Yes OK I am waffling, but I bet my local Vicar has a totally different idea to me. So please let me define glamour. A female in a provocative situation. That's it simply put. Now whether this female is fully clothed or completely naked really doesn't make any difference. 20 years ago when I first started taking 'glamour' pictures for men's magazines in particular a small glimpse of pubic hair was admissible. In fact it was considered risqué. Now, well if you read men's magazines, or surf the net you'll understand it has no meaning today at all.

So let's define glamour as a single, pair, or even a group of women acting provocatively. Good glamour is, a woman in a situation where she feels the need to act provocatively for the viewer. I think the very best set of glamour pictures I ever saw was a calendar called 'truck drivers fantasy'. I would have loved to reproduce them here, but couldn't get permission. It was simply pictures of beautiful women caught in a semi or complete state of undress appearing to have been captured in the headlights of a passing truck.

It's really about what you as a photographer feel comfortable with and having ideas that go beyond what has been done before. We have to understand that simple titillation is not enough any more. A French television station started broadcasting erotica on Friday nights, but as the novelty wore off for the viewers the only way to keep the ratings was to increase the nudity and rudeness. In fact very soon it would have moved into straight perversion if it had not been pulled.

Good ideas and attractive models are what can set you apart in the 21st century. I am amazed at what constitutes success and failure. I visited a site last week which was a (let's be polite) overweight woman who showed lot's of pictures of herself showing stocking tops in public. Now she wanted £9.00 per month for access to her site and I assume she must have members. The quality of the pictures I saw was dreadful (worse than bad amateur), but she must be earning to make it worth her while to carry on.

So you take it, as a photographer, as far as you want and trust me, providing you are willing to scout around you will sell them. Just remember this for me, keep everything in focus, if the choice is nipples, or eyes, always choose eyes.

Come up with ideas, be different, but main stream and you will definitely be able to work.

Next month I will tell you exactly how to come up with those ideas.!!!

The pictures on this page are from Suze Randall, probably one of the best glamour photographers today. A lot of people will tell you that the work she produces is pornographic, I think it is superb, both technically and provocatively. Like I said when we started, it is all very subjective.

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