OK, I've been looking at all the wonderful models and sets. There are so many beautiful models and hopefuls. Every single one of them has thier own style, their own look and their very own brand of beautiful. But I said I would try to highlight some of what I consider the best examples. I have found many, many amazing shots to use as examples, but I think I want to start by outlining the things I think make up a great set. It is a formula of sorts. It is absolutely not the only formula, but I think it is a good one for general purpose sets and for hopefuls. I'll call it the bright setting formula. I also want to talk about poses a little. Here we go.
The set I will use for this example is one from @rouge from January of 2017. Azuline She is a stunning, confident Suicide Girl. (Note: You will need to right-click on links and open them in a new tabeuntil I remember how to force them to do that.)
Let's start with the set and photography. The set for Azuline is a bright, naturally lit room with white and nuetral colors. It is not busy. There are no distracting items in the room. It is realtively soft. The only props are pillows and a little framed quilt that says "Relax". Very Zen. The few colors in the set complement the clothing, artwork and eyes of the model. A really excellent setting to show off a beautiful feminine form. The lighting is very, very balanced. No strong backlighting. No dark shadows. This style may not appeal to some models, but the bright lighting provides several photographic advantages in the way of faster shutter speeds which reduce blur, the ability to increase depth of field putting more of the model in focus, and/or lower ISO (sensitivity) settings, which reduces graininess in the images. Generally, all other things the same, the brighter the balanced light, the sharper the image will be. This is why the images in this set are sharp with no graininess. Either @Tripodski and/or Rouge really planned this set well or they were really, really lucky. I think it was probably the former.
Poses/images:
Just as there are different formulas for settings, there are different formulas for poses/images. This set checks off most of the poses/images that I believe should be included in any indoor set and most sets in general.
Clothing on: Introducing the model.
The first and third shots in this set do a great job of introducing us to the model, showing us her face, hair and eyes. The idea is to be able to look at them while she is fully clothed without being distracted by any of her other physical attributes. Several studies say that roughly 70 percent of men notice a woman's eyes first. (I don't have the stats for women noticing women, but I can surmise that they are similar.) This is why eye contact in the first few images is really important. In order to have eye contact, you have to be able to see the eyes. Rouge's eyes in these first two images are bright, clear and looking directly at the viewer. That 70% statistic also explains why it is very important to be looking at the camera whenever possible. It conveys confidence and strength and it establishes a bond, of sorts, with the viewer.
Close-ups and full body shots.
If you take a look at Rouge's Azuline set, you will notice that there are a lot of full body shots. Full body shots are very important because they provide a complete image of the female form. Men (and some women) are hardwired to observe the shape of breasts, hips, legs and feet. Without a complete picture, the connection to the model may not be as strong. Close-ups, on the other hand, are used to point out and/or isolate positive aspects of the model. Normally, there should be head shots, shots of artwork, maybe legs, maybe feet, maybe breasts, etc. The only relative close-up in this set is image 45 of Rouge's panties. But... In this case, many of the shots are clear enough and bright enough to show Rouge's face, most of her artwork, etc. I think there may be no close-ups in this set because they were not needed. I honestly didn't notice that there were none and in this set, I didn't miss them at all.
Key posing concepts: Stretch, and Bend-at-the waist.
This may seem obvious to some, but it may not be to everyone. There are poses that make you look terrific and they follow these two concepts. First is stretch. Whether it is trying to use the top of your head to touch the ceiling, stretching for something on a high shelf, standing on your tiptoes, lifting your arms up over your head or stretching out across a bed, a model should pretty much always be stretching. It elongates the neck, pulls things in, pulls things up and makes everyone look more slender. And it helps convey an air of confidence and power.
The other key pose is bend-at-the-waist. Sounds kind of obvious, too, doesn't it? But many don't realize how significant it is. Bending at the waist sticks the ass out and pulls the stomach in somewhat. Bend-at-the-waist applies when standing, sitting, on your stomach, on your back, on all fours, and when on your knees...in almost any pose. From the side, it shows off the shape of the butt without being too overt. From the front, it makes the waist look longer and when on your knees or in some other positions, it makes boobs look better. And from the back...well...
So....back to the set to consider these things. Rouge has very good posture and is stretching to some extent in many of the images here. Many. That would include 1, 2, 3, 12, 14-22, 24,25,26,27,32,35,37,38, 39 and 50. There are zero shots where she is slouching or crouching or balled up holding her knees. She rarely even looks down and as a result, you can see her neck in almost every shot. That's really impressive and, as I said, conveys a lot of confidence.
Rouge can be seen bending-at-the-waist in images 2, 4, 5, 6, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 30, 31, 32, 35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 46, 47, 48., 49, 50. In fact, except maybe for images 1, 3 and 28, there are no images in the set where she isn't bending at the waist at least a little. And in the shots where she is both stretching and bending-at-the waist, that's where you see her finest form.
OK, there are two more poses that I want to discuss. They are the reclined and the prone poses. Rouge is prone in images 40, 41, 42 and 43. Image 41 shows a simply terrific prone pose that shows off her form with very little effort. And the reclined poses, 37, 38 and 39 are also excellent, showing off Rouge's body and face in a perfectly natural way with no gravity working against her. But the mosst special of the reclined poses is probably image 35. Although this isn't a perfect example (ideally, the shot should be from directly above), it demonstrates the power of the from-above image. From-above shots of a woman reclined on a bed or couch and looking at the camera are the most inviting, sensual and powerful images in nude modeling photography. The style was made famous by Playboy's images of Marilyn Monroe on red satin shot nearly 70 years ago and similar images have been exciting men (and women) ever since. The model does not even need to be nude in this type of shot although it should be as close to full body as possible and she really needs to be clearly looking at the camera.
(Reminder: right click and open these in a new tab)
Here is the shot from Rouge's set Rouge - Azuline
Here are two from-above images of hopeful Avecalluna Avecalluna - Hygge and Avecalluna-Yenn of Vergerberg (This second example is oriented up and down, which is the most relatable orientation)
Here's one from SG Mari on a couch Mari-The Talisman (also oriented correctly)
Here is one from SG DollyD DollyD - Citrene (This is another really nice "bright setting" set.)
There are many other formulas and poses for successful sets but this is the most basic and in many ways the best way to show off if you are a hopeful. Initial sets should always be about the model and putting her in the best possible and least distracting setting.
I'll finish with what I believe is the most significant element in any photo shoot. The model's comfort. The model needs to be comfortable with the setting, comfortable with the photographer, comfortable with any observers and comfortable with the level of nudity and display the photographer will most likely ask for. The model is always in control of these things. I mention this for a significant reason. For a shoot to be believable and successful, the model must look comfortable. If not, it often shows through in the set.
I hope this is useful to those who find it and read it. Thank you to all for reading!