Honestly you can teach anyone the basics about photography, you just have to consider the following:
-Lighting, keep the important bits lit & away from shadow.
-Use a good or non-distracting background.
-Take 2-4 shots of every pose (you blink, camera stutters, bad angle, etc.). You'll end up deleting most shots but keeping only a few great ones (Personally took 140+ pictures of a friend's 15 minute wedding but ended up keeping maybe 12 great shots with the couple smiling, staring into each others' eyes, sun's rays from the window creating a beautiful lens flare effect).
-Personal preference: up to you if you want to keep those date stamps on your pictures. Sure they distract a bit from the subject (you), but can also act as a double edged sword: inform clients those pics are new / old.
-Personal preference: Focus on one curve at a time, whether it's your hips, chest, bottom, legs, etc. And have the rest of your body support that focus (Ex: use the arms to parallel the shape of your hips while you stick them out; keep your body perpendicular to the camera to avoid distorting the curve you want to accentuate: side shot to show off bottom's curve & your slim abdomen/ arched back; back/front shot for the hips).
-Personal preference: Don't know how much picture blurring you want on your face but smiling pictures show one of the best curve's of a girl. On the flipside, if you want to hide your visage, completely remove it from the camera's field of vision & leave it as a "mystery."
Take care & hope you find a great photographer Melissa
<- Just an amateur photographer & media editor in his spare time.
In need of new pictures BUT!!! ---
