It is easy to take good erotic photographs of your girlfriend or boyfriend if you follow a few simple guidelines.

Equipment

You don't need expensive cameras and accessories. Something a bit better than a camera phone would be good, but a cheap digital compact can deliver excellent results. Read the camera manual and make sure you are familiarwith the controls. A tripod is extremely useful, especially if you are working on your own.

Create a relaxed environment

Location is important. Indoors or outside you'll need somewhere private, free from interruptions, warm, and comfortable. Allow plenty of time, and have refreshments available. The background to your photos should not distract from your model, so it should be as uncluttered as possible. Curtains, sheets, sea, sand and water make for good clean backgrounds. Another trick is to fuzzy up the background deliberately by keeping it out of focus.

Lighting

This can make the difference between cheap trashy porn and fine art erotica. A single clear lightbulb may work for dungeon scenes, but rarely elsewhere. Florescent tubes are generally not good. Aim for good natural light outdoors, where a reflector and fill-in flash can transform an average picture into an outstanding image. Indoors there is rarely a need for huge lighting setups - use a studio if you like the look - try experiments with natural window light, maybe a single table lamp. Avoid overhead ceiling lights and on-camera flash, unless you are using it for fill-in. In some circumstances coloured lighting can be very effective. Candlelight is almost always flattering.

Posing

Anything goes, though uncomfortable shows. For a session it is a good idea to have a few ideas to work from. Collect photos you like with potential poses and use these as a starting point. Props can be useful - stairs, a chair, a suggestive vegetable maybe. Click here for an album of posing suggestions. The best photos don't always involve standing straight in front of the camera staring into the lens. Try unusual angles and close-up shots.

Shooting yourself

Camera self-timers tend to be a bit hit-or-miss. Much better to use a remote shutter release or taking photos by means of a mirror. Check the preview screen to make sure you're actually getting yourself and not just the floor or the ceiling in the photo. Try different angles and poses and different degrees of nudity. A rough story-line can be helpful, try a stript-rease for example. Collect photos you like, maybe from magazines or the Internet, that can act as an inspiration and a starting point. A tear-sheet or storey-board that lay lays out the sort of images you would like to capture can give the session some direction. Don't be too ambitious - limit yourself to a single location and concentrate on getting a few good images. If you like some parts of yourself better than others, focus on your best features and downplay other bits of yourself. Again, check out how others do this their photos.

Locations

Suggestions, some more hackneyed than others, include:

The beach
In the woods
By the stream
A hay field
In the bath
The kitchen table
On the stairs
The bedroom, lit by early morning or evening sun
In a circle of candles

And finally...

There are no truly private locations on the Internet for your images. Remember to delete the photos from your camera before you lend it to someone else.