25 Tips For A Great Pin Up Party:

1-It’s all in the face!  It doesn’t matter if you have a perfect bod or if you have more to love…if you’re curvy or straight up-and-down…a big genuine smile or a sultry come-hither stare will make you look like a million bucks!  Don’t be afraid to make exaggerated faces.  If you feel silly, you’re probably doin’ it right!

2—Use your props!  They’re there for you, so rely on them to make the shot more interesting. Whether it’s a piece of furniture, your jewelry, or something fun like a parasol or a tray of cookies, props give you an opportunity to move your body in different ways and put the focus where YOU want it.  (For example, if you hate your tummy, hide it behind your teddy bear/flower bouquet/book…etc!)

3- Always have a backup plan.  Your outfit might not turn out the way you wanted, your hair may be frizzy that day, who knows!  It’s important to be prepared, and have another game plan.  Besides…sometimes happy accidents make the best photo shoots!

4-Hair & Make up- Leave it to the pros!  You might love everything a certain way, but the stylists know what will photograph well and what won’t.  Don’t freak out when you see yourself in the mirror…even though your hair may seem huge and your foundation may look thick and your eyebrows may seem like they’re going to take over your whole face, it’s necessary to exaggerate your features so that everything will show up on film.

5-Reference materials: If you have no idea of what direction you want your shoot to go in, or if you need some ideas on poses, the internet is a great resource.  Look up any of the following, and you’ll be sure to get some great ideas on how to pose, cute facial expressions, clothing, hair, makeup, and the general look associated with pin up girls!  A few searches to try:

~Alberto Vargas

~Gil Elvgren

~Bettie Page

~Also, if you’re on MySpace, look in the ‘Groups’ section and search for “pin up.”  There are groups dedicated to pin up art and pin up photography.  You’re sure to get some great ideas!

6-Music is a great way to set the mood for an awesome shoot!  Feel free to bring along a mix CD of songs that make you feel sexy, silly, horny…whatever will help you get in the mood to take some saucy pictures!  A good suggestion is to make the music lively…slow songs may make you inadvertently lazy or sleepy…not good on film!

7-If you are shooting in the sun or in front of a bright light, you may want to practice looking into the light beforehand so your eyes won’t water too much.  If you’re really having a tough time, ask the photographer to count to three for you.  Keep your eyes closed, and then open them on three and they’ll snap the picture.

8-Move slowly! A good photographer can catch the shots between the shots, and your pics won’t be blurry.

9- This one seems like common sense, but you’d be surprised: SHAVE before the shoot!  Spiky pits or a ragged bikini line look awful on film, and are a pain to Photoshop out!  Please make sure to be freshly shaved on the day of your shoot.  We’re not asking you to go all Brazilian on us, just remember how little you may be wearing, and groom accordingly.

10- This one is for the gals who are  highlighted or bottle-blonde: try to time your hair appointments so that you don’t have super-bad roots for the photo shoot.  Again: no fun to Photoshop!  The same goes for tan lines!  Consider getting a nice, even spray-tan a few days before the shoot if you have serious strap marks.

11-Nude shoots: It’s up to you how much or how little you want to show in your pictures…but if you want some nudie pics, WE’RE GOING TO SEE YOU NAKED.  Get over it right now.  It’s no use tryin’ to cover your stuff up.  We don’t care what you look like, and we will be very professional, so don’t get self conscious.  You won’t have any fun, and it will show in the pictures. 

12- Speaking of covering your stuff up: You may want to think about pasties for underneath your outfits.  You may realize later that you didn’t want your nipples showing through everything, so consider picking some up and bringing them to the shoot.

13- Try to limit who you bring to the shoot.  Most photographers don’t mind if you bring a friend as long as they stay out of the way, but there will be a lot of people in a small space, so don’t bring the whole neighborhood along.

14- Try not to party too hard the night before a shoot.  If you show up hung over and feeling like crap, your photos will suffer for it.

15- If this is your first time in front of a camera in your undies, try to save your favorite outfit for last.  By then you’ll be more relaxed and those pictures usually turn out the best.

16-This one sounds obvious, but make sure you’re on time.  When trying to coordinate with several people, (the other girls, the photographer, the stylist…) being late can push things back exponentially.

17- Feel free to bring a camera along to your pin up party, however…the photographer’s pictures come first!  We want you to commemorate your evening with the girls, but don’t sacrifice the shots you’re paying for to get shots on your own camera.  Be conscious of the flash, and make sure to stay out of the way.

18- Go with the flow.  We are here for YOU!  We want you to be comfortable, have a great time, and get some awesome pictures, so keep a positive attitude and have fun with it.  Chances are, not everything is going to go perfectly, and not every shot will be a winner.  But having a negative attitude will only take the fun out of it and you’ll end up with a sour face in your photos, so check your insecurities at the door!

19-Don’t be afraid to be silly!  The best pictures happen when you let go of your inhibitions, so if you start out that way, you’ll get even more great shots!

20-Don’t hesitate to tell us what you want.  If you are dying to get some great black and white photos or if you have a specific pose in mind, or if you have a body part that you’d love to camouflage, let us know so that we can try to make it happen!

21-When posing, try to keep your tongue pressed firmly against the roof of your mouth.  It sounds silly, but it really makes your face look slimmer, and it cuts way down on the double chin!

22-Everyone gets nervous from time to time, but try not to self-medicate.  Its okay to loosen up with a cocktail or two, but you’ll be sorry if you pay for pics of you drunk in your underwear.  You can take drunken panty pics any other weekend for free, so let’s make these ones Quality.

23-If you have tattoos, piercings, or any other body modifications, decide before the shoot if you want to show them off or not.  Plan your outfit around either showcasing them or hiding them, and save yourself, the stylist, and the photographer a lot of time and energy.

24- Point Your Toes!  If you remember to arch your ankles right before every picture, your legs will look longer and more toned.  Also, if you wear your own shoes, dainty ones with thin heels photograph much better than chunky ones.  Remember: “The higher the heels, the closer to God.”

25- Try not to wear constrictive clothing to the shoot.  Wear loose clothes, and try to bring a robe or dressing gown to the shoot to change into as soon as you get there.  We will need to wait for the lines in your skin to go away from socks, bra straps, jeans, etc.  If you wear these things to the set, be sure to follow tip #16 and be on time!