I think gals really need to know the importance of being in tune and focusing on their photographer during shoots. Focusing on them and the task at hand. I think because shoots are so much fun that amateur models loose sight of concentration. My latest cover is s prime example. Was it shooting and thinking, ok we're gonna land a cover. But my focus was there. The set that was just on cover was literally taken in about 10 minutes. I did many different facial expressions and poses. And my focus was on my photographer. It's a balance between fun, which is a given, and concentration on my poses and photographer. I'm not focused on other models if they are in attendance. I'm not focused on my cell phone. I'm not talking about my personal life. I think when you're an amateur it's more about the fun and you loose sight of the other reason you're there which is to produce positive results. I've met and styled dozens of aspiring pinups in the last 4 years. Out of say 100, maybe 3 to 5, were brand new to pinup and blew me out the water! They came out the gate totally confident and skilled. Facial expressions and poses were of a professional level. They also focused on the shoot and on the photographer. They weren't telling everyone about their personal lives. They weren't focused on their cell phones. They were on time and prepared. Didn't show up late assuming the shoot could run late because of them. I've seen gals on the very other end of this spectrum. They've done plenty of pinup shoots. They've been involved in pinup awhile. At this point I'd expect and yes assume they'd habe skills by now. They've had the time to research and didn't. They had the time to practice at home and train but they didn't, they haven't. So during posing and facial expressions, the lack of skill is present and clear. Uncomfortable looking facial expressions. The same exact facial expressions no matter what the style, era or theme. The lack of focus on their photographer showed. Their must be a level of professionalism brought by everyone attending a shoot. I don't want to talk about my photographers personal life nor mine. Don't want to be posing and running to go get on my cell, etc. My focus is on pinup and the person photographing me. No doubt in my mind that a level of commitment begins the level of concentration. Commitment is the root of being on time and prepared. Commitment is why models research and train. Because pinup is a biz and models are shooting for magazine publication, photo shoots aren't solely for fun. There's money involved, time, knowledge, experience, creativity and skill. I think people like photographers, pinup designers or biz owners like boutiques and of course pinup mags owners will undoubtedly research you as a model. What ya see is what ya get? They are professionals within our industry. This means they can see skill verses no skill. They know high quality images verses low. In pinup there's a certain feel to cheesecake pinup. Bubbly, bright eyed and a positive, very energetic vibe. If your facial expressions don't match that vibe and style, it won't match and pros in pinup will notice. I think it's nothing short of common, very common to need training. If you have pinup goals there will always be something you can learn and or improve on. Everyone has things they should be aware of and ready to improve on, change or eliminate. Examples. A model who's great at posing and facial expressions but is unprofessional with showing up late often and or unprepared often. Cancels shoots last minute, etc. Great at facial expressions and poses but lacks on the biz side. A model who can do her make up awesomely, always has nails groomed, always has her own wardrobe prepared, always on time. However after countless shoots she still lacks in facial expressions and posing skills. A model who is beautiful, skilled and has everything it takes on the outside. Pleasant to work with, fun to work with, always on time and prepared. But no pinup goals. Total pinup package but no interest in pinup as a career. A model who is attractive, skilled, makeup always flawless and devotes time to shooting often, investing often, been published often. So they have the look, can do great pinup facial expressions and poses, have invested in shoots. However on the commitment level of being on time and prepared seriously lacks. Late often. Cancels shoots last minute. Unorganized with details. Showing up late and assuming the entire shoot can run late. Poor communication. So no one's perfect perfect. In biz, in pinup there's always room for enlightenment, improvement and self awareness. Know your flaws, knowledge them to yourself. Decide to improve, add or alter. Know what your flaws are and actively make a change. Ask yourself why goals you set weren't achieved. Why another pinup you know has achieved the goals she set. Why top pinup photographers want to shoot other pinups but haven't asked to work with you. Why did that pinup land a position as a product model or model for that designer or boutique?What did that pinup land a cover or land another cover? Why do I specifically select certain models to shoot with my personal photographers? Why do I choose certain only, to be involved in major projects? I mean if you're beautiful, ya still have to be skilled in facial expressions and poses. If you're beautiful and skilled, ya still gotta be professional on the biz side. Level of commitment, excellent communication and organization, sacrifice, knowledge, skill, experience and confidence. All things every pro pinup brings to the table. Not JUST beauty, not just one or 2 listed above, but the total perfect pinup package includes everything. Evaluate yourself as a pinup specifically. Ask someone who's a pro pinup to evaluate your images. Study pinups you like the style of, want their level of success and want to achieve the same things as they have. Research and study them. Ask for advice. If you can't be objective and aware of things you need to improve on, alter, add or elimate to succeed at your goals then ask a professional you admire and respect. Listen, value and apply it! Stylists will take money from any client and do their job. Photographers who cater to the general public and charge will also take money and photograph anyone. They aren't concerned about the client having unrealistic goals or goals with no plan. They aren't concerned about you improving or what skills you're bringing to the table. They aren't concerned about you enhancing their portfolio or bringing publication in major pinup magazines. Once you have a manager, want to be photographed by pro photographers, not pay them and shoot for trade. Want to be in the top pinup mags, land covers and model for designers, note that they do care. About the quality your bringing and about your level of professionalism. Hobby or career being reliable is key to working with professionals. So is bringing equal skill level. Dianna Prince 1st image is Bunny Yeager, Sammy Davis Jr., and Marilyn Monroe. All images in between are of Bunny Yearer and the last image is of her with Bettie Page.
0 Comments
11/29/2017 0 Comments Lily Munster as a PinupYvonne De Carlo as a Pinup Model.
