Your pictures and online photo gallery may be the keys to success as an escort. Clients want to know ahead of time what to expect from you when they book an encounter. They may appreciate the physical description you give in your profile information, but most clients will need a visual clue to really want you. To meet clients' needs, you need a variety of photos, and good ones at that.

Without going into details about how to pose or lighting tips, the first thing you should know is that anyone can take a good photograph. It's not necessary to contract a high-priced pro to get awesome pictures. All you need is a $200 point-and-shoot camera, ample light and a clean background. (No messy countertops or unflushed toilets behind you.)

Whether you go with a professional photographer or have a friend help you with yours, photos should show off your assets. You are not creating art – all you are doing is showing your offer clearly.

Your photographer should guide you through the process of having your portraits taken. However, you can be prepared, which may make for better photos. Here are some tips you can use when posing for your escort photos:

1. Situate yourself so that your shoulders are at an angle to the camera lens. Typically, your shoulders are the widest part of your body. By positioning yourself sideways to the camera (about three-quarters of the way to the camera), you are creating an illusion that you're actually narrower than you are. Stand with one foot in front of the other, with your weight resting on your back foot. Point your front foot's toes at the camera to elongate your appearance. This pose will make you visually slimmer.

Minimize the double-chin effect. Regardless of how thin or fit you are, you may still show a double chin in your pictures if you don't hold your head correctly. Pull your head slightly forward, extending the neck a bit as you do. You can even tilt your head a little to give a more natural effect. Don't tilt, pull or extend too much, though, or you will appear strained and awkward. Look up at the camera, or focus your gaze right above the camera. If your face is going to be in the frame, never let the camera fall below your eye level.

