The Pinup's Pinup Maker.

At a statuesque 5-foot-9, Bunny Yeager had no trouble adopting the pinup poses of the '50s and '60s. Then she moved behind the lens and started taking the pictures herself. Born Linnea Eleanor Yeager, she took her nickname from Lana Turner's character in ''Week-End at the Waldorf.'' One of her most famous photos captured Bettie Page posing in front of a Christmas tree wearing only a Santa hat and a wink, a shot that helped make both of them famous when Yeager sold it to Playboy. Being a woman ''was probably an advantage,'' Yeager says, ''because young girls were relaxedwhen they posed for me.'' More than 250 of her pictures will appear in the book ''Bunny Yeager's Darkroom,'' coming from Rizzoli in September. Yeager still goes to her Miami studio every day. ''I'm 83 years old now, and I feel the same as when I started,'' she says. ''Now I am writing a new book. It is called 'Lovely Luscious Legs.' '' 'I didn't decide to become a photographer. It was forced on me. I took a course in photography to learn how to make copies of my professional [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]