Bikini Photography Guide
A bikini photoshoot may sound simple: choose a bikini, find a beach or swimming pool and start taking photographs. In reality, creating photographs that suit the person requires much more thought.
Every person brings something different to a photoshoot. Some people are bubbly and energetic, while others are quiet or shy. Some are comfortable with glamorous or sensual photographs, while others prefer something casual and conservative. Someone may be a dancer, fitness enthusiast or experienced model, while another person may be stepping in front of a professional camera for the first time.
Their wardrobe, makeup skills, location, available time and even the weather can also completely change what is realistically possible.
This is why I don't believe in forcing every client into the same poses, lighting setup or visual style. Instead, I try to understand the person first and build the photoshoot around what would work best for them.
Sometimes I begin with a clear concept and everything goes according to plan. At other times, unexpected weather, crowds, restrictions or even a different makeup look can force me to rethink the shoot on the spot.
The examples below are from actual bikini photoshoots I've done over the years. They show not only the final concepts, but also the decisions, limitations and compromises behind them.
Personalising a bikini photoshoot isn't simply about asking which poses someone likes. I look at the bigger picture: who the person is, what they are comfortable with, what they bring to the shoot and what the environment allows us to create.
These factors influence one another. A beautiful concept may not work with the available wardrobe. A particular location may look good but have restrictions on photography equipment. Someone may have an athletic body but feel uncomfortable doing glamorous poses. Even a carefully planned outdoor shoot can change completely when the weather turns.
One of the first things I consider is the person's personality and how comfortable they are in front of the camera.
A cheerful and energetic person may suit a lively lifestyle concept with movement and expressive photographs. Someone quieter may benefit from beginning with simpler poses and a more relaxed concept before progressing towards something stronger.
Comfort is especially important for bikini photography because people naturally have different boundaries. I don't assume that wearing a bikini means someone wants sensual or provocative photographs.
The concept should suit the person rather than forcing the person to suit the concept.
The bikini itself is only one part of the styling. Colours, cutting, outerwear, accessories, hairstyle and makeup can all affect the mood of the photographs.
For example, a colourful bikini may work beautifully for a cheerful lifestyle shoot, while a darker or more sophisticated piece may suit something glamorous or edgy. Shirts, jackets and other clothing worn over swimwear can also create more variety without requiring a completely different outfit.
Makeup matters as well. Sometimes a particular makeup style can push the photographs towards glamour even when the original idea was more casual. This is why I prefer to consider the entire look rather than treating wardrobe, makeup and photography as separate decisions.
A beach, condominium swimming pool, hotel pool and photography studio can all produce very different photographs.
Even within the same location, the usable backgrounds, direction of sunlight, crowds, privacy and photography restrictions can change what we can realistically do.
I therefore don't choose a location simply because it looks beautiful in photographs. I also consider how well it supports the intended concept and whether we can actually work there comfortably.
Lighting is one of the biggest factors shaping my photography.
Depending on the concept and conditions, I may use natural or ambient light, or introduce flash photography for greater control and a more polished look.
However, outdoor bikini photography introduces another variable: weather. Strong sunlight, clouds, rain and sunset can completely change the character of the photographs within minutes.
Sometimes the best decision is not to fight the environment, but to adapt the concept to it.
I also look for something distinctive about the person that can make the photoshoot more meaningful.
If someone is a dancer, athlete or fitness enthusiast, it makes little sense to ignore those abilities and give them exactly the same poses as everyone else. Their movement, physique or experience can become part of the concept.
Even without a specialised skill, personality itself can be a strength. Someone's playfulness, elegance, confidence, shyness or expressiveness may give me the direction for the entire shoot.
The following are some bikini photoshoots I've worked on over the years. The circumstances and limitations described are based on the time when each shoot took place.
Rather than looking only at the photographs, I want to share some of the thinking behind them. Each person and situation required a different approach.
Jade was playful, confident and open-minded. She had a couple of bikini sets together with stylish outerwear that could be worn over them. We also had an extremely experienced and creative commercial hair and makeup artist who could beautify her efficiently on location.
