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BY MARTIN BOHMAN

Throughout history, the human form has been a primary subject of artistic expression. The ancient Greeks favored the male, while nowadays, in most parts of the world, interest is usually focused on the female form.

Today, female photography is something you see examples of every day. Often, female photography is employed in advertising to attract interest and help in the promotion of some product.

Then there are several forms of female photography where the female form itself is the subject of interest, such as in glamour, boudoir, and female figure photography.

If you are an aspiring photographer, and you would like to try adding female photography to your portfolio, you may benefit from a few tips.

To begin with: choose a model who is at ease with herself and her own body, as this will make it much easier to achieve good results.

Technically speaking, the choice between using a digital camera or a traditional one when immortalizing the female form is completely up to you. One advantage of digicams is that you get an instant view of the image you just made. This means you are able to quickly get an idea of whether the picture was successful or not — if the model has the facial expression you want, for instance.

Digital cameras have been around for a while now, and the technology has matured to the point where a good digicam offers a resolving power very close to that of a traditional film camera. This means you can now make very large prints from a digicam image also.

As you begin to work with a female model, the first objective is to make your model feel at ease with the situation; the atmosphere should be safe and supportive. Always treat the model in a professional manner. Also be open to the model’s ideas, and make her part of the creative process.

It is my experience that female photography can be very interesting and rewarding, and the results something you can be proud of. The main thing to keep in mind is to choose the right type of model, and to strike up a fine working relationship with her.

Photo enthusiast Martin Bohman publishes the A1PhotoTips site, providing tips on various aspects of photography, like digital cameras and female photography.