Shooting

Just what is boudoir photography? Sexy, tasteful, intimate fashion portraits taken of everyday women in their lingerie.Who hires you? About half are brides doing it as a wedding gift for their husbands; the other half are women doing it as an anniversary or birthday gift, or just for themselves. I get a lot of women in their 40s and 50s, as well as in their 20s. Typically the older women have worked hard to get their bodies the way they are, and are celebrating it.What does a shoot entail?

Are you crazy about food? If you appreciate its color and visual qualities as much as its taste, you have an excellent chance for success in culinary photography. It’s exactly what catapulted Francesco Tonelli of Union City, NJ, into a flourishing career. The photo above exemplifies his passion. “I bought this wedge of Valdéon to enjoy with dinner,”he says. “But after I sliced through it, I was captivated by its color, texture, and translucent quality. I had to photograph it—immediately.”

Are sunrises prettier than sunsets? Virginia pro John Henley thinks so. “They have a charm all their own, if only because of the mist.” His tips for better sunrise photos include:Arrive early. Make sure to get to your shooting location while it’s still dark. Set up and be in position (on a tripod) as the first glimmers of sunlight break over the horizon.Look for ground fog. It can add a soft, romantic character. “In this shot, the rising sun shining through the mist added layering, color, and mood,” says Henley.

Online Photo groups can inspire and motivate you, as Stéfan le Du found in making a Flickr “365 Series,” one photo a day, using his plastic toys and household objects. “I like to base a series on a theme or a story,” the Star Wars fan from Nantes, France, says. “It was only after I’d taken about 10 photos of the Stormtroopers that I realized I had enough to do a marathon.”