Famous for her iconic role as Lily Munster on the black and white tv show The Munsters! I found these images. Some Old Hollywood Glam and some Cheesecake Pinup. She was stunning indeed. Vintage Stylist Dianna Prince 11/28/2017 1 Comment Choosing EditsLet's talk about the importance of choosing unedited images that you want edited. 1st off not every photographer will give a model or client the option of choosing. Usually those that do allow clients to choose are being paid to photograph them. Then there's photographers that have built a solid working relationship with a model they adore and will give her access to all unedited images. Not every photographer will give you that option so make sure that you appreciate it. Also don't judge unedited images too deeply. Unless you've worked with them before, wait and see. 1st give them the chance to do their process, editing, photo shop etc. If and as long as the images are clear and in focus believe me so much can be done in editing. I photograph models and I doubt that they realize that A I had to edit the images many ways. Remove shinny skin, even out skin tone, remove harsh shadows under my eyes or defined bags under the eyes. Smooth tan lines and remove any flaws. Wrinkles on the forehead, etc. It takes time to edit several images! Anyhow so back to selecting your favorites from unedited images, to be edited. ALWAYS consider down time, production time, other priorities and obligations that you and your photographer have. It's NOT as simple as waiting when you know you have a deadline, and saying, " oh here are my selections, I need them by tomorrow! Or I need them by next week. When YOU need them should have been discussed before the shoot. How long their normal process is, was up to YOU to incorporate in your planning ahead, along with a deadline to submit. What about emergencies coming up on the photographers end. What if they waited for you to choose and already had plans to travel. You waited to make selections and now they're out of town, away from working. What if they planned to edit your images during a certain time frame, but once you finally did they were busy on things they already had scheduled? Unless you're choosing a hundred images or say even 25, it's not going to take you long. Unless you're also going through hundreds of images it won't take long to look and choose a handful. Deadlines of magazine publication have never, don't and won't alter their deadline because YOU, one model hasn't received her edits yet. You do a Christmas themed shoot, miss deadlines of several mags. Guess what? Can't get those images published until next Christmas! Common sense. Clear logic. If you don't make the biz side of pinup a priority then you'll never become a professional, won't work with professionals and won't reach a higher level of success!!! Now let's talk about submitting once you do have edits. You must download every imafes, place them all in a Dropbox, label each and every image. 5 or 15, they all must be labeled. Then you send one mag only an invite to that folder. They will not get back to you right away because they don't and can't even get to your email right away. So say you submitted a solid week before their deadline . What if they turn down the set and didn't tell you until after the deadline? Lots of mags wait until the deadline for each issue to make all selections. So you can actually submit a month before and they won't review the set until after the receive all submissions. That is a problem because what if they turn down the set. Are you prepared and have the time to invite a 2nd mag to the folder, follow up, wait yo hear back, in time to meet that 2nd mags deadline? Never assume a mag will definitely accept your set. Never assume themed issues in top pinup magazines won't get filled before the issue's deadline. Because they do! For the models I manage KEEP in mind I have many priorities which are scheduled and planned ahead of time. Don't assume that I'll drop my scheduled stuff to try and hustle fast to get sets submitted. Not if you had 10 mins., to make selections, yet waited days! Also DO NOT assume I'll either A, wait on your edits to feature in my columns. I have a deadline for my articles every single month and I keep them! And B, that I'll select any images of you for an article. I may not like your set for a number of different reasons. I may like it but love another models set more. Won't submit late because waiting on edits. Won't feature image's in my column's unless I adore them. KEEP in mind too, that I manage other models . I model, style, photograph models and write articles. You're a priority but not my ONLY priority! If I know I have a deadline that is very near I WILL MAKE CHOOSING IMAGES TO BE EDITED ASAP! 10 minutes of work on your cell and hopefully getting edits back in time and gaining publication. Verses waiting days to choose, hoping to get edits back in time. But didn't so now no publication. If you somehow think editing your images, plus other models can be done quickly you're wrong. Photographers have other clients, a day job or 2nd career, family, spouses, etc. Just like you. But you're not their ONLY client. If you think me getting a ton of edits of several models and it's a quick process to download, create folders, label each image, submit or write an article and submit, then follow up, for EVERY SINGLE MODEL,....... the you are misguided with assumptions! The entire process of submitting takes time. From planning and booking a shoot yo getting dolled up and shooting.Then post work editing, waiting on edits. Submit to one or several mags, follow up and wait for communication. Set accepted and published,...... can take a month up to several months!!!! A photographer allows you to choose? Don't delay. Get it DONE right away. I've waited to choose images because there was no deadline. Or the deadline was 2 months away, not in a week! Unless I didn't get a link to choose right away, I rarely miss deadlines. Don't assume in biz! To a manager, to a photographer and magazine owner, if you can be on social media every day, several times a day, YOU have the time to choose images and communicate.
