Before the shoot:

So, beach weather is finally upon us. It’s getting warmer outside and we’re all itching to get out on the beach. You know you’re going to love that swimsuit and you want pics to prove it.

Let’s get that perfect swimsuit shoot. You know, the one that says, “Watch out Sports Illustrated!”

Picking the swimsuit(s):

• Generally, brightly colored swimsuits work best for shoots. Pinks, oranges, bright greens. Go with solid colors for shoots. YOU don’t want to have to compete with your swimsuit for attention.
• Get one that fits you well. You don’t want a bottom that hugs too tight, giving you muffin top, or one that is baggy in the booty area.
• Skimpy usually works well for shoots, but probably not one that you’d want to hang out on the beach in. But, if you’re modest, go with the full butt and larger triangles on the top. You can still make it look sexy.
• Bring a couple of different suits. Shoot your least favorite first, so that you have time to get comfy posing and with your photographer.
• You can use breast inserts,  just make sure before the shoot that they fit inside the top properly.
• If you’re shooting in a relatively secluded area, lingerie on the beach can be quite sexy too.

Tanning:

• Tanning is ok, but try to stay out of the tanning bed a few days before the shoot to give your skin a chance to lose the redness. So, don’t hit the tanning bed the day before the shoot.
• Spray tans are pretty awesome, but give yourself at least 24 hours so your skin doesn’t streak when you hit the water. And make sure your sprayer gets your pits. Try not to sweat too much after getting the tan.
• Bottle tans – NO!

Makeup:

• For beach shoots, lighter is better, especially with the eye makeup. Speaking of eye makeup, go with waterproof.
• Bring your makeup with you, if you don’t have a makeup artist scheduled, so that you can do touch ups.
• For those with less full breasts, you can tone the inside of your breasts with makeup to give your photos the appearance of fuller cleavage.
• You can lightly oil your body with oil for shine, but do keep it light. Streaky, globby oil isn’t sexy.
• Leave your jewelry at home. It distracts from the photos. And don’t put your hair ties on your wrists.

Posing:

A few tricks that I have learned over the years:

• Keep your stance wide. Bring your legs apart to give the appearance of a slimmer waist-line and fuller hips.
• Feminine poses shape your body into an “S”. Stick your hip out, bend your body – show those curves.
• Have fun and show some attitude. You’re a woman – you can do attitude.
• Many girls have a tendency to arch their backs. Don’t overdo it. Ore, even if you’re skinny, it causes “back fat”. Secondly, it pushes your tummy out.
• Think sexy thoughts, it’ll show in your photos.
• Don’t face the sun.  It will cause you to squint and scrunch your forehead. I prefer the sun on either side of the model, but behind her works too.
• Do standing poses first, then to the knees, then the laying down stuff. This limits the amount of sand on your body and keeps the sand from rubbing red spots on your body. Sand gets course fast when your crawling around on your knees.
• Check out some swimsuit magazines. Pick poses you like, practice them and bring the pics along for inspiration.
• Save water shots for last to keep your makeup intact, especially in rough surf.

Location:

• Pick a beach that gives you scenery to work with. Flat beaches get boring FAST. Things like tree stumps, drift wood, piers, etc can make a shoot much more visually appealing.
• Choose a beach that is somewhat secluded. It gets awkward with a large group of people watching you strike your sexy poses. Shooting during week days is usually best.
• A bit of privacy comes in handy, when changing suits, if you or your photographer doesn’t have a changing tent.
• Don’t forget to look at the walkways and such for places to shoot to add variety.
• Try to shoot early morning or late afternoon for the best lighting. And definitely get those sunset shots if you’re doing afternoon shots.

Your Photographer:

Choose your photographer wisely. Choose one that shows a talent in shooting beach photos. While it’s not exactly rocket science, shooting beach photos does pose a gamut of issues for an inexperienced photographer.

The sun light on the beach is contrasty. If you’re photographer doesn’t know how to meter the light, you could very well end up just being a brown blob against a pretty landscape.

A photographer that brings flashes or reflectors definitely has a better chance of getting you the shots you want.

Also, a photographer that shoots from 2 feet away from you, probably isn’t getting the most flattering shots of you. For beach shoots, a longer lens with the photographer a good distance from you, usually gives better results.

Have Fun:

Of all the different genres of model photography, swimsuit shots are the ones where the model should be having fun. Play – That’s what people do on the beach. Your photos will come out great, if you relax and have fun.

Now go get that suit… I hope to see ya soon.

First, look at the quality of work. Do you like it? Is it as good as what others are doing? Has the photographer shown an ability to do the type of shoot you want to do? We’re not all good at everything. I, for one, am terrible at shooting landscapes….I’m getting better.

Secondly, but most importantly, check references. Most of us photographers that promote through the web (myspace, facebook, etc) tag photos. It helps us promote, but more importantly, for you, it gives you direct access to people that we have shot. For example, you can find many people that I’ve shot on my Myspace page.

Ask about our professionalism, personality. the quality of the photos you received, the timeliness of delivering the photos, etc. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Lastly, contact the photographer(s) you think suit your needs an initiate a conversation. Tell them what you want and let them help you get exactly the shots you want. By the way, examples of images that you like are always helpful. They give us a visual definition of exactly what you want.

Take care and best wishes,
Leroy Dickson – Photographer

In the meantime, check out my Myspace page at: http://www.myspace.com/leroydickson

If you’ve been shot by me recently and are looking for your proofs, check out http://proofs.leroydickson.net/main.php