Pinup Tips part. 2!

It's been so long since I did my first post on pin up tips, but with all the questions and emails I've been getting I decided to reopen the feature. I said it before, I'm no pinup or expert by any means, this is just some of my personal advice! 


I previously talked about a basic first step, getting your portfolio together. But something I missed touching on is perfecting your personal style. 

Tip #2 - Get the Look.

The pin up look is classic. It's essential. This goes for wardrobe and accessories. Find what works for you and is the perfect reflection of you. It's so important to have your personal style nailed down and be able to execute it yourself. There may be a lot of amazing makeup and hair artists out there, but when you're starting out you might not always have that option. Even girls in the pin up world for a long time still don't always have that help. You also open yourself up for more shoots and opportunities if you can do your own styling. Think about it, a photographer wants to set something up but has no MUAH and if you can't do it yourself, you miss out! Not to mention, when you know what works perfectly for your shape and your coloring, you're guaranteed to be a knock out everytime, and original to boot. 

Hair is the most vital. In my personal opinion, if you just show up to a shoot with plain straight hair or a pony tail, I'm gonna be disappointed. It's not pinup style. It just looks like you didn't care much. You don't have to be the worlds best stylist or do perfect rolls, but at least put a curl set in! As far as makeup, the pinup style can be simple and classic or out of this world. It all depends on your styling and concept. But always put a fresh polished face forward! And of course general "goeswithoutsaying" grooming. Be a lady, darling! No pinup has crazy werewolf eyebrows or bushy pits, let's be honest. 

There are tons of YouTube tutorials out there for easy beginner styles and ways to build up your skills. Practice, practice, practice! Watch and attempt. Rinse and repeat till it's second nature!

Here are some of my favorite resources, but all you have to do is a Youtube search and you'll find everything you're looking for.  

Lisa Freemont Street - Vintage hair and makeup goddess!

Classic Retro Glamour - Amazing vintage hair/makeup/nails

KandeeJohnson - An amazing array of makeup tutorials for every possible situation

There is also the books by Lauren Rennels, Retro Makeup and Vintage Hairstyling - these are a must have!

That's all for now. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll answer them with my next post!
xo

Pin Up Tips from a Designer, Part 1.

So, First off, I'm no pin up. However, I work with a lot of 'em! From the just starting girl to the established vixen, I've talked to a lot, and seen a lot. I also have friends just breaking into the pin up world and I know what it takes.. or at least I think I have an idea! I know you see a lot of things online from models and photographers with their tips and tricks, but I thought it might be a fun idea to give you my opinions as a designer/company that gives the girls the work. So, I'm going to start doing little blog posts with new tips each time that might help ya out. Any ideas or questions are welcomed, because I'm not totally sure where I'm going with this.. I just thought it'd be neat!

Tip #1 - Get started on that Portfolio!

You don't have to jump into the modeling world with amazing photos. You gotta start somewhere! But on the other hand, don't have a portfolio full of mirror shots, myspace angels, or ones of you out partying. It doesn't show that you're serious. Personally, if I get modeling requests and thats all I see, I ignore it. I know it can be difficult to get your first few photos if you don't know where to start. Have a photographer friend? Perfect! Know any local pin up studios? Jump in on one of their shoots. Not only do you get really good photos, you get great networking opportunities. If those situations aren't possible, it's as simple as having a friend use their digital camera to take some outdoor shots of you in a really cool place, just keep it in the lines of what you have in mind to do when you start working with professionals. Just so you have at least a couple photos to use to start an online portfolio, where you can then network and chat with new photographers to plan future collaborations. But that gets into the next tip, and I'll save that for later.

Some links you might be interested in...
422 Studio - Richmond, VA Pin Up Photography *Recommended!
Atomic Cheesecake Studios - Baltimore, MD Pin Up Photgraphy

Search the internet, I'm sure you have places like this in your town :)