Lastly keep in mind all of the top pinup magazines require a signed release by the photographer. So once again we're talking about a time crunch and deadlines for the release. Vintage Stylist Dianna Prince All images in this blog are of Yvonne De Carlo 11/27/2017 0 Comments CONSISTENCYBiggest most valuable lesson I learned in biz this year. How essential consistency is! Going to create a blog on this very subject soon. In a nutshell consistency is as important as communication. If you're posting images, advertising and promoting with high quality images then that's EXACTLY what every model or client should expect if you photograph them. There should never be a model who sees high quality images, books a shoot and then receives a visibly lower quality. No different than my styling services. Model's that book me to do hair see high quality examples of my styling and they can be confident the quality won't vary from client to client. Or shoot to shoot with them. If they loved their styling before, because I'm consistent they know they'll love it every time, every shoot. To me it's basically false advertisement to those who've never worked with you, to see high quality images and you can't guarantee that for them. Researching a photographer before booking a shoot means you care about the quality. Not researching to find out how much fun they are. Fun means ABSOLUTELY nothing without high quality. Just like communication means nothing without production. If I research a photographer and like what I see and see nothing but high quality images, then from our shoot receive lower quality images, it's equally as bad as working with someone before who produced high quality then turns around and produces low quality our next shoot. Can't get that day back. Can't get that shoot back. Can't get my time styling and posing back. Can't get my money invested in wardrobe back. And whatever specific plans I had for the images, such as publication are ruined. I can do very little to nothing with low quality images. Thing is, it isn't about style and personal taste. Out of focus, unclear images have nothing to do with style of photography or personal taste. No amount of editing can make an unclear image, clear! Horrible lighting has nothing to do with style, it has everything to do with quality! Editing only the face and not all the skin on the body that's visible isn't high quality. Leaving harsh shadows under eyes isn't high quality. Editing one image flawlessly and not all the images in that set, isn't high quality. Lighting is so major in photography. I've had a photographer take images so well lite that not only were they clear and totally in focus but they needed almost no editing. No harsh shadows under my eyes because the lighting was so bright and even. Then I've had a photographer with all this lighting an equipment take images that ended up needing a ton of editing. Some times it's not only the same me but also the same exact location or set. 2 different photographers, 2 different shoots, same me, same location yet high quality edits produced verses low. If you're not passionate about pinup it'll show and I say why shoot any style you're not passionate about in the 1st place?! Rushed edits show they were rushed. If you are passionate about pinup then you won't be rushing edits, you'd take your time until they are flawless. This year I worked with like 2 photographers for the 1st time and was disappointed in the results. The high quality I saw when researching them was not what I received at all! What they post and advertise with isn't the same as what they can guarantee everyone. I shot with a photographer last year and images were good enough for me to book a 2nd shoot. The edits were so horrible from the 2nd shoot that I still haven't posted a single shot!!! If your best work is done only at your studio DON'T agree to shoot elsewhere! If you produce your highest quality outdoors then why are you booking indoor shoots?! How simple is it to decline shooting at certain locations because YOU know you aren't prepared or capable of producing high quality there? It's like a model showing me a hairdo, asking if I can do it well. I say yes knowing damn well I can't do that exact style to a high level of quality, yet I still book the shoot. Uncool and unfair to them. If you research my modeling work you'll see different styles of photography. You'll see different styles within different era's. You'll see skilled facial expressions and poses. You'll see tons of high quality images taken of me by different photographers. What you see as far as my styling and skills is EXACTLY what I'll be bringing to the table EVERY shoot! I don't shoot anything modern BECAUSE I'm far from passionate about it. No motivation what so ever to style myself in a modern look and do modern facial expressions and poses. No inspiration unless it pinup or vintage. So I simply don't and won't shoot modern. Why anyone who's an artist or offers services would be ok providing low quality and having low quality examples of their work out there, is totally beyond me! I want ONLY high quality examples of my work that I'm proud of, out there. It's like when dolls take horrible cell pics that don't flatter them during my academy shoots, then post tagging me! Oh hell no, PLEASE don't! No desire for my name to be associated with anything low quality. It will NEVER help my rep as a stylist nor bring me new clients if they see a bad picture of my styling. Without consistency in the quality YOU produce I personally can't and never will consider you a professional. Pros care about the quality they deliver. They care about every model or client being satisfied. They care about the rep they're building. They would never have low quality examples of their work floating around social media. Consistency with quality is part of the definition of a true professional! I can name 5 top pinup photographers right now that I've NEVER ONCE seen a single low quality image of their work posted. Every shoot, every single model or client gets high quality images, period! They advertise with high quality and that's what they provide everyone! If it's because you have no passion for pinup. If it's because you've gotten too far behind on edits. If it's because you continuously book shoots without scheduling time to edit. If it's because you agreed to shoot at a new location. WHATEVER the reason you're producing low quality or a lower quality,... eliminate those things, alter your process, make some changes or simply STOP until you can be consistent! False advertising isn't cool. One shoot high quality, next low quality isn't cool. It can't possibly be equal trade if one person is bringing high quality to the table and the other isn't. Has nothing to do with style! EVERYTHING to do with quality! Pinup Talk host Dianna Prince Lucille Ball
11/27/2017 0 Comments Publication and ReleasesIt's time for my academy dolls and the models I manage to learn about the biz side of pinup, specifically publication. Eventually you all will have to learn the entire process. There's going to be many times where you'll have to sign release forms and or have your photographer sign them. You must have the software and knowledge on how to use it. You must be good at communication and organization. Communicating with mag owners and your photographer. Organizing images, labeling them and submitting correctly. Following up. And knowing how to fill out a release properly, then submitting it correctly. It's really all too simple yet it's a process that has to be done often. You have to have good communication with the photographer that took the images you'll be submitting. What if they stop photography? What if they go on vacation? What if they are difficult to get ahold of and terrible at deadlines? ( above is Bettie Page ) Marilyn Monroe It's really all too simple yet it's a process that has to be done often. You have to have good communication with the photographer that took the images you'll be submitting. What if they stop photography? What if they go on vacation? What if they are difficult to get ahold of and terrible at deadlines? Raquel Welch All the top pinup magazines require releases. Just like all top professional photographers, no matter what the style, always have release forms. All pro photographers require a deposit to book and everything's in writing! I just recently had to sign a few releases and 3 of my photographers had to sign other releases. Every mag has a different release. I also had to use different software twice. Then wait on signed releases and submit them. It's a total process. Twiggy A process that at some point needs to be learned and will be done as often as you're published in top pinup magazines. The