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Page created
June 13, 2004
| On
the long weekend at the end of May,
two OneModelPlace
models agreed to pose for me on the
same day. The plan was for
Brooke (see her One
Model Place profile), shown here, to arrive first
& work with me for two hours, at
which time the second model, Victoria,
was scheduled to arrive. The
three of us would work together for an
hour, after which Brooke would leave,
and I would work with Victoria for
another two hours.
That's
a marathon for me -- my typical
sitting lasts for 3 hours with 1
model, hopefully exposing 10 rolls of
film. There's a lot of reasons
for this:
 | I
typically can come up with a few
ideas, usually plenty for a 3 hour
sitting. |
| 10
rolls of film is the maximum batch
of film I could process in my Jobo
film processing machine. |
| I'm
typically exhausted after 3
hours. During the sitting,
my brain is in overdrive.
I'm talking with the model,
designing the photograph, setting
the lights just right, calculating the exposure,
adjusting composition, etc.
There is no respite -- there is
only a high focus on the sitting. |
Okay,
this is weird -- when I meet a new
model, I rarely know what she looks
like. Sure, I've typically seen
pictures of her, but somehow the
combination of our interaction and my
lighting setups & style often reveals someone
who looks quite different from the
pictures I've seen. In
particular, Brooke's profile in One
Model Place contains lots of terrific
pictures, but they are more
"glamorous" than "fine
art". So, to break the ice, I ask
if she would start by removing her clothes for
me -- it is quite a thrill to hear her
say, "yes".
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This
is pretty much what Brooke
looked like when she showed up
at my door.
I
like starting slow like this,
because...
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... it
increases my anticipation, ... |
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... it
makes me wonder what the model will look like without clothes,
... |
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... it
gives the model something to do with her hands, ... |
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... it
excites me to see tantalizing glimpses, ... |
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... it
is intriguing how the caterpillar becomes the butterfly, ... |
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... it fascinates
me how the images start "contemporary" and end up timeless,
... |
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... you
can learn a lot about a woman by how she takes off her clothes,
... |
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... you
can watch her move, ... |
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... it
increases my heart rate, ... |
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... it
makes my heart stop, ... |
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... it
allows us an opportunity to get to know each other gradually, ... |
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| Compare
the "before" image with the
"after" one. Granted, Brooke is very,
very beautiful. I've got to
admit that I'm a people watcher.
Look again at that "before" picture --
I've often seen women dressed like that, who
carry themselves like that. But
in the transition from
"clothed" to
"nude", something magical
takes place. An inner beauty is
revealed. Brooke is totally
natural, in many senses. Her
figure is natural, without body
jewelry & tattoos (which I find
distracting), but moreover, she is
natural & comfortable being
nude. She has grace. (And you can't tell from
these pictures, but she was easy to
talk with and to direct). I've
done these "Getting Started"
setups a few times, but Brooke's has
been the best to date, by far.
The
thing I love about doing these
"Getting Started" setups,
where the model starts out in their
"street clothes" &
removes them is that it captures the
transformation from
"clothed" to
"nude". Like I
mentioned besides the very first
picture in this series -- I've seen
lots of people that look like Brooke
when I walk around town. Of
course, she reveals her incandescent
beauty as she removes her clothes, but
at the beginning, she is human & familiar.
People often ask me how I find such dazzling
models. Today's answer:
"First, I
open my eyes..."
This
sitting continues with Table
Variations.
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(Remember -- feedback is always
appreciated)
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