With these advantages, I decided that a stylish lifestyle approach suited her well. Instead of keeping everything static, we made good use of existing props around the location and allowed her personality to come through.
I relied on the late-afternoon natural light rather than setting up additional lighting equipment. This gave Jade more freedom to move around and allowed us to make better use of her creativity.
Esther was energetic and open-minded, but we had considerably fewer resources to work with. She had only one bikini set and limited tops that could match it. There was no hair and makeup artist involved, and she wasn't highly experienced with makeup.
Instead of trying to force an ambitious glamour concept, I chose a lively bikini shoot that could make good use of her energy and cute bikini set. I looked through her existing photographs to find a suitable hairstyle, got her to do basic makeup and planned some props that suited the theme.
There was also uncertainty over whether the condominium management would allow me to set up light modifiers beside the pool. I therefore arranged the shoot in the early morning when the natural light would be more manageable.
The location itself blocked most of the direct sunlight, allowing me to work with natural light, although strong reflections from the surrounding glass buildings still created challenges.
Bianca was energetic, open-minded and creative. This was an unusually spontaneous shoot: it took place during the second-last morning of her short holiday in Singapore, only a few hours after she contacted me.
We photographed at the condominium where she was staying. This actually gave us an advantage because her clothes were nearby and she could change whenever necessary. Instead of carefully pre-planning an extensive wardrobe, we simply worked with whatever she had brought to Singapore.
She could also do her own basic makeup. Given her expressiveness and energy, I decided to approach the shoot as a lifestyle session where emotion and personality could play an important role.
Since I wasn't sure whether lighting equipment could be set up at the condominium, I relied on ambient light. The partially cloudy weather caused the brightness to change constantly, which made exposure more challenging.
After Bianca saw some of the expressive photographs from her non-bikini outfits, her confidence and energy increased further. I took advantage of that momentum for the bikini set, allowing her creativity and hyperactive personality to become part of the photographs. We also incorporated existing props such as a buoy.
Lovelle had a composed, ladylike appearance and did her own makeup. Unlike most of my shoots, I had been invited to her group shoot and therefore had no control over the original wardrobe, location, timing or props.
After her group shoot ended, I had only two swimwear choices available: a red bikini and another swimsuit that I felt was less suitable. Since she had already been doing more conventional "supermodel" style photographs with the hobbyist photographers there, I decided to take a different direction and keep my session more lifestyle-oriented.
I was also unlikely to be able to set up substantial lighting equipment beside the hotel pool, so instead of rushing into the shoot, I waited for more favourable natural light.
The pool wasn't extremely crowded, but there were still hotel guests around, making it difficult to find clean backgrounds and good angles. Lovelle was also a non-swimmer, so I wasn't going to place her in situations in the water that could compromise her safety.
Her then-boyfriend was present as well, which initially created some awkwardness. Instead of treating his presence purely as a problem, I got him involved in making her laugh, which helped us capture more natural expressions.
Beverley was energetic and feminine, and her dancing background gave me another characteristic that I could build into the photoshoot.
She had quite a number of outfits. However, this shoot also taught me an important lesson: I should have insisted that she try them on beforehand so that I could visualise the complete looks more accurately.
Since she could do her own makeup and had a talent for dancing, I decided to focus on her energy and fitness. The first set was intended as a youthful warm-up using props, the second moved further towards fitness, and the third was planned around sunset.
The weather had other ideas.
We spent considerable time in the water and eventually had to hide from the rain. Because of the conditions, I didn't set up additional lighting and instead worked with the limited ambient light filtering through the dark clouds.
After the rain stopped, staff from a nearby hotel informed us that part of the beach belonged to them, further restricting my shooting angles. There were also plenty of people appearing in the backgrounds.
The original plan therefore had to change, but Beverley's energy remained the element I could continue building around.
Martina was very confident, open-minded and experienced in working with photographers. As a visitor to Singapore, however, she had a relatively limited wardrobe with her. She could do her own simple makeup.