communication part and deadlines are 2 things I feel will be most difficult for many people. Sure they can submit, fill out a release, but can they communicate well? Do they make themselves available to communicate when it's essential? Are they efficient at planning ahead and being organized? I see that as a major negative issue in anyone in any biz. Model, stylist, designer, mag owner, biz owner, photographer, etc. Producing positive results requires excellent communication skills! Requires excellent organization skills. Level of commitment has everything to do with success and publication. Jayne Mansfield If you're not good at being on time and meeting deadlines, not good at communication, not good at planning ahead and staying organized, publication isn't for you! You'll get weeded out eventually. Sophia Loren Competing in pinup and pinup publication goes way beyond beauty. It's even goes way beyond talent and skill. It's everything from investing to sacrificing and things like level of commitment. I mean there's only like a million beautiful pinups. Different levels of success because of everything outside of just beauty. Jane Russell I'm not going to be in Vegas forever, thankfully at that. I'm not going to manage the same exact models forever either. So I encourage all levels of pinups to learn as much about the biz side of pinup as possible and apply it. Vintage Stylist Dianna Prince Pinup Talk host Dianna Prince Elizabeth Taylor
11/26/2017 1 Comment Release Forms In Pinup PublicationLet's go over pinup publishing and release forms. Most pinup magazines require a signed release by the person who owns the copyrights to the images submitted. This means, no matter who submits the owner of the images must sign the release. If a model submits and a set is accepted the magazine will require a signed release by the photographer. Unless the model owns the copyrights, doesn't matter if the images are of her, the photographer who took the images owns them. There are a few pinup magazines I've been published in before that state in their release that if you're the model who's submitting you must have permission to have those images published, but you sign the release. These are smaller publications. The top pinup magazines require the person who owns the copyrights to sign their release. No matter who actually submits only the owner of the images must sign it. This is common and completely standard. If you research pinup mags or have been published in them, you'll see all this to be facts. Very simple and everything is crystal clear in each release form. Model's do NOT own any images taken of them unless rights were given by the photographer who took them. Copyrights are owned by the photographer and only they can give equal rights or full copyrights. So all of the top pinup magazines will always require a signed release by the photographer who took the images, no matter who submitted them. Pinup Talk host Dianna Prince My suggestion to photographers that are photographing models for publication,.... research pinup magazines overall.
Things like deadlines, guidelines and release forms will be a constant if your clients are shooting specifically for publication. If you don't plan to be in photography forever, plan to travel, don't plan in being available to sign releases once images are excepted, then draw up a release or add to an existing one with terms that the model has permission to get images published at any point. Otherwise like I said if you plan to work with or are already working with clients who are models and specifically shoot to gain publication, then signing a magazine's release form will be a constant. 11/22/2017 1 Comment Passion in Professional PinupPassion in Pinup Being a professional pinup involves passion. Being a professional pinup photographer takes passion. The 4 P's. Professional, pinup, passion and publication. I started to realize how much passion plays a major part in producing quality, being consistent, going the extra mile, sacrificing and level of commitment. Being passionate about pinup, as a model, photographer, mag owner, boutique owner, stylist, etc., means you'll want to learn. Passion means you'll make the time to research, train and DO! Passion means you'll plan ahead, show great communication, and value others time. Because of passion for pinup you'll invest and always expect to invest to reach goals. It becomes less of a luxury and want and more of value and a need. To reach a professional level in pinup, it takes that high level of commitment and dedication. Passion is the basis of that. Sophia Loren I've seen people in pinup, all fields, that do it as a hobby and yet the passion, communication, dedication, organization, commitment level and valuing my time, is there. There are, " models ", and photographers in pinup and claim to be professional, yet have many essential aspects missing. Unprofessional behavior that I attribute to lack of passion. Therefore lack of commitment, consistency, dedication, etc. Aspiring or amateur pinup model. Part-time pinup model. Professional pinup model. 3 levels and all defined differently. Then there's gals who do pinup solely as a hobby or once a year treat. To me, any can be professional regardless to their personal pinup goals. Obviously that professional frame of mind and work ethic, was there before pros became pros. That's how they achieved success. Marilyn Monroe I'm come to realize, with the exceptions of a few photographers I've worked with years now, that higher quality results in pinup are done by professional pinup photographers. The passion for pinup is there! That effects everything. Them researching, investing, going the extra mile and being consistent in quality. When a gal wants high quality pinup or vintage images and find a photographer that specializes in pinup, they can be for certain their images will be fabulous and high quality, EVERY single shoot! Professional pinup photographers who have all the things listed bellow. 1. Knowledge on pinup history 2. Knowledge on current pinup 3. Knowledge on current pinup magazines 4. Knowledge of who the top pinup photographers and models are currently 5. Knowledge on the process of gaining publication 6. Knowledge on the style of pinup images that pinup magazines require 7. Knowledge on how to pose their clients in pinup poses 8. Resources such as a studio 9. Resources such as a pinup styling team 10. Resources like back drops and props that go with pinup 11. Resources like high end equipment, lighting and editing software 12. Resources to get their models published Veronica Lake ALL the things listed above are the ingredients, the aspects involved that define a professional pinup photographer. Those that don't have studio's, rent the same locations and can guarantee quality every shoot because they've shot at those locations countless times. I've said it before an actual professional photographer can pretty much shoot any style and produce high quality images. If they have the equipment, skill, knowledge and passion, it will be a success. But without that passion I've seen great non pinup photographers, who normally produce high quality images, produce and deliver a visibly lower quality set. There's no way I'd define a true professional in any style of modeling and photography, without the aspect of passion. That's why we invest. That's why we research and train, if needed. Passion is why, it's the basis of how someone becomes a specialist aka a pro. Lucille Ball ALL the things listed above are the ingredients, the aspects involved that define a professional pinup photographer. Those that don't have studio's, rent the same locations and can guarantee quality every shoot because they've shot at those locations countless times. I've said it before an actual professional photographer can pretty much shoot any style and produce high quality images. If they have the equipment, skill, knowledge and passion, it will be a success. But without that passion I've seen great non pinup photographers, who normally produce high quality images, produce and deliver a visibly lower quality set. There's no way I'd define a true professional in any style of modeling and photography, without the aspect of passion. That's why we invest. That's why we research and train, if needed. Passion is why, it's the basis of how someone becomes a specialist aka a pro. Jayne Mansfield You can be modeling, doesn't make you a pro pinup. You can be taking photos of gals, doesn't make you a professional photographer. Then you add the word pinup in with professional and that would mean expertise, and professionalism. Being consistent, being organized, having a sense of obligation and level of commitment,...... stems from passion!!!
