Intimate Photoshoot for a Curvy Woman

While I love working with professional models, the most rewarding type of photoshoot for me is when I work with a "curvy girl."  Larger ladies are not treated well by our culture, so they are very appreciative when they see photos that make them look as sexy as they feel.  Perhaps you read my earlier blog post:  Photographing Curvy Women.

This episode of An Adventurous Photographer in Portland, Oregon is a follow up to that earlier post.  You will see how I do a photoshoot with a particular curvy client.  Many of the images you see on this web site are of professional models, but this lovely lady is a friend of mine who just happens to be quite the exhibitionist. You can enjoy viewing her photos and she enjoys having you view them.  It's truly a win-win situation!

We started the shoot with some simple poses using a very large umbrella to camera left, a large brolly box to camera right and two hair lights in the back corners of the studio.  The camera is a 5D Mark III and the lens is a Canon EF 70-300  F/4-5.6 IS set at 130mm.  This is normally considered a consumer-grade lens, not a professional lens, but I wanted to show a friend that you can do nice work with any lens if you know its limitations.

I refrained from my usual Photoshop tricks and processed these photos only in Lightroom.  I adjusted the exposure, color and added some vignetting to highlight the model.

This first photo is the only one that is technically safe for work.  After this one they are NSFW!

Curvy Girl Erotic Photoshoot 3

One of my favorite costume options is a simple man's dress shirt.  It can be used with a tie or without.  If possible, I ask the client to bring one of her husband's shirts that he will recognize in the photos.  It certainly sends a strong message! 

Curvy Girl Erotic Photoshoot 1

Notice how a change in head position and facial expression dramatically changes the mood of the next photo!

Curvy Girl Erotic Photoshoot 2

Everyone loves a girl wearing glasses and nothing else!

Curvy Girl Erotic Photoshoot 4Curvy Girl with Glasses

The next photo shows a classic pose for curvy girls.  Normally I would have thinned the arms a bit and retouched under the eyes with Photoshop, but I left this one unmodified for you.  This shot is with the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 lens, generally considered to be a much sharper lens than the zoom lens used in the images above.

Curvy Girl Erotic Photoshoot 5

Hubby gets in on the fun and the Fifty Shades of Gray Effect kicks in.  By this point in the shoot, everyone is happy and playful.  Shot with the Sigma 50 on the 5D Mark III.

Curvy Girl Erotic Photoshoot 6

Were you able to tell which lenses were used?  I didn't think so.  I could not tell without going back and looking at the EXIF data.  The most important factor in a successful photoshoot of this type is the chemistry between the photographer and the clients.