Sultry, Sweet or Sassy

Kay W. Eskridge

Amherst Media, Inc. Buffalo, NY

Sultry, Sweet, or Sassy

Copyright © 2014 by Kay Eskridge.

All rights reserved.

All photographs by the author unless otherwise noted.

Published by:

Amherst Media, Inc.

P.O. Box 586

Buffalo, N.Y. 14226

Fax: 716-874-4508

www.AmherstMedia.com

Publisher: Craig Alesse

Senior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle Perkins

Editors: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt, Harvey Goldstein, Beth Alesse

Editorial Assistance from: Carey Anne Miller, Sally Jarzab, John S. Loder

Business Manager: Adam Richards

Marketing, Sales, and Promotion Manager: Kate Neaverth

Warehouse and Fulfillment Manager: Roger Singo

ISBN-13: 978-1-60895-721-7

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013952548

Printed in The United States of America.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the author’s experience and opin￾ions. The author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.

Check out Amherst Media’s blogs at: http://portrait-photographer.blogspot.com/

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About the Author

Kay Eskridge (M.Photog.Cr., CPP) owns and operates CelebrateSexy,

a thriving Boudoir studio in Phoenix, AZ. She is a popular photo edu￾cator who conducts lectures and workshops in the United States and

internationally. She has been featured in leading industry publications

such as Professional Photographer magazine and Rangefinder. She holds

numerous awards, including the Arizona Photographer of the Year

Award, Kodak Gallery Elite Awards, Fuji Masterpiece Awards, and the

Professional Photographers of America National Award.

table of contents 3

Introduction

CelebrateSexy / 4

Section 1

Three Light Sources / 5

Set Selection / 6

Sensual Curves / 8

Burlesque / 9

The Tease / 10

The Legs /12

Sexy, Not Showy / 14

The Bottom Line / 16

Business and Pleasure / 18

A Daring Attitude / 20

The Kicker / 22

Large, Soft Light / 24

Section 2

Two Light Sources / 26

Cultivate Desire / 27

Her Man’s Clothes / 28

Satin Sheets / 30

Contouring with Light / 32

Big Impact / 34

Section 3

One Light Source / 36

Nudes / 37

Flat Lighting / 38

Soft Lighting / 40

Black & White / 42

Playful / 44

High Heels / 46

Section 4

High Heels / 47

Hollywood Glamour / 48

Sexy but Demure / 50

A Hint of Cleavage / 52

Camera Angle / 54

A High Vantage Point / 56

A Flirty Co-Ed Look / 58

Section 5

Silhouettes with Window

Light / 60

Wraparound Light / 61

Femininity / 62

Accentuating Curves / 64

The Experience / 66

Drawing the Eye / 68

Props / 70

Camera Angle / 72

Section 6

Window Light with

Reflector Fill / 74

Head and Shoulders / 75

Elegantly Sexy / 76

Albums / 78

Simplicity / 80

Top Poses / 82

Composition / 84

Her Favorite Parts / 86

Location Shots / 88

A Sense of Mystery / 90

A Dramatic Flair / 92

Contrast / 94

Lines and Posing / 96

Posing for Curves / 98

Images at Home / 100

Long and Lean / 101

Consultations / 102

Strong Assets / 104

Section 7

Ambient and

Mixed Lighting / 106

Seduction / 107

Ambient Light Only / 108

Hot Light, Window Light / 110

Window and Ambient Light / 112

A Vintage Look / 114

Inspiration / 116

Window Light Main / 118

Conclusion

Be Unique / 120

Appendices

1. Resources / 122

2. Client Profile Form / 123

3. Model Release / 124

Acknowledgments / 125

Want More from Kay? / 125

Index / 125

Table of Contents

4 Sultry, sweet, or Sassy

My CelebrateSexy Boudoir Photography busi￾ness was created as a financial growth oppor￾tunity. Images by Kay & Company—the main

branch of my business—specializes in lifestyle

photography. In establishing CelebtateSexy,

my goal was to provide Arizona women with

a photographic opportunity unlike any other.