Scarifice stems from passion. Producing high quality stems from passion. Goals are set, planned ahead for, invested in and scarificed to achieve,... by sheer PASSION! 11/21/2017 0 Comments Columnist Dianna PrinceDianna Prince. Professional Pinup and Vintage Model. Pinup and vintage stylist. Owner of The Dianna Prince Pinup Academy. Pinup writer and columnist. Creator and executive producer of the ONLY online pinup course in the world, The Pinup Master Course! Spokes model. Internationally published model & columnist. Image above by Tony White Photography Gwendolyn Tundermann Photography Memories in a Vintage Classic Hello readers. Hot Rides, Hot Gals. Delicious Dolls has them! Welcome to another brilliant and exciting special edition issue. Seems to me classic cars and hot rods go hand in hand with sexy chicks. Looking back in history, pretty much everyone was into nice cars back in the day, as much as now. Classic car owners really take pride in owning a piece of history and I don't blame them. Men have notoriously been fascinated and focused on both, cars and hot chicks. Women have always been intrigued with hot guys who own fast, loud, fancy looking cars. The attraction is real and undeniably strong with both genders. Rockabilly guys with loud, fast, spruced up rides, are totally hot. Gotta love an attractive man who's rough around the edges on the outside but has style sense. I love worker bees like my husband. Rarely suited and booted. Usually in work clothes, dirty finger nails or rough looking, " man hands ". To see a well dressed man, groomed and in uosvake attire drive up in a classic sports car, is also a major turn on. Clean cut, ivy league, car in impeccable condition and fine tuned like their appearance is. Another thing from the dawn if time that's common is the gentle way and total concern over a car and a woman, that most men can relate to. I've seen men be very territorial about both. I've seen men spend hours on end maintain their rides and equal time maintaining a relationship or focused on women. Both great investments if you ask me. I wonder how many of us were conceived in the back seat of a classic car? That's a funny thought. It definitely wasn't solely the Rockabilly bad girls and guys who made out or had sex in their cars or parents cars back in the day. I'm sure it's still common. But back then the cars were so classically beautiful. It just have really been awesome to own a fast car, in the 50's as a teen. Here's a list of the most popular cars back in the 50's. I'd have never guessed it. I think of the 57 Chevy or 1950's Mustang. This list was found on Wikipedia. " 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible, one of the most iconic autos of the era. 1957 Nash Cosmopolitan. 1950 Crosley station wagon. 1951 Studebaker 2-door sedan. 1951 Muntz. 1954 Hudson Hornet. 1956 Imperial dash-mounted, push-button "PowerFlite" transmission. First generation Chevrolet 265 CID engine ". I'd give anything to own a classic Mustang one day. Just the purr of the engine and classic look would make me happy all year around! Thank you for reading. Thank you to Rene and Bonnie. Happy reading. Pinup Talk host Dianna Prince Las Vegas Delicious Dolls Magazine Pinup Talk by Dianna Prince " The Vintage Pink Peignoir " Vintage lingerie is a passion of mine! I collect it, model in it, style models in it and blog about it. I have a series of articles on vintage lingerie and under garments. The series covers everything from pantyhose, the bullet bra, girdles, peignoir's and more. About 10 thousand words! Included is the history of each piece. Peignoir is French and means, " to brush the hair ". Used to describe nightgown or negligee. Dressing gowns are also similar. Something you'd wear to groom yourself in before you leave home. Much fancier than a bath robe or house coat. I think a true peignoir isn't a dressing gown because it's sexy and meant to entice. Peignoir's are fancy, usually with either sheer, lace or both and maybe feathers, etc. Not a typical garment you'd wear to do your hair in, where as the dressing gown would be worn more often to groom. Peignoir's are also worn in performance by burleque performers on stage. I honestly think rich people back in the 1940's, 1950's had so much money it was like designers said, " ok let's creare a coat or jacket for about every occasion and moment in your life ". Or they took a coat design that was made for a practical purpose and created a fashion appeal. House coats to do housework in or lounge in, bed jackets to sleep in, bath robes for after shower, dressing gowns for grooming, swing coats and jackets for high fashion, trench coats, fur coatsfor fashion and more. One of the most interesting shots and very few like it, was a model on the beach in a sheer peignoir with bathing suit! Then I saw a famous pinup, Bettie Page on the beach in a sheer peignoir totally nude, and not implied I may add. I remember an image of a starlet in like the mid to late 1940's coming out of a pool with a sheer peignoir on. I think in general top designers, high end, high fashion designers are always catering to the rich and famous 1st, not mainstream. Not young buyers simply because these are very expensive clothes. Most vintage under garments and lingerie have a history sometimes before a famous starlet wore them. Some starlets made certain garments popular. But so many under garments were created for practical purposes. Holding up stockings before they had elastic, keeping you warm, shaping the body under outter wear. Etc. One thing I've learned 1st hand is women feel sexy in lingerie. Lingerie being something they want to reveal and show. Under garments may be just to hold breasts up, girdle to tuck tummy in, panties that show no line underneath clothing. Lingerie being worn for less of a practical use, and more so for romance. I own about 30 beautiful vintage lingerie garments from the 40's, 50's and many from the 60's! Vintage bra's or vintage looking, vintage garters or vintage looking, vintage corsets or vintage looking, high waist panties, must have them under actual vintage peignoir's. Here is the quote from my beautiful model Scarlet Rose Venom, on vintage lingerie. " I love being in vintage lingerie. It makes me feel unbelievably sexy. It makes me feel sexier than I do in modern lingerie "! Scarlet Rose Venom Thank you to the awesome Peter Smith! Thank you to my gorgeous doll Scarlet Rose Venom from San Diego. And thanks to the readers. Xoxo Vintage Stylist Dianna Prince Scarlet Rose