Hair Afire & Insulation

Ashton Gray is a wonderful, wonderful model from western Canada. On occasion, she travels through Portland on her way to points South. I had a terrific time working with her during her first sitting, and when she announced her travel plans, we agreed to work together again. Like the previous sitting (Kira's second sitting), this was an unusual sitting in that we got together in the morning -- most of my sittings are in the afternoon or evening.

I've done photography on the back stairs, and I've done "Getting Started" series (where the model removes her street clothes), but I've never done both together. During Kira's second sitting, I discovered & enjoyed this low angle perspective.

This is what Ashton wore to my front door. I then requested that she remove her clothing.

Ashton is a real dream to work with. Some models, despite being breathtakingly beautiful, have body issues: some think they have a big nose or that they are carrying too much fat or that their breasts are the wrong size. Ashton, on the other hand, is more of a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of a person. Her earthy attitude makes me think that she's like a farm girl, capable of reaching up a cow & pulling out a calf. She is 100% comfortable inside her skin & is happy to have anything photographed from any angle at any time. (Oh, and she's got that "breathtakingly beautiful" thing covered, too!)

I try to be considerate with my models -- on chilly days like today, I turn up the heat in advance of the model's arrival. But with a morning sitting, the house hadn't had much of a chance to get warmer. Besides, the heat on the back stairs is only moderate.

When Ashton removed her clothing, she started with her pants (most models start with their tops). That was because she wanted to keep warm. Her scarf was the last thing to go.

Okay, let's work our brains -- I like working on the back stairs because the main light, coming from the model's right (or the left side of the image) is Northern light. Well, if the direction of the left is North, then the camera is basically facing East. This was a morning sitting, and unlike the last sitting with Kira, the weather this day was a rare winter bright & clear one.

Bottom line: as we were working on the back stairs, the sunlight started to stream bright & strong through that back window that you can see here. The result, some of the more interesting lighting we've seen on the back stairs. Ashton's luxurious hair looks like it's catching fire. It certainly catches the sunlight.

Here's a favorite from this sitting.

With this super-bright back lighting, I could see a fine "peach fuzz" covering Ashton's torso. I mention it, and she calls it "Canadian Insulation" -- it keeps her warm during the cold weather.

Words can't describe how wonderful it is to work with Ashton -- she moves through the light like an angel.

Despite finding some wonderful natural light, we move into the living room / studio for some work with the strobes.

This sitting continues with Studio Flat Light.