Choose lighting patterns that call for indirect and low light, such as Rembrandt lighting or using one key light source. Turn off the fill light and focus on using the key, or main light, in the studio to accent the subject. For a head shot, turn the main light toward the subject's face, allowing the rest of the body to fall into the shadows. Use this technique when attention should be brought to the face, or hands near the face. Use dark, light-absorbing, backdrops of black, purple or crushed red velvet.
Have the subject lay on a chaise lounge, parallel to the camera. Use the main light, high above the subject, in a butterfly lighting pattern. Turn off the fill light, but use the back lights behind the lounge, aimed up at the length of the body. Allow the lighting to put the torso and legs in silhouette, while the face is properly exposed. This allows for accents of curves, posture and little or very revealing garments, without showing the full details of the body. Turn off the main light to put the entire form into silhouette.
To illuminate the entire body, without silhouette, position the main light at eye level with the subject, and keep their body parallel to the camera. Turn off the fill light, but allow some back light to spill over the legs with a rim lighting effect. The uneven lighting will look dramatic and highlight the curves of the calves.
Use a zoom lens, the main light and back lights to focus on details. A bare foot running up a silky leg can be photographed without fill light, and the added shadows will make the scene appear more realistic to a bedroom scene lit by casual candle or window light. Use the zoom lens to compress the depth of field, and angle the main light at 45 degrees to the foot, because it is the main focal point of the image.