The all-woman team at CelebrateSexy strives

to create an environment in which women

feel safe, comfortable, and confident that their

best interests always come first. Our studio is a

place where women feel special, cared for, and

attended to by women who appreciate any ap￾prehensions they may have.

CelebrateSexy is a place where any concerns

about size, shape, or age are banished by the

thrill of the photographic experience. During

the session, women clients can embrace every￾thing they are and explore who they want to be

through sensual portrait photography. Some of

our clients begin their relationship with our stu￾dio when they schedule lifestyle images. They

fall in love with our creative images of their ba￾bies, tweens, high-school seniors, families, pets,

and pregnant forms, and we develop a trusting

relationship that leads them to hire us to create

more intimate imagery. Others come to the

studio following word-of-mouth referrals from

clients who have been returning to our studio

year after year. We make customer service a top

priority whether we are photographing family

vacations, maternity photos, or something sexier.

The images in this book prove that it’s pos￾sible to create beautiful, evocative images for

your clients who want to celebrate their sensual

sides. In these pages, we’ll explore lighting and

posing strategies, set design, equipment selec￾tion, and other techniques that will allow you

to seize new income opportunities while flexing

your artistic impulses.

Let’s get started.

CelebrateSexy

Grading System

In this book, I’ve used a heart rating system

to quickly communicate some essential

information about each portrait. The ratings

range from one heart to three hearts and

stand for:

❤ Client favorite

❤ ❤ Studio favorite

❤ ❤ ❤ Client and studio LOVE the pose

CelebrateSexy is a place where

any concerns about size, shape, or

age are banished . . .

introduction

table of contents 5

Three Light Sources

Images created with a main light, fill light,

and background or kicker light.

section one

6 Sultry, sweet, or Sassy

Three Light sources

Lighting

The lighting consisted of a 6x4-foot Photo￾genic softbox to the right of the camera on an

even plane with my subject. This was my main

light. A strip light was also positioned on cam￾era left and behind the subject to rim light her

right hand and right thigh. The background

light was positioned behind the shutters.

Meeting Her Needs

In order to create the portrait our client is after,

it is important for us to take the time to show

her all of the sets we offer during the pre￾portrait consultation. This set, the Maxxim, was

the client’s favorite. To complement the scene,

we selected a bustier, thigh-high nylons, and

Set Selection

Rating: ❤ ❤

camera: Nikon D300

exposure: f/8 at 1

/60 second and ISO 100

lens: 18–200mm f/3.5–5.6 lens set at 82mm

exposure mode: manual

Sultry, sweet, or Sassy 7

Three Light sources

accented the image with jewelry. The rich tones

and dramatic, sensual lighting create a sultry

overall mood in the image.

Dropping her right arm down and behind

her waist helped to show off the woman’s fig￾ure and opened up her chest, allowing the main

light to throw shadows across her cleavage.

Placing her left wrist and hand in the down￾ward position draws the viewer’s eye up to her

chest and emphasizes the great muscle tone of

the subject’s arm.

8 Sultry, sweet, or Sassy

Placing the Lights

I used one 6x4-foot Photogenic softbox fitted

with a strobe at the right of the camera as my

main light; the fill was a strobe light bouncing

back into a silver umbrella positioned to the left

of the camera. A third light, a softbox at camera

left, was placed behing the subject to create an

edge-lighting effect.

Setting and Pose

The hardwood floor not only coordinates with

the subject’s shoes and outfit—it also provides a

way to showcase her whole figure. To create the

right perspective, I had to lay on the floor on

my stomach to capture the image.

The key to this pose is a good strong arch

of the back. This can only be accomplished by

asking the subject to bend one leg more than

the other. (I asked her to bend the leg that

would be most comfortable for her.) I adjusted

the amount of the bend to showcase both legs.

Placing the heel of her shoes on the floor and

asking her to point her toes allowed the mus￾cles in her calves to “pop.” Positioning her left

hand in her hair kept the subject visually con￾nected to herself, and tipping her head toward

the camera allowed me to create a connection

between the subject and viewer.

camera: Nikon D200

exposure: f/7.1 at 1

/60 second with an ISO of 100

lens: 18–200mm f/3.5–5.6 lens set at 32mm

exposure mode: manual

Sensual Curves

Rating: ❤ ❤ ❤

Three Light sources

Sultry, sweet, or Sassy 9

Burlesque

Rating: ❤

Three Light sources

The Concept

This client wanted some burlesque-style images

for an album she was creating as a gift for her

husband. I felt our fleur-de-lis background

would be perfect for the series.

