There are many reasons that women, and men, would want to remain anonymous in their photos: a local celebrity, a job that would fire them for posting risque photos, or maybe she just wants to remain anonymous while modeling for a friend. To that end there are a variety of ways to achieve this:
Keep the Face Out of the shot
Use an Object
Wear a Mask
Use your Hair
Take a Silhouette
Hats & Sunglasses
Extra Tidbits
Keep the Face Out of the Shot
By far the easiest way to take anonymous photos is to keep the face out of the shot. There are two main ways you can accomplish this. The first is by keeping the face out of frame entirely. Thankfully you have plenty of options for this, including the classic booty shot, a three quarter shot from the neck down, or by focusing on the small details. The second is by having the face turned away from the camera all together, back shots and certain side poses are good examples of this.
Use an Object
Using an object to hide the face is next on the list of topics to cover. For example, you could use your camera while taking a picture in the mirror, a book, a coffee cup, or the leaves on a tree. Using the shirt the model is taking off is another tip you can get some great mileage out of if you are clever.
Wear a Mask
Masks have been used for centuries to hide the identity of their wearers, think events like the Carnival of Venice or a Masquerade Ball. Why not use one in your boudoir shoots too. There are plenty of fun and sexy masks for you to find that would be perfect for a boudoir shoot.
Use Your Hair
If you have long hair, use it to your advantage to help hide your identity. The simplest way to do this is to let your hair fall to the side closest to the camera effectively blocking your face.. You can also let it fall in front of your face from time to time as well. For those with shorter hair, you might consider using a quality wig ( avoid the cheap plastic ones at the party supply store) to achieve this effect, but only if it doesn’t take away from the point of the shoot…helping you to feel sexy, and beautiful as you are.
Take a Silhouette
The simple silhouette is a favorite of mine. Not only does it provide a little mystery, but it helps to highlight the shape of the body as well. Side and back poses tend to work best when doing a silhouette. Just remember that you will need strong background light and a dark foreground to get the amazing results with a silhouette.
Hats & Sunglasses
Every now and then you will want to take your photography out in public yet still remain anonymous. This is where a nice hat and/or a pair of large sunglasses will be your friend. I have used both of these myself in the past; although at the time it was just for fun. You can also use this tip indoors as well.
Extra Tidbits
I’ve talked about the ways to stay anonymous in your photos but there are other aspects you might need to take into account as well. Especially watch out for these if you are going to be posting your images online for any reason.
Turn off Geotagging & Strip your Metadata
Watch for Identifying Information in Your Backgrounds
Keep an Eye Out for Reflections
Use a VPN to Mask your IP Address
Final Thoughts
No matter what your reasons for wanting to stay anonymous, there are plenty of options available to help you achieve that. Just remember to always keep your original goals in mind and to keep it fun.
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