The Pinup Thread

[Inky]

Also.. I have a lot of scars on my legs, and the picture isn't allowed to be edited in any way, so ideas on covering them up would be welcome?

Good luck in your competition! I think it's great Unfortunately I don't know a thing about posing, but I'm sure the talented girls here will step up to help.

As for covering up scars, I have had very good luck with a product called Dermablend. I don't know if it's available in England though, or how fast you need it if you can mail order, or perhaps there is something similar available to you. It even covered up a particular tattoo that would always peek out at work for me (when I had much less ink and a job that cared about them!)

 

[The Shirt]

KitschGoth - try mineral make-up on your legs along with some light self tanner. I use the makeup occasionally to cover things up on my legs. Also heels (though not on the beach hahaha) make your legs longer and tend to elongate the figure. A 3/4 shot towards the camera seems to be the most flattering when I take full length shots to camoflauge my belly too.

 

[lady eel]

^ True.
....but, I can't believe how big the pinup/burlesque thing has blown up in the past few years. There are just SO MANY GIRLS that are aspiring hopefuls to be "pinups" it's just so discouraging. At this point I am about to give up. There are just too many girls. It's all about who you know, how big your boobs are and how many tattoos you have. I'm just a simple hard working girl and cannot afford things like fake boobs and tons of tattoo work. I guess I am just not cut out for the game. It sucks, but it is what it is. No need in trying to change things you can't. I don't know why I even thought I would be good enough for this venture in the first place.

I TOTALLY AGREE WITH FLEUR
"I know for me, pin up modelling is never likely to be anything more than a hobby - it's just too niche in the UK. But it is a fun and cool hobby to have, so I'm just going with it and enjoying it while I can! "


There are many more girls trying to break into pin-up these days. You really need a unique look. There's only a handful of girls who actually make a living at pin-up, and many of those do burlesque too.
Usually only commercial shoots pay and as an alternative model, most of those companies are small alternative ones.
I disagree with your "It's all about who you know, how big your boobs are and how many tattoos you have." In fact companies like Stop Staring won't hire models with a lot of tatts and there are models like Frankie Sin who are natural and proud of it too! http://www.myspace.com/frankiesin
look at her pics, she's stunning and versatile. I'm biased because I know her but I also know she works hard, doing shoots, signings, etc. and doesn't get paid a lot of times.
In fact most girls spend a lot getting photos taken hoping to make it big in modeling. If you have a friend who is a photographer, you are already ahead of the game but just do it for fun and if something comes of it, bonus!

 

[hotrodmama0201]

^ I met her and Dayna Delux at Viva last year and they were both really sweet. I've always liked Frankie's look too.

Thanks for all the responses, girls. Some days are better than others, and we all have those times where we are feeling discouraged about things. I've just been having a rough week mentally with the whole thing.

 

[Vintage Betty]

Hey Dolls,
So, major rejection my way lately I've been turned down for Pinuppost.com and a pinup community on Livejournal. I thought my last shoot was great and the best pics yet! I would really love to post some of them here and get some opinions of what I may be doing wrong. Anyone interested?

*Disclaimer: I know nothing about Pinup shoots or models. I am posting here because I see this is a hot topic so I elected to keep this post public.

Here's my .02, and since I'm WAY too old to even consider PinUp, I hope I can help you go where you'd like to:

I've hired my share of models for business purposes, and had some for clients. I took a 10 second look at Pinuppost.com and have never seen the pinup community on LiveJournal.

Based on my internet viewing habits of vintage clothing sites and the pinup girls I see, here's some feedback for you:

1) KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: All the photos on the main page of Pinuppost.com are very high quality shots done by professional photographers with a high degree of pixelation per photo. Your photo #3 wouldn't qualify for me, because the pixelation is too broad, and the photo appears a bit fuzzy.

2) KEEP IT SIMPLE: All the photos I've ever seen of professional pinup girls have plain backgrounds with a couple of props. Photos #1 and #2 are good, but again, photo #3 has too much background and detracts from you, the pinup.