Venom by Dianna Prince Las Vegas, NV " It Was a Noir Halloween in Vegas " Welcome to Halloween time 2017! Thank you to all my fabulous readers and fellow pinups. Thank you always to Peter Smith for my awesome column! Halloween pinup, Noir style. I just adore 1940's Halloween pinup the most. Noir is a long time favorite of mine. Halloween Noir is like Old Hollywood but without the glam and instead a Cheesecake Pinup feel. Black and white images and dramatic facial expressions and poses. Can also be smiling and silly facial expressions like in classic Cheesecake Pinup. I love black and white images because they show every detail of my models styling I did as well as things like shadows. Another similar aspect that is within Old Hollywood, the use of purposely placing shadows on your model. I styled these 2 beautiful dolls and photographed them. The amazing graphics were done by La Kiss Boutique, www.lakiss.com. Brianna Elise is a super sweet and gorgeous 18 year old doll, brand new to pinup. It was a pleasure styling her and taking images of her as a pinup. She did fabulously and needed very little direction. I really love her hairdo and wardrobe I pieced together. Sandy Rocket is my 2nd featured model. She has been in pinup years and recently began shooting a lot and creating goals for a part time career as a pinup model. She researches, great communication and she has drive. Sandy is serious about pinup modeling and it shows because she constantly invests time and money. Both a sheer pleasure to work with, both models are sweet as pie. Brianna's look was 1950's inspired and Sandy's was 1960's. Both sexy gals. Please find The Dianna Prince Pinup Academy on Facebook. Located in Las Vegas. I have the only pinup academy in town, in the entire state! I am the only pinup and vintage stylist in town who also sets up shoots and helps pinups get published. Have a safe and fulfilled Halloween folks. Be creative and please enjoy this cool issue. The Pinup Profile by Dianna Prince Pinupworship Magazine Above The Pinup Profile Pinupworship Magazine You're known in our industry as the best, no one better. How does that make you feel?\n \n Wow, what a lovely thing to say, thank you! \n I have worked so painstakingly hard (80+ hours a week for 4 years solid) to get DOLLHOUSE to the level it has reached, and I really\n can’t believe how popular my work is worldwide - I am very fortunate to do something I absolutely love - anyone who knows me knows that I eat, breathe and sleep DOLLHOUSE! I invest almost every penny I make into the business and there is an undeniable fire\n in my belly to constantly improve my work and see DOLLHOUSE grow from strength to strength.\n What was it that inspired you to set up DOLLHOUSE? I simply adore the pin up genre as it is so stylised and visually indulgent. Becoming a photographer was actually unplanned though! I did a pin up shoot for fun with a few friends using a camera I had bought for my graphic design work… After posting the digitally enhanced photos on Facebook, seemingly out of no where all of these pin up fans started sharing my images, and before I knew it I had quite a following. Because I enjoyed it so much and felt that I could creatively stretch my wings as a photographer, I left a career in property marketing/design in London to start DOLLHOUSE, and my feet haven’t touched the floor since! What training did you do before becoming a photographer? I had no formal training in photography, I just experimented with light and settings to get results I liked - I still shoot without modelling lights or a light meter in fact, and I do all of my editing on a laptop with a 3-inch built in track pad which is pretty unorthodox for a professional photographer. I learned basic photoshop at school as a teen and became instantly hooked - I spent up to 15 hours a day experimenting on Photoshop for 15 years before DOLLHOUSE was born… this spring-boarded my post production techniques into a level that allows me to create literally anything I imagine - hence the extravagant and surreal style of a lot of my work. I spend up to 8 hours on some of my composites but typically 1-2 hours per image in post production, and I get a buzz like nothing else when I finish a special new piece. What is it about the vintage, pin up style that you enjoy so much? Why did you choose this era? I love the saucy almost innocent cheekiness of vintage pin-up – it puts a smile on your face and there were several famous artists/exponents of the genre who elevated it to an art form. The era in which pin up developed – war torn ‘40s has become so romanticised, and I love to recreate some of the classic poses and to construct new ones of my own. How many photoshoots are carried out each week at DOLLHOUSE? At our huge DOLLHOUSE studio in Birmingham England, typically we shoot 10am-7pm four or five days a week, and this can be anything from 5 to 15 clients a week who travel from all over the place - we had 2 clients from Australia last month and one from Hong Kong, as well as regular USA clients, and of course many from London and other parts of the UK. I also tour the USA 3-4 times a year and shoot several lovely clients per day across Florida, New York, Texas, Nevada, Louisiana and California. I actually shoot very quickly but the shoots take a lot of time due to the elaborate styling and costume changes - in between each set I shoot I am glued to my laptop editing, I tend to edit for around 10-12 hours a day, every day of the week. Are women nervous when they come in for their photoshoots? All but the most professional models are nervous. Some are almost crippled by their nerves and I and other members of my team take a great deal of care in helping them to relax and enjoy their shoot - they are always walking on air as they leave and I find that the “Before and After” shots that clients have given me permission to use are also very helpful in settling nerves. How long does it take to transform a woman for her shoot? (Hair, make up, clothes etc) It varies greatly on what look/theme they want in their shoot. If we have someone with very short hair who wants curls to the waist or someone who chooses a wide range of clothes and props, this greatly affects the length of the transformation. What kind of lighting and techniques are used to transform the women into flawless, glamorous pin up models? How long have you got? ,) My Stylists are amazingly talented and we work so well together from consultation with the client that she understands exactly what I