Given her experience and confidence, I decided on a combination of lifestyle and stylish photographs. At the same time, we hadn't discussed the concept extensively beforehand. Even though she was open-minded, I didn't assume that meant I should automatically push the shoot towards something more provocative.
The environment presented a completely different problem.
Part of the location had been temporarily cleared for a year-end beach party, removing some of the elements I had intended to use as backgrounds. The weather forecast had suggested partial cloud, but the actual sky was clear and the sunlight became extremely harsh.
There was very little open shade. Sunlight piercing through branches and leaves produced unattractive patches of shadow, while the brightness occasionally made autofocus more difficult.
Even with a 600-watt studio strobe, overpowering the sunlight was difficult once a diffuser was added.
We were also working against time because Martina had to leave before the golden hour. Her experience in front of the camera became particularly valuable: she could perform efficiently despite the difficult conditions, helping us achieve good photographs within the limited time.
Peggy had a stylish appearance, particularly with her short hair. She also had a petite body size, although her proportions and suitable camera angles meant this wasn't particularly obvious in the photographs.
She was open-minded and had several swimwear choices available. From them, I selected a black monokini and a red bikini, and asked her to bring clothing and props that could be layered over the swimwear.
Since it was our first time working together, I preferred not to make unnecessary assumptions about what she would be comfortable doing. Instead, I played to something that was immediately obvious: her stylish appearance. This led us towards a stronger, edgier concept.
Unlike some of my other shoots, I knew this location extremely well because I used to visit it for beach volleyball. I also researched it online beforehand in case anything had changed. Its orientation made it my preferred Sentosa beach for beginning this particular shoot in the early morning.
The weather was again less cooperative. When the clouds moved away from the sun, the sunlight became extremely strong and pushed my strobe close to its limits for some of the edgier photographs. Fortunately, the situation remained manageable.
From Shinyi's social media, my impression was that she was bubbly and cheerful. More importantly, she turned out to be extremely cooperative.
My original idea was therefore a cheerful lifestyle bikini shoot that could bring out her personality. She had many bikini sets available, and I selected the ones that suited the intended concept rather than automatically choosing the sexiest options.
I chose Palawan Beach because I felt its environment suited the mood I wanted to create. Initially, however, photobombs made finding clean compositions difficult.
Then another factor changed my direction: the makeup turned out to be more suitable for glamour photography than the lighter lifestyle concept I had originally imagined.
Instead of stubbornly following my original plan, I adapted. As the beautiful sunset appeared, we moved towards a more glamorous style and Shinyi performed well.
This is a good example of why personalisation doesn't end once planning is completed. Sometimes the person, styling and environment reveal a better direction only after the shoot has begun.
Regina was a fitness and health enthusiast with a very toned physique. Instead of treating this as another generic poolside bikini shoot, I felt her physique suited something more artistic and closer to a professional modelling style.
Most of my earlier bikini shoots had taken place at beaches, so I also wanted to create something visually different. I chose a residential swimming pool and Regina trusted my direction.
The biggest challenge became the moody weather. Rain repeatedly interrupted us and kept us wet for much of the session. Tiny droplets of rainwater also created additional work during post-production.
Despite the conditions, Regina performed extremely well and her fitness background remained central to the visual direction of the shoot.
Jasmine's photoshoot demonstrates particularly well why I don't want every bikini shoot to follow a standard formula.
She was a professional ballerina. Ignoring that ability and simply asking her to perform conventional bikini poses would have wasted one of the most distinctive things she could bring to the photographs.
I therefore proposed incorporating dance movements into a beach shoot, giving me an opportunity to work on some concepts that had been in my mind for a long time. She gladly accepted the idea.
Our schedule meant that we could only do the shoot during a weekend, when the crowded beach became a major challenge. Ironically, the difficulty forced me to explore the location more carefully and discover alternatives I might otherwise have overlooked.
The first part of the session was more conservative. After sunset, we progressed into something more creative and spectacular.
Instead of the bikini being the entire concept, it became just one part of a much more personalised combination of dance, movement, location and lighting.
Katherine had a bikini set with flower prints that I thought would work particularly well for a lifestyle shoot.