3) KEEP IT SEXY: Yup, you are right. Skin sells, and this is evident on Pinuppost.com. He wants it all, and skin sells, so he is catering to his audience. You don't have to show skin, but realize that for this single site, that is his preference. Low plunging neckline, high leg shots, etc. You are prettier than some of the girls shown, but since you aren't catering to his audience, you have not been considered. Look elsewhere for submitting your pics or cater to his audience.

4) SMILE LIKE YOU CAN DAZZLE THEM: The one thing I really like about pinup girls that sell me clothing is to see them smiling in the clothing item as they look happy to be wearing whatever it is. What I *don't* see in pictures #1 and #2 is a razzle-dazzle smile. I think photo #1 could have been improved with a razzle dazzle smile (you have a great avatar and smile from what I have seen). You seem like you are posing, vs having the time of your life and sharing that with me.

5) POSE LIKE A PROFESSIONAL MODEL: Professional models know their stuff, and it shows in pinup, whether they are pretty or not. I'd like to see you straighten up more, and than curve into the pose. I think in shot #1 you could have brought your right shoulder towards the camera more, and I'd like to see those wrinkles at your waistline be minimized. Photo #2 is lovely, but I'd like to see some action or movement in your shot.

6) MAKE YOUR PINUP DREAMS COME TRUE: Now this is where I really know my stuff: marketing. There is (at least) one clever girl on the Lounge who has declared herself The Pinup of ---. This is incredibly smart. Want a following and want to be noticed? Contact the next car show in your town and say that you will pose as their Official Pinup Girl for free. Go ahead and make your own sash: either Official PinUp Girl or Official PinUp Girl of --- and wear it around the show. Act like you were voted into the position or won a contest to be there and greet people starting at the opening of the show, pose for shots, etc. Let your local newspaper photographer know you will be available for shots, and ask car owners if they would like to have you pose next to their car. Absolutely get a photo during the show, even if you have to pay for it. Keep doing this for local events, and be sure to ask the following questions:
1) May I be the Official Pinup Girl for your --- show? I am am up and coming model and would like portfolio shots so I'm willing to work your show for free.
2) What time and days would you like me to be there?
3) What style of clothing would you like me to wear?
4) What duties would you like me to perform? May I hand out awards for Best in Show for you? Etc. Etc.

Offer to do this for all local shows, opening of businesses, and other functions you can think about. It's good exposure, and you may be able to work yourself up into a local parade or something.

The idea here is that if you keep appearing at local events, pretty soon people are going to look for you. And if you keep wearing that clever sash, you won't have to explain that you are something special. Absolutely make a requirement that you are on stage or greeting people. You want to be seen by as many people as possible. And remember, some venues are family-friendly, so a bathing suit may not be appropriate.

Start a blog and upload pics of all events with gushing remarks about what a great time you had and what duties you got to perform. Remember to credit your photographers for EACH SHOT! They will also be the persons to recommend you for events they are shooting.

Mix, stir and repeat often.

Than let us know how things work out for you. Good luck!

Vintage Betty

 

[hotrodmama0201]

Hey, VintageBetty....
Thanks for such a long thoughtful post.

I probably should have posted the exact pics that I sent to Pinuppost.com, so here they are:
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q229/hotrodmama0201/KC0444.jpg
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q229/hotrodmama0201/KC0326.jpg
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q229/hotrodmama0201/KC0166.jpg

These were shot by a professional photographer, a pretty well known one here in Tucson.
Another gal had mentioned before that it might have been my hair.......I think it's a possibility because my hair looks pretty flat and awful. What happened was I made the mistake of coloring my hair and deep conditoning the night before. My hair wouldn't hold a curl to save my life, we kept trying to get it to do something throughout the shoot but it just wouldn't work. You live and you learn.....I'll never wash my hair the night before a shoot ever again.
If you want to check out the LiveJournal pinup page, go to http://community.livejournal.com/r_u_a_pinup/. Look at "accepted applications" I don't understand why they feel I am not up to par. Some of the girls on there look like they just took pics of themselves with their camera phone wearing a flower in their hair and making a silly face! Maybe I should try that approach

 

[miss_elise]

wow, vintage betty, what a fantastic response...i too know nothing about pin up modelling, but they all sound like sensible suggestions...

