All these pinup photos

Cowgirl pinup
Originally uploaded by Anthony L. Solis.

I'm blessed with friends that like to be photographed, and as someone trying to figure out the ends and outs of portrait photography, that’s a huge advantage.

These pinup photos posed a few unique challenges for me. First, I've never shot in this style before. I had to do some research on lighting and poses, and let me tell you, that was rough work. Most of what I found were the old Vargas drawings, but those were only a starting point. I wasn’t sure any human could actually pose in those shapes. I eventually found some photos to use as a starting point for the poses.

The lighting wasn't as tough as I thought it would be. I just needed to go soft. This type of photo is meant to flatter, so any wrinkles or imperfections needed to be hidden. I decided to go with a dual umbrella setup. One shoot-through umbrella on either side with even powered flashes attached. The only difference is the umbrella on the right is smaller. The umbrella route also allowed the subjects the freedom to move around a little.

The backdrop was another issue. I decided on a seamless white background so that I wouldn't have to worry about a set. The problem was that I didn’t have a backdrop or the room to put it anywhere. One trip to Home Depot fixed that.

I bought four 2-foot PVC pipes at 1-inch diameter and three "T" connectors. Total cost: $2.77. I also bought two 8x12 foot paint cloths at $7 each. When I got home, I put the pipes together and placed the center "T" connector on my light stand. I taped one tarp to the pipes and threw the other on the ground. I lit the backdrop with two strobes on either side of the subject. When I finished, everything fit nicely in my lighting bag, making my wife pretty happy.

This was all shot in my living room. I just moved the coffee table out of the way and placed a blanket over the TV to avoid unwanted reflections.

I still wish I had more room. I had to use a wide-angle zoom for all the shots and some of the full-length shots suffered as a result. Someday I have a large, dedicated studio, but I'm afraid that day is far off. This will do for now.