In school they teach us the ABC's so we can string together words and enhance communication. So in keeping with the education theme of Project Educate I present the ABC's of Pin Up:



A: Attitude
Take a look at any Pin Up photo and the model always will have a sense of attitude and purpose to her expressions, pose and entire demeanor. Even in image where the model is being alluring or "innocent" there's strength presented that is just beneath the surface. This is a girl who may be acting coy, but she's far from it. She's strong and she damn well knows it.

B: Bettie Page
The Queen. Plain and simple, Bettie Mae Page is the most recognized woman in pin up history. The wannabe actress turned model graduated from Peabody with a Bachelor of Arts Degree and in fact is responsible for doing all of her own make up, hair and the majority of her costumes. page was often described as the "girl with the perfect figure" and it's hard not to see why, 5 foot five and a half, 125lbs, 36-23-35. In was in 1950 that Bettie met a police office named Jerry Tibbs. jerry had an interest in Photography and shot Bettie's first Pin Up Portfolio. The rest they say is history....

Official Bettie Page site

C: Clothing
As important as the model or props is the clothing. Pin Up photography is all about women/men from an era gone by. The focus is anything from the 30's to the early to mid 60's and thus the clothing should reflect that. This means no PVC kilts, doc martins or leather chaps. Think pencil skirts, bullet bra's and two tone shoes. Vintage or second hand shops are a great place to find some great clothes as well as the internet with online shops like babygirlboutique.com and dangerdame.com are a few of the more reliable and well known sites.

When shooting pin up think vintage Hollywood glamour, happy days and secret allure, not Budweiser girls, Spring Break boob shots or Britney Spears school girl outfit.

Baby Girl Boutique.com

How Cool.com

Danger Dame.com

D: Decades
The general consensus is that the Pin Up era lasted from the 1930's to the early 1960's. Modern day pin up should reflect those decades and really nothing past 1965. It's then (1965/66 that Pin Up photography began to morph into what's now known as "cheesecake" and a more overt sexual tone became apparent in the images and the outfits became a great deal trashier.

E: Energy
No matter the pose or the style of your shoot, your model should always be energized. She shouldn't look like she's completely hungover after a night of boozing, or half asleep. Big bold smiles, or a slight grin one with those "c'mere" eyes. Poses should be complete and not half assed. Just the same, nothing should seem forced either. Be awake and go with the flow. Red Bull is your friend!

F: Full Body
Please for the love of whatever gods you pray to, stay away from close ups of your shoes or ass. Pin Up is all about the full body experience or at the very least a nice portrait. I know you want to show off your new cherry pumps or cute pair of frilly panties but Pin Up is not the place to do it.

G: Guys and Girls
Pompadours and Zoot Suits, beehives and Bullet Bras. They all go hand in hand when it comes to pin up. Sailors can stand right alongside their dame. Pin Up is all about slick chicks and kool cats. But remember, Pin up is also about recreating a certain era so please keep your emo boyfriend out of this!!

H: Hair
Your models hairstyle is integral to your photo. Retro hairstyles help the suspension of belief to bring back the 30's to 50's look you're trying to achieve. take the time to achieve your desired style, don't rush and unless your image is recreating a sock ho or diner scene try and stay away from the standard ponytail, go for the glamour. Stay tuned later this week when `sodalicious will join us for a "How to" on retro hairstyles.

I: Iconic


J: Jaime Deadly


K: Kelly, Sabina


L: Lighting
Like any form of photography your lighting play an integral part in your pin up shot. If your using props make sure that they are properly lit, no glare or too much shadow otherwise you run the risk of ruining a shot.

M: Make Up
Just as important as your hair and wardrobe, make up plays an integral role in your pin up shoot. Glamour and allure isn't about caking on as much eyeshadow or lipstick as possible. Your model doesn't need to look like Rainbow Brites older hooker sister. Her make up should be subtle and enhance her look rather than be her look. No Goth, no crack whore.

N: Nose Art
An offshoot of the Pin Up photography and traditional pin up's that came about in the WWI and WWII was pin up's painted on the nose of a fighter plane. Photographs of pin up models and actress' such as Fay Wray, Greta Garbo and later years Bettie Page contributed to the war efforts in their own unique way. Probably the most famous Pin Up nose art ever was the Memphis Belle, which was stylized after a George Petty feature in Esquire Magazine that appeared in April 1941. While modern day war plans have lost the art of customizing their planes, the aesthetic lives on in Pin Up photography providing inspiration for poses and styling.

