How to take a safe, sexy pic for your man

The rules of pic-sexting

How can a regular gal in a normal relationship take hot shots of herself for, say, a long-distance boyfriend in a way that doesn't compromise her integrity or come back to haunt her?

If you give anyone an image, you run the risk of it coming back to "haunt" you. I suggest you only share pictures you are proud of, that you would be okay with the entire world seeing. When photographing yourself, try to use a large source of light, like a big window. Big light is prettier than a camera flash or a light bulb.

If you're taking nude pics of yourself, should you cover your face? Or shield your breasts/crotch provocatively?

Only show what you are comfortable with the world seeing. It is simple.

Is it smart to only give a guy hard copies (like Polaroids) of you naked so they're not digital for everyone to share?

Any hard copy can be made into a digital copy using a scanner, or even using a digital camera to take a photo of the Polaroid.

If a woman decides to take a picture of herself, what type of clothing or lingerie photographs well?

They should wear what shows off their assets the best, what they love most about themselves. But as a rule, they should avoid pure white or black — just my preference.

What other tips do you have for women who want to take sexy shots of themselves for their boyfriends — but might want to run for office one day?

If you want to run for office one day and you are afraid to have images that you might not want public, I suggest you just get sexy with your boyfriend in person and don't include cameras.

Perry Gallagher is a photographer in Los Angeles.

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