Hot rods, automobiles, and pinups!

What’s the best prop you could possibly use for a classic pinup girl photo shoot? If you answered ‘a great classic car’ then you would be correct, because pinup girls and hot rods go hand in hand!

First off, you need to find a car to use. You might want to start with classic car shows and hot rod club gatherings. Car shows are basically a huge buffet of cars, and the owners are very proud of what they’ve done in regards to the restoration or customisation of their autos. The chances are, they’ll be interested in seeing their cars used in a photo shoot, just as much as you’d like to use the car!
Every guy wants a professional print of their car hanging in their garage to show their buddies!
While at the show, walk around and take some time to look at the cars. Keep in mind the girl that you will be photographing, and look for potentially suitable cars. You want to match up the right girl with the right car.
When you find one you’d like to use in your shots, go up to the owner and talk to him (or maybe her) about his car. Ask if he has ever had photos taken of his car before and give him a brief rundown of what you would like to use his car for. Take with some samples of your work if you have them, to show off what you do. And having insurance is a good idea. You never know what might happen.

When using an automobile in your shoot, there are a few things you should know to make sure your shoot goes smoothly. The biggest thing you want to make sure you do is to protect that car at all costs. The owner worked very hard to restore or customise the car, and would probably be quite upset if something were to happen to it.
When posing your pinup girl, always have her stand at least six inches away from the car—even in shots where it appears that the girl is leaning on the car, she is actually a few inches away from that beautiful paint job. Many outfits have metal or other items that could scratch the car, and the rivets on denim jeans are notorious for tearing up a car’s paint job.
Another popular pose involves the pinup girl lying on the front seat of the car, with her legs in the air. This creates all kinds of problems. Nine times out of ten, your model will be wearing high heels. These can tear up the headliner fabric of the roof of the car, as well as scratching the dashboard, have your model take off her shoes when she get into the car. This is when having an assistant is a boon: she or he can help your model pose and put her shoes back on her!
Don’t ruin a car’s snazzy paint job with your studio strobes!
When it comes to photography, hot rods can have lots of chrome and very shiny paint, so when you place your lights, be sure to keep them to the sides to limit the number of ‘hot spots’ that appear. Another trick is to use a polarising filter on your camera, which will help decrease the unwanted reflections on the metallic surfaces of the car. You also want to make sure you keep yourself out of the reflections in the chrome—nobody wants to see the photographer in the photo!
Shoot Sexy is Ryan Armbrust’s guide to creating alluring pin-up-style photos, whether you’re shooting professionally, or just for fun. From working with models to props, to lighting, to post-processing, he has you covered!

Shoot Sexy
Ryan Armbrust
 
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