Glamour Photography

Romantic and alluring postures: this is the way to portray women according to the principles and standards of glamour photography. Another name for glamour photography is softcore pornography, because it deliberately arouses the viewer. A still body position, few clothes or topless: this is what the model looks like. Hair blown away, nice perfect make-up, great bodies and stylish accessories. All these are part of the picture. The applications for glamour photos are usually commercial for calendars, magazines, pinups or advertisements.

Professional models and celebrities are usually the subjects of glamour photography. The shots are not spontaneous but well staged and prepared in advance. Makeup artists and hair stylists prepare the models for the photo session; more work is later done on the photos with brush up techniques that eliminate all imperfections. French postcards were the first to use glamour photography, and they were made as early as the beginning of the 20th century.

Marylin Monroe made glamour photography famous and popular in the United States with her appearance in Playboy. From the mid-50s onwards, glamour photography became a powerful instrument for targeting the mainstream consumer in the market of tabloid and adult publications. The standards of glamour photography are constantly changing. There is a wider social acceptance at the moment than ever before. What was illegal in the past, has now turned into a gold mine for the beautiful girls who choose to work as professional models in this industry.

Lots of models have gained professional recognition due to their experience with glamour photography. They often use this 'short-lived' fame as a launching platform for other careers in show biz or the film industry. At present, tabloid newspapers make full use of glamour photography and the advantages this brings with the public. A tabloid or a magazine that shows a bit of nudity in its pages, usually sells better, following the popular saying that 'Sex sells!'.

Like never before, glamour photography enjoys a tremendous level of popularity because nudity, although something natural, triggers a psychological response in people. And business managers know how important the 'animal instinct' is for them. They make good money out of glamour photography and for good reason. It will continue to be used more than ever before, and artists and business people will take it to unprecedented quotes. This partly explains why nudity now goes together with the concept of 'glamour', and despite controversies and prudish opponents, glamour photography remains a social phenomenon.