled from sight by position instead of my bluring it out.

 

[SensitiveSuccubus]

Along the lines of cutting off the head...If you have hair to cover it, use it. It looks better and gets to feature one of my favorite features.

Also, people seem to cut off legs and feet a lot too. If you're doing a long shot, show the whole body, from tip to toes.

I know some people like them, but try to avoid super close-ups. Its amazing how huge pores and follicles can appear at close range and really ruin a photo.

Practice and experimentation make better photos. Also, with the look of some photos its obvious a second shot wasn't taken. If you're going for something in particular, shoot it several times and take the best one. Still not satisfied, shoot again.

Most everyone is doing a great job keep it up and keep working at it.

 

[TheCurious]

I know some people like them, but try to avoid super close-ups. Its amazing how huge pores and follicles can appear at close range and really ruin a photo.

Oh man is that the truth. A close up camera lense set on macro with a flash will make a pussy look disembodied, with... as you said, huge pores, lil hair stubbles, etc. Really unflattering, when a similiar shot from a few more inches back and a light out of focus or blurred effect would soft the image and make it much more visually pleasing.