want for the particular client. My Stylists can make the best of a person’s skintone and overall colouring and I can tell on sight what angles and lighting I need to use to bring out the best in a fact or the client's body. What kind of props are used for the shoots? We use everything from a motorbike, to a bale of hay, to valuable vintage furniture, to a bespoke gown in the style of Dita von Teese. My props wardrobe is looking like the backroom at a theatre because of the many elements I use in my shoots - our wardrobe is insured for £200,000 and my team and I are like little girls playing dress up with our clients a lot of the time - there is never a dull moment at DOLLHOUSE! How much is a pin up photoshoot at DOLLHOUSE Unless it is a specially commissioned shoot, all of our numerous styled shoots are listed and fully described on our website - we are not cheap, but nothing high quality is ,) What is the main reason for women to come and have a DOLLHOUSE photoshoot? Apart from professional models who want shots for calendars, photobooks, commercial products etc. there is no “main reason” why women want a DOLLHOUSE photoshoot. Many want a set of beautiful photographs in fabulous surroundings and clothes as a keepsake for their own satisfaction or as a gift for their partner. Some of my older clients want a set before they think they are too old (I say “never” – my oldest client was late 60s). Some love the romance encapsulated in a shoot and some who struggle with a disability in their everyday life want to see themselves in their best light. However, I am proud to say that all of my clients love to have a set of shots in which they look beautiful - many say more beautiful than they ever thought they could look. I work so hard to ensure every photo I take is produced with the attention to detail of a mini work of art, and the incredibly heart-warming and uplifting messages I get from clients after they receive their pictures, make all the early mornings and late nights worth every moment. www.dollhousephotography.co.uk Hardy N Photography My Interview with Brooklyn Brat Images Please tell us when, where and how you began shooting pinup? I started shooting Pinup Specifically back in 2013 when I met some beautiful ladies that wanted to do a retro shoot and this wonderful car museum in northern Georgia. And why, what made you choose this industry? It was such a wonderful experience between the ladies looks and fashion alongside with the beautiful cars that it brought me back to my days with my dad who was a mechanic, race car driver and lover of the 50s style. I was instantly hooked. What is your personal favorite style of pinup? Cheesecake, Rockabilly, Old Hollywood, Alt? And why? Oh, that’s really tough, I don't think I could choose, I love them all. I love the variety and what women bring to the table with their ideas and creativity. What is your biggest accomplishment to date? When was it, who did it involve and why do you see it as your biggest achievement, thus far? I would have to say my biggest accomplishment to date is just the fact of the growth of my business, between word of mouth and those i work with in the business, wonderful Makeup/Hair Artists, Car owners, shop owners, artist in general that work with me now is just amazing. But if I had to be specific, I would say being at Viva in Vegas and meeting new people and experiencing all that is Viva, was a major accomplishment! You photograph pinups in Georgia and surrounding areas. Do you have a studio and mainly shoot indoors or out? I do have a studio at my house, full studio with backdrops, props, lighting. I love to shoot indoors where I can control the lighting and I love when I can create a set/theme. I also love to shoot outdoors as well, Georgia is full of such a wonderful variety between lakes, beaches, mountains as well as city, using natural light and what’s around you can be wonderful, but you have to plan between time and hope mother nature plays nice when outdoors. What's your favorite set up or location? My favorite studio set had to be the Candy Shop we did, it was huge seller and everyone loved how fun it was. On location, I would have to say Historic Downtown Suwanee, its close by me and it’s just this small street that is most times vacant and quiet. It has some old buildings, a permanently parked train caboose, and of course train tracks. Its quaint and beautiful and have shot some of my favorites photos there. What are your current plans and goals for 2018? What's in the works to end 2017? Planning to rent a home in Vegas for Viva 2018 to do shoots and working with another amazing photographer David Rose from Twisted Pinup Images, as well as Makeup/Hair Artist Always Pretty by Kimber. As for 2017, the end of the year is always the busiest for me, starting next month, August will roll out some final summer shoots then start set design for Halloween, followed by Christmas theme. I won't see a break until after January. What do you love most about pinup and what’s your biggest pet peeve, in pinup? What I love most about pinup is the retro fashion and style, I also love working with men and women who live it every day. My biggest pet peeve must be drama, no matter how much you try to be professional and laid back there is always people that try to bring drama into your life. I try real hard to distance myself from that, life is too short to be hateful, hurtful and petty. Brooklyn Brat Images Columnist Dianna Prince RMH Photography Foxy Lady Magazine - above. Above is Tres Jolie Magazine Above is Gray Mode Magazine California Photo Dreams Delicious Dolls Magazine Pinup Talk by Dianna Prince Hardy N Photography Pinup Kulture Magazine - above. Cat's Pajamas Magazine 2014
