Glamour photography

Glamour photography is a genre of photography in which the subjects are portrayed in attractive poses ranging from fully clothed to nude, and often erotic. Photographers use a combination of cosmetics, lighting and airbrushing techniques to produce an appealing image of the subject.^[1][2] The focus lies in the beauty of the subject's body or portrait;^[3] as such, beauty standards are often a key determinant of glamour model trends.^[4] A popular subset of this type of photography is "pin-up", for women, and "beefcake", for men.^[5][6]

Since glamour photography can include nudity, in such cases the distinction from softcore pornography is largely a matter of taste, although depictions of sexual contact are not considered within this genre and are considered pornographic. Glamour photography is generally a composed image of a subject in a still position. The subjects of glamour photography for professional use are often professional models, and the photographs are normally intended for commercial use, including mass-produced calendars, pinups and men's magazines such as Maxim; but amateur subjects are also sometimes used, and sometimes the photographs are intended for private and personal use only.