Icon Studios - //Glamour
For most types of photography, the model is "just part of the scene" ... a prop that is used by the photographer to help him create the image he or an art director has already conceived in their mind or on paper. He usually has chosen the model to fit into the preconceived design. The final images generally look exactly like what the photographer or art director imagined.
Glamour works just the opposite... here the model is more important than in any other area of photography. The model is not a prop, she is the subject. The image highlights both the beauty of the model and the skill of the photographer.
I once saw an interview with a wood sculptor, who carved beautiful figures out of fallen trees. Before he even decided what to sculpt out of a particular piece of wood, he studied it to see where the grain flowed, and what the properties of the wood were. Was the grain smooth and tight, or was it variable and random? Was it straight or curved? Dark or light? Only after studying the wood, could he decide what image the carve, and that image was designed to meld with the properties of the wood. He didn't decide what to carve and then look for the wood to match it ... he found a piece of wood with character first, and then decided what could be carved out of it.
Glamour photography is much like that. The image is controlled not just by the photographer's skill, but mostly by the attributes of the model. Or to put it another way, with glamour, the model comes first, and the photographer uses her character to compose the image.
Talented glamour photographers must be flexible and know a lot more about lighting and technique than most other types of photographers. He has to work with her whole body and frame, not just her face. The same lighting and clothing that looks good on a tanned, blond model will not work on a fair skinned redhead. A doe-eyed, innocent looking face will look out of place shot as a seductress.
Glamour photography is different in other ways too. For portraiture or fashion, the lighting and set is already designed and set up... the model often spends more time in makeup than in front of the camera, because the model is just a prop to be added to the scene already designed by the photographer. The photographer tightly directs the posing of the model, sometimes having her hold the same position for many shots, varying only subtle things such as the spread of her fingers or letting a fan move nothing but her hair.
Glamour on the other hand, generally requires longer photo sessions. Often the set and lighting are only partially set up, because the model is such a crucial element to the design. There is generally much more variation, and a much higher shoot ratio. And often the final images look nothing like what the photographer or model originally imagined. That's why I like shooting glamour - its suprises !