2. Fight Flabby Upper Arm syndrom. As you hold your arms up against your body's trunk, they tend to flatten out, accentuating any upper arm fat you have. (Everyone has some.) As you hold your arms out slightly – so hold your arms away from your body.
3. Suck it in. At the risk of looking deliberate, you should attempt a pose that focuses on good posture and slimming the belly region. Stand up straight with your shoulders back. Push your chest forward and gently suck in your tummy. Avoid doing this excessively so your ribcage shows, but do it enough to straighten out your torso giving a slimming effect.
4. Always look up. Looking down at the camera is never flattering. Professional photographers say it's the quickest way to add up to 20 pounds on a subject. So, always require that your photographer be above you or at least even with you at eye level.
5. Use props to cover any areas you wish to hide. If you have a blemish or tattoos you wish to disguise, hold flowers, a book or other item in front of them as your picture is taken. With that being said, if you wish to hide your face, you can shield it with a prop, too. Any tummy pooch you feel you have can also be hidden by placing something in front of it, leaving that part up to your clients' imaginations.
6. Get a tan. While health professionals warn against too much time in the sun, beauty experts agree that a tan is slimming. Spray tans are a great way to get a sun-kissed look without subjecting yourself to the sun's harmful rays. Tan a couple of days prior to your photo shoot in order for it to even out and get to the healthy tone you desire.
7. Dress in monochrome. Patterns can be overwhelming, especially to small statures. Horizontal stripes can make you look wide. But, outfits in the same color or based on the same color palette elongate the frame and make you look taller and slimmer. Select a color that suits you. While black works on mostly everyone, you might choose red, blue or any other color that complements your complexion and/or hair color.
8. Kneel on the floor for your pictures. For a unique pose, kneel on the floor with your knees close together. (Don't squeeze them together: that can create an illusion that your legs are pudgy when pressed up together too tightly.) Begin to lean back as the photographer takes your picture. This pose is slimming and elongates your torso, giving a very pleasant image. However, don't go all stripper-like and pose in a dirty porn-magazine style with your legs spread too far apart.
9. Put your hands behind your head. Men find a woman with her hands behind her head, tousled into her hair quite sexy. Regardless of whether you're standing, sitting or laying, this pose creates a flattering image by stretching out your middle section and creating a slimming effect. If you've got long hair, this pose is especially good when you bury your hands in your hair.
10. Draw attention to your legs. If your legs are long and shapely, pose in such a way that clients will think they go on forever. Lay on the floor, with your rump up against a wall. Extend your legs fully up the wall, so they stretch out nearly all the way. Bend your knees slightly to reduce a stiff appearance. Before showing up for your shoot, wax and exfoliate your legs so they are smooth and glowing.
11. Emphasize your hair. Several poses are good to showcase your hair, especially if it's long. Leaning back, with your hair flowing over your back is an excellent way for a photo to capture your hair's beauty. Another way to show how beautifully it flows is to lay on the floor with it spread out around you; the photographer should take the photo from above you or at an angle from the side.
12. Wear body-hugging clothing to accentuate your curves. Clothing that is snug (not obscenely tight) will flatter you by demonstrating your feminine shape. Loose clothing often makes a subject look bigger than she is. By wearing clothing tightly tailored to your frame or items that hug your curves, you will be showing off what you have without having to take it off.
13. Bend. Many escorts look stiff in their photos, especially if they contract with a budget photographer for their images. You can decrease the stiff-looking effect by bending at the joints. Some photographers say that if a joint bends, it shouldn't be straight in a photo. In other words, bend slightly at the knee, at the elbow, at the wrist and at the hips. Straight lines are never good in pictures; curves are much more flattering.
14. Take a deep breath. Inhale and exhale through your mouth to avoid looking stiff and uncomfortable. Sometimes it can take a while to get the perfect pictures. It takes a lot of posing and smiling. Take a moment to relax and it will bring life back to your face and your body. If your photographer doesn't suggest it, do it yourself between shots. Another way to relax your face is to puff out your cheeks for a count of three…and then deflate them. This relaxes all the muscles in your face, allowing you to return to a natural expression.
15. Do something useful with your hands. Most subjects of pictures complain that they don't know what to do with their hands. Whatever you do with them, give them a job or purpose. Touch your hair. Put your hand on your hip. Hold a prop, such as a book, flower, sex toy or something else that is appropriate for your picture. Boudoir pictures could include a pillow or other item exclusive to the bedroom. Don't just let your hands lay there in the picture. Do something interesting with them.
16. Use a tripod for self-portraits. While you may opt to take pictures with a professional photographer, there may come a time that self-portraits are a more budget-friendly way to add to your portfolio. A tripod provides a stable point from which your pictures will be taken that will not skew the proportion or distort the image. The disadvantage of holding the camera yourself as you take pictures is that photos are often taken from too close of a range, causing the fishbowl effect. Set your camera on a tripod, turn on the timer and pose away.
17. Focus. Shifting the focus slightly on your pictures can really lend interest to your images. For instance, instead of the entire picture being in focus, try to limit the focus to being only on you, with the background blurred a little. Or, slightly blur your image, with the focus sharply on a prop you are holding or looking at. There are many ways to use focus to your benefit to make pictures that are more unique and demonstrate your personality.
18. Choose natural light when you can. Photo settings early in the morning right after sunrise or right before sunset at pre-dusk provide the softest light for images. The light is less harsh and much more forgiving than light at mid-day. Additionally, avoid taking pictures where shadows are prevalent. Do not take pictures where you are staring directly into the light; you will be squinting as you look into the sun.
19. Practice. In front of a full-length mirror, try out the poses you plan to use for your pictures. If something looks awkward in the mirror, it will look even worse in a photograph. Practice smiling and holding your head for the most flattering photos. Examine yourself closely in the mirror to determine your "good" side. Your face isn't symmetrical (nobody's is), so it's important to focus on which side of your face produces the best results. Scrutinize yourself and your poses in the mirror before going to your photo shoot. You will see what poses create a belly roll, a double chin and unflattering angles before you get in front of your photographer.

Overall, make sure your photos and poses represent you. If your photos are too sexy for your brand, try again for something a little more modest and innocent. However, if you're an escort who is blatantly sexy, attempt to create images that exude your sex appeal. Keep in mind that when your pictures go online, anyone can access them. Make sure they are something you are proud of and wouldn't mind having go viral.

If throughout your photo shoot your photographer lacks in giving you direction, feel free to stop and ask for some. You may be doing such a good job that your photographer doesn't need to give you instruction. However, asking for his input may help to create even better images for your investment.