 

[Vintage Betty]

Glad to have helped and thanks Miss Elise!

The first thing that leaps out at me on the LiveJournal site is that no other picture I saw referenced their own website. Do you know if any other photos have their URL listed?

 

[hotrodmama0201]

No, really it's just a place for everyday girls who are aspiring pinups to come and "be approved" to be a part of the community. Most of them don't have their own website or anything.

 

[Vintage Betty]

No, really it's just a place for everyday girls who are aspiring pinups to come and "be approved" to be a part of the community. Most of them don't have their own website or anything.

To turn the tables here for a moment, have you considered that you might be too good for that group? Maybe they rejected you because you appear professional?

 

[hotrodmama0201]

To turn the tables here for a moment, have you considered that you might be too good for that group? Maybe they rejected you because you appear professional?

I thought about that for a minute, but what throws me is there are some girls on there who are pretty well established, like Cherry Dollface and a few others. I am "in between" not an amateur but not well known by any means.

I am just going to move on and forget about it anyway. I could sit here all day and wonder why, but the fact remains the the same.

It's onward and upward from here. I have learned so much just in these past few days and am going to rock my next shoot. Hopefully the next one, whenever it will be, will blow my past ones out of the water and give me a new head start.

 

[Red_Lipstick]

Hotrodmama, I visited that website and took a look at the "accepted" photos. Some of the girls are cute, but I have to say some of the photos look quite amateur and some of the girls are very plain!

You look so cute in your photos! You have a very pretty face and I like how you don't have too many tattoos Don't give up!!

 

[Laura Chase]

You are absolutely stunning and your photos are definitely good enough for that site. Actually, too good and classy for it. I'm not very fond of Pin-Up Post.

A pin-up I really like is Heidi Van Horne, maybe it can inspire you. She does a lot of cute cheesecake stuff and classy shots, but she also shows a lot of skin sometimes, but in a very good way, imo.

 

[cherry lips]

A pin-up I really like is Heidi Van Horne, maybe it can inspire you. She does a lot of cute cheesecake stuff and classy shots, but she also shows a lot of skin sometimes, but in a very good way, imo.

Gee, Heidi Van Horne has so many imaginative themes! She can be very old-school cheesecake which I like. Thanks for the link Laura!

 

[hotrodmama0201]

You are absolutely stunning and your photos are definitely good enough for that site. Actually, too good and classy for it. I'm not very fond of Pin-Up Post.

A pin-up I really like is Heidi Van Horne, maybe it can inspire you. She does a lot of cute cheesecake stuff and classy shots, but she also shows a lot of skin sometimes, but in a very good way, imo.

I have a funny story about Mrs. Horne! It was at the car show last Viva and I was standing there hanging out with my husband and friends, when this girl comes up to me and tucks my tag in the back of my outfit. She was like, "I saw you standing here and you look so cute, but your tag was sticking out so I had to fix it!" Guess who??? It was so funny. We talked for a minute and she was just a really sweet person, drinking a beer and totally laid back! She's alot taller in real life than she look in her pics.

Pinuppost....yeah, whateva. I mean if my pics would have actually been accepted I'd be all excited about it, don't get me wrong. I really think he's just going for a more sexed up look than I can provide. Oh well.

 

[tuppence]

My vote says: You are toooo pretty for them

 

[cherry lips]

The Green Sessions

Mary and I have been at it again. I'm posting the pics of me now, Mary's will follow later (she's having computer troubles). Mine are pretty cool, but hers are hot.
For those of you who wonder about these things: the following pictures were taken in a Malmö graveyard. I'm wearing a dress by the finnish/swedish pattern designer Viola Gråsten http://www.ljungbergstextil.se/index.php?lang=en&page=viola-grasten
as well as Besame's Pistachio eyeshadow and Mac's Lady Danger lipstick. Enjoy!

 

[Inky]

Those are great, Cherry Lips - I love the green dress in such a pretty green environment. Thanks for sharing!!

 

[texasgirl]

You look lovely! I love the colors, so pretty!

 

[Darhling]

Cherry Lips - amazing pictures!! I am in love with the second one! TRULY STUNNING!