She was also rather shy, so beginning with a relaxed lifestyle concept gave her an opportunity to warm up instead of immediately pushing her into something more intense.
This shoot took place during the pandemic, when parts of the beach had been divided and cordoned off. Barricades created unattractive backgrounds and reduced the number of usable shooting areas, so composition and angles required additional care.
For the second bikini set, we aimed for a more glamorous look.
Various unexpected delays meant that we didn't begin this part until after sunset, when the environment had become extremely dim. Natural light was no longer sufficient for what I wanted to create, so I used a simple two-light setup.
Katherine was cooperative and we managed to create good photographs despite the conditions. The darkness did, however, make autofocus considerably more difficult.
The two sets therefore became deliberately different: a softer lifestyle introduction that suited her personality, followed by a stronger glamour concept once she had warmed up.
The pandemic made indoor studio photography particularly useful because it provided a more controlled environment. However, a plain studio backdrop creates a different challenge: how do I make multiple sets look distinctive instead of simply changing the bikini?
For Cheryl's first style, we wanted a glamorous look suitable for a modelling portfolio. I introduced two colours onto the backdrop and allowed the coloured light to hit the sides of her body as well.
The rim lighting separated her from the background and helped create a stronger sense of depth.
For the second look, Cheryl wanted something casual and bubbly. I therefore removed the colours so that the attention could shift towards her body language, gestures and expressions.
I also modified the side lighting so that it illuminated only the edges of her body without spilling onto the black backdrop. This allowed the background to remain dark while defining her shape.
The person hadn't changed. The studio hadn't changed. What changed was the objective - and therefore the lighting, mood and direction changed with it.
Looking back at these photoshoots, one pattern appears repeatedly: good planning gives me a direction to work towards, but photography rarely happens under perfectly controlled conditions. I've encountered harsh sunlight when clouds were forecast, sudden rain, crowded beaches, unexpected restrictions, unattractive barricades, changing natural light, limited wardrobe, unsuitable backgrounds and situations where I couldn't freely set up lighting equipment.
Some of these problems can be reduced through careful photoshoot planning, while others simply cannot be predicted. This is why I don't treat a photoshoot plan as a rigid checklist that must be followed regardless of what happens on the actual day. The planning gives me a foundation, but experience helps me decide when I should stick to the original idea and when it makes more sense to change it.
Depending on the situation, I may change the lighting, shooting angle, location, outfit or even simplify the original concept. Sometimes, an unexpected situation can also lead me to discover a better idea along the way. This ability to adapt is particularly important for outdoor bikini photography because I'm working not only with the person in front of my camera, but also with an environment that I cannot fully control.
If you're considering a bikini photoshoot with me, you don't need to arrive knowing exactly how to pose or having an elaborate concept already planned. What helps me more is understanding you: what you're hoping to achieve, what kind of photographs you like, what you're comfortable with, what outfits you have and anything distinctive about yourself that we might be able to incorporate into the shoot.
A bikini photoshoot can be cheerful, elegant, sporty, artistic, fashionable, glamorous, sensual or a mixture of different styles. There isn't one "correct" way to photograph someone in swimwear. I'll consider your personality, body language, comfort level, wardrobe, makeup, abilities and preferred visual direction, together with practical factors such as the location, timing and lighting.
The photographs in my portfolio can certainly be used as references and inspiration, but I won't assume that a concept that worked beautifully for someone else should simply be copied for you. After all, the purpose isn't to turn you into Jade, Esther, Martina, Jasmine, Katherine or Cheryl.
It's about finding what works for you and creating photographs that reflect you.
If you're thinking of doing such a shoot, you can learn more about my bikini photography sessions in Singapore, where I've shared my portfolio, photography approach, preparation information, rates and other details to help you decide whether I'm the right photographer for you.
I've been sharing photography tips and experiences since 2012. If this article helped you, here are a few ways to show your appreciation.
Buy Me a CoffeeYou can also follow me or share this article with someone who might find it useful.
Browse every portrait, commercial, event and specialist photography service available.
Scan QR to visit this website