Posing and Lighting

I asked the client to sway her hips to each side

to find the position that felt best. I wanted nice

wraparound light, and letting her get comfort￾able gave me the opportunity to determine

which side to place the light on.

The main light was a strobe in a 6x4-foot

Photogenic softbox set at f/10; this was placed

at camera right. A strobe in a reflective silver

umbrella was placed to camera left. It was set to

f/5 and provided fill. A softbox at camera left

and slightly behind the subject was set to f/5.6

to add edge light on the left of her bottom.

Postproduction

Cropping above her nylons and at her waist

keeps the viewer’s eyes on the area of her body

the subject wanted to accentuate.

camera: Nikon D300

exposure: f/8 at 1

/80 second with an ISO of 100

lens: 18–200mm f/3.5–5.6 lens set at 82mm

exposure mode: manual

10 Sultry, sweet, or Sassy

A Peek at Things to Come

This playful pose is a “tease” about things to

come. An image like this is a perfect transi￾tion if your client is demure; she can cover

her exposed breasts, place her hand in front of

her hair, or even open up her shoulders if she

places her hand on her neck or collarbone. The

expression on her face can show playfulness or

sensuality based on her attitude or style. The

key is to get her balanced and comfortable on

her high heels before you fine-tune the upper

part of the image.

The Background

The backdrop for this image was a custom-de￾signed fleur-de-lis canvas from Barbour Back￾grounds. It’s one of my favorites. We added

magnets at the bottom to attach it behind a

length of baseboard for a finished look.

Main Light, Fill Light, Edge Light

I placed a 6x4-foot Photogenic softbox with

a strobe at camera left as my main light. The

fill was a strobe in a reflective silver umbrella

positioned to camera right. My third light was

a softbox placed above and to the right of the

subject to illuminate her back and create hair

light.

The Tease

Three Light sources

camera: Nikon D300

exposure: f/5 at 1

/30 second with an ISO of 500

lens: 18–200mm f/3.5–5.6 lens set at 50mm

exposure mode: manual

The expression on her face can show playfulness or sensuality

based on her own attitude or style.

What Our Clients Say

“It was the most liberating experience of my

life.”

“It turned into a day of self-discovery and

empowerment for me.”

“I’ve always had major body issues. I don’t

consider myself very sexy, and there was a

time in my life when I was very overweight.

Add a rough pregnancy and even harder

delivery, and like I said before, I have major

body issues.”

Sultry, sweet, or Sassy 11

12 Sultry, sweet, or Sassy

Creating a Dark Shadow

I used a 6x4-foot Photogenic softbox with a

strobe as my main light; this was positioned to

the right of the camera. Fill light was produced

by a strobe light bouncing back into a silver

umbrella positioned to the left of the camera.

A softbox behind my subject at camera left

provided edge light, highlighting my subject’s

bottom.

The fill light was set very low so I could cre￾ate the dark shadow contouring on her body—

but I did not want it to go completely black,

so fill light was introduced. This added light

allowed me to ensure that detail could be seen

on her body.

I love to play in the shadows. What you don’t

see is more important than what you do see.

Accentuating the Legs

This pose is always a great seller, especially for a

client who wants to accentuate her legs. I asked

my client to stretch upward with her left hand

and hold onto an object in a fixed position

above her head. This helped slim her stomach

and, by having her pop her hip, helped shape

her bottom. Her husband has this image dis￾played in his workshop at their home; it makes

a great modern pin-up image.

The Legs

Rating: ❤

Three Light sources

camera: Nikon D300

exposure: f/4 at 1

/50 second with an ISO of 500

lens: 18–200mm f/3.5–5.6 lens set at 27mm

exposure mode: manual

The fill light was set very low so I could create the dark shadow

contouring on her body—but I did not want it to go completely black . . .