Great Escape Publishing

Posted December 8th, 2011 by Lise Gagne & filed under Travel Photography.

This photo is a little racy, but it sells: It’s not her sexiest shot. Nor is it her best seller. Still, I asked professional stock photographer, Lise Gagne, iStockphoto’s #1 seller, why she thinks photos like these sell. Her answer applies to all photographs. Take a look below… WHAT MAKES A SEXY IMAGE SELL by Lise Gagne in Québec, Canada The key to taking sexy pictures that sell is preparation. They don’t just “happen.” This image has been done on a simple blue background. To add an effect of water, on the blue background, I’ve used a silver transparent fabric. A light with a snoot is placed behind the model to light around her hair and the background. A boom is lighting her from above, and I’ve used a gold reflector to fill the light under her chin, which gives the skin a warmer tone. Louis, my husband, was making bubbles to accentuate the feeling of being underwater. She’s leaning over a ventilator to make her hair move, so it looks like she’s really swimming underwater. What make this image sell? It’s the simplicity, the blue color and bubbles, the hair motion, and the make-up (in full size, the make-up looks like fish skin). These days, when I imagine photographs like this, I take time to choose the right props, afford a make-up artist and a hair stylist. I choose the right colors for my props and background, play with motion, try many angles, and light the hair. Combine all this with the right subject, and you’ll have a winning image that sells. [Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can turn your pictures into cash in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel. Sign up here today and we’ll send you a new report, Selling Photos for Cash: A Quick-Start Guide, completely FREE.]