My very 1st column. 11/19/2017 0 Comments Hobby Or Career,... Pinup Costs MONEYEvery so often I post about my academy, the shoots and services I provide. If say 10 models comment, friend request then message me, by the time I've given them all the info., maybe 2 will actually book a shoot. I look at it as advertising and the normal numbers reached that buy a product or hire a service. So 2 out of 10 isn't uncommon and I guess not all that bad. Common sense. Can't take it for granted that everyone will have it. I've personally never once seen any professional pinup shoot that included styling, wardrobe use, posing coaching, edited images and publication for FREE! And all from a successful pro pinup model. I don't know of any real career where you have absolutely no experience, no knowledge and no accomplishments, and didn't have to start at the bottom, invest time and money, train and gain experience over time, over years. So back to square one. It's one thing to be brand new, not have researched pinup, how it works, the average shoot costs, etc., find out and just can't afford it. But an entirely different thing to not know, find out, have the money but don't feel you should have to pay. I read an interesting article a pinup wrote. I don't know of her or her accomplishments but the article was well written and I agreed with most of it. She said that being a pinup model costs money. I agree. I don't like to use my time explaining to folks not involved in pinup and non professional pinups, why I've invested thousands and thousands of dollars in my career, still invest regularly and plan to always invest. Along with the fact that yes, pinup does cist money, to pinups who are actively involved in this industry we consider it investing. People not directly involved in pinup or it's a hobby see it as spending. Investing is essential, time researching and training and money on styling, wardrobe and images. Money on issues of magazines you end up in, etc. I've researched current pinup and the entire industry. The fact that it should be common sense that full service , pro pinup shoots wouldn't be free, if you 1st research then the facts you'll find are crystal clear. Quality, high quality costs! You're not a professional yet and just beginning, so you want to work with pros? Plan to invest. After 4 years as a pinup , almost 4 years of my pinup academy if I had only one line , one statement that sums up being brand new to pinup, hobby, once a year treat, part time or plans to be a professional, full time pinup one day, if you don't have money to invest don't try pinup. Once a year as a gift, few times a year as a fun hobby or have the drive and time to go full time in pinup and do shoots every month, it has always, currently does, and will always cost money. Sure there are plenty of non pro pinup photographers offering trade to anyone. Some offering trade but are selective. How many of them specialize in pinup? How many have studios, back drops and props? How many have pro stylists that specialize in pinup? How many have resources and knowledge on pinup publications, have had their work featured and are currently submitting their models? Any great photographer can produce high quality in any style photography. However doesn't at all mean they have a lick of knowledge within pinup or pinup publishing. They aren't going to style your hair, they aren't providing you with pinup wardrobe and without any real knowledge on pinup how can they pose you well? If you're brand new to pinup that most likely means you can't do your hair in pinup styles. It means you may not have pinup clothing for each shoot. It definitely means you have no experience, need training and coaching during shoots. Also being brand new to pinup means you've never been published, don't know the process and guidelines of submitting to mags. If you can do all the above then you also have photographers and all the resources needed, which makes you a pro pinup not brand new. Without hesitation I invested in my career right away and haven't stopped, with no plans to stop investing. All my goals as a pro pinup model require time and dough! I invest in every single shoot. It's equal trade when I shoot with a pro photographer who is highly skilled. And that's how I'll end this blog. Trade in biz is 2 or more people who are bringing equal value to table coming together. Every single pro pinup photographer charges, every single pro pinup stylist charges. Wardrobe costs money, studios and sets cost money. The time, experience, skill, knowledge and resources of a professional are highly valued and NEVER free. You become a professional in the pinup industry, then you can charge too and decide to be selective in who you shoot trade with if at all. Takes years to reach that level. It's like Debbie Allen on the original t.v. show Fame. Her iconic line was, " you've got big dreams, you want fame. Well fame costs and right here is where you start paying,... in sweat! " Your beauty doesn't mean you have the skills or ability to do pinup hairstyles. Beauty doesn't mean you have pinup wardrobe, or any resources in pinup. Beauty doesn't mean you can do pinup facial expressions and poses correctly. You can be drop dead gorgeous and it won't exclude you from having to research, train and invest. Beauty doesn't mean you'll have overnight success. Look around and research. There's only about a million beautiful gals modeling. A million more who model pinup and a million more who are established, well known, highly accomplished pinup and skilled. And they are ALL beautiful! 1. Do you know when, how and why pinup began?
2. Aside from Marilyn Monroe and Bettie Page, who are pinup icons and vintage starlets we all recreate? 3. Do you know the differences in Cheesecake Pinup, Rockabilly, True Vintage, Old Hollywood Cinema, Old Hollywood Glam and Modern-day Pinup? 4. Do you know the difference in styles of hair and clothing from era to era? 1920's through the 60's? 5. Do you know the difference in facial expressions and poses within each style and within each era? 6. Can you do pinup hairstyling, do you have pinup or vintage wardrobe for each shoot? 7. Do you have access to trade shots with high quality photographers? Do they have sets and props for pinup? 8. Do you have any knowledge of all the current pinup mags that take submissions and or know the process of gaining publication? 9. What exactly aside from being pretty, attractive or beautiful, do you have to offer to expect equal trade with an actual professional? 10. Do you have a pinup portfolio? Pinup fan base, your own website? INVEST! There's tons of endless competition in pinup at all levels. Those that set goals and achieve them did so and do so by investing time and money. Absolutely no way around that. Pinup Talk host Dianna Prince 11/18/2017 0 Comments Rare Images of Marilyn MonroeAfter researching this stunning icon over the years I've seen a thousand images of her at least.
Usually when someone says they're rare images of her, I've actually seen them all. I was researching her recently and came across several fabulous images, most behind the scenes, that I've personally never seen. Marilyn Monroe was no doubt the most photographed starlet of her time and beyond. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
January 2019
Categories |