O: Originality
This is a tricky one. When creating a Pin Up photo, as with any shot really, you want to remain as original as possible. But when your entire focus is recreating an era from 50-60 years ago "original" may seem like a lost cause. The thing is an homage can be original. It's all about presentation, think tribute rather than recreation.

P: Props
You thought I was going to have "Pin Up" here didn't ya? Props can be an essential part of any pin up photoshoot as they add that missing part of a photo. Anything from a hotrod to a martini glass can be used to bring more to your image. But remember props should ADD to your image and not be the focus of attention.

Q: Quality
Your image quality should always be the best that you can do. But if you are shooting images with your cellphone or a webcam, really, don't bother. Hey if it's just for kicks go right ahead and amuse yourself, but they don't have a place here on deviantART. If something is over the top grainy or too dark, admit to yourself that the shot simply didn't work and look to improve it next time. Posting such images to dA simply makes the gallery as well as your work look less respectable.

R: Rockabilly
It seems that a great deal of Pin Up is synonymous with Rockabilly culture. This may have to do with the love of that 50's mentality, music and general culture. Greasers and chicks in poodle skirts, 57 Chevies and making out at the drive in. Personally I think it all lends to the whole deal. The Good "bad" girl, (or is that the bad "good girl"), image portrayed in Pin Up photos lends itself to the rebellious girl of the era. Rockabilly culture lives that "lifestyle" through the music, clothing and cars of that decade and it can easily be showcased in Pin Up photography.

S: Sex Appeal
This one should really be self explanatory, but you'd be amazed at how many photos are out there where the model lacks any sex appeal what so ever. Now don't get me wrong, the model should never come across as whoring herself, but she should still make you want her. It's that wry look, that coy innocence that draws you in. The garters and stockings help too

T: Tattoos
Another tricky issue. "do you need to have tattoos to be a pin up model?" is a question I get asked regularly. The plain and simple answer is no. Yes, a good number of modern day Pin Up models do have tattoos but it's not a necessity. Why do they have them and why are there so many? Who knows. Who cares. Personally I think it adds something new to a longstanding art form. As long as the clothing and direction of the image captures that retro feel to it what colour the model is nor what size they are, nor what they have on their skin matters.

U: Undies
Just because you're in underwear or lingerie it doesn't mean you're taking a pin up photo. Remember pin up photography is all about capturing a specific set of decades and the outfit you wear should be reflective of that. Garters and stockings, bullet bras, frilly panties all go a long way in achieving that desired look. But don't stop there, hair and make up are also used to enhance your shot and bring out that pin up look.

V: Vargas
While Alberto Vargas was a painter, those poses and images her created in the 40's not only launched the careers of several pin up models and actresses, they gave tonnes of inspiration to pin up photographers then and now. He is a must when looking for inspiration.

W: War
Pin Up photography saw it's heyday during times of war. In Particular WWII and Korea. The men fighting overseas at the time needed some sort of happiness in the dreariness and destruction of war and photos of gorgeous women who were coyly calling out to just them was one form of escape.

X: XXX
While nudity can be found in pin up photography it's about allure and not slutting it up. Spread shots are a definite no no, and nothing should ever be overt. It's all about subtlety.

Y: Yeager, Bunny
Before was even old enough to be a pin up model, Yeager knew she wanted to become one, keeping scrap books of Marilyn Monroe, Bette Grabel and other starlets. Soon after meeting her then boyfriend Chuck Swind, Yeager fell into modeling and became one of the hottest Pin Up models around. It wasn't long though before Bunny turned her attention to the other side of the camera and found her true calling. Bunny Yeager is responsible for so many of the most famous Pin Up shots around it's ridiculous. Jungle Bettie? Yepp that was Yeager.

Bunny Yeager.com

Z: Zebra's
Or leopard prints, any animal print really can be incorporated into a pin up shot, i.e Bettie Page's famous leopard print bikini. It gives that sense of animal magnetism, the sexual energy is there, but it's not in your face.