Brooke, Table Variations

It seems like Brooke went from clothed to nude in no time (the Getting Started page). I like this light, so we do a few variations, with Brooke sitting on the covered side table.

In addition to having a totally natural & beautiful body, Brooke has clear, smooth skin & lovely legs. I strive to show these off.

There's a story about these two pictures above -- notice anything? It's one of those things that happen during sittings: It wasn't until we made the exposure on the left, above, that I noticed that Brooke was wearing some jewelry -- a necklace & a ring. Maybe it's just me, but when working with a nude model, I don't typically like them to be wearing jewelry -- jewelry style can date an image, and in general, I'd prefer not to have the distraction. I ask Brooke to remove her jewelry & to repeat her last pose (the image on the right). She came pretty close to getting the pose duplicated perfectly. The differences are subtle, and that makes it interesting to view these images side-by-side.
(After Brooke left, I found her necklace & ring -- she had left them behind. I felt terrible, having asked her to remove them. I mailed them to her, the letter was returned with 12 cents postage due, and I mailed them again. She got them back about 10 days after the sitting. I was so relieved.)

Okay, this pose is 'way too cheesy for me, and it's all my fault because I asked for it. Oh, well, not all of my ideas work, but I'm committed to showing you not only the "hits" but also the "misses".

That image, above, is a sitting favorite.

I don't ask models to lie down often enough -- I'm usually photographing them sitting or standing. I should work on that. But Brooke looks good lying down, doesn't she? I love the barely visible curve at the small of her back, and I love how that arching of her back provides good tension to her whole torso.

But here's something that I don't like. I don't think other photographers are as sensitive to this as I am, but I hate it when a limb is pointing towards the camera lens. Look at Brooke's upper right arm -- it looks a little distorted because it is pointed almost directly at the camera. Oh well, easily fixed -- see below.

This is the nature of a modeling session (at least one of mine). First comes the lighting setup, second comes a basic pose, and then finally we tune the pose, making minute improvements & variations. I like the pose above -- again, I like the arch in her back, but I think the pose can be improved. I ask Brooke to switch her legs, putting her right leg up & her left leg down.

Better! I like that she held her ankle with her hand -- it's always a good thing to keep a model's hands occupied. Faces are the most expressive part of a body, but hands are a close second. I should find ways to keep model's hands more busy. I also like how her knee & her elbow create interesting angles in the image.

It's funny: sometime during these photographs, Brooke commented that she hasn't had much opportunity to pose for "fine art" photographs; she typically poses for more "glamour" type photographs. I always thought that my "fine art" photography had more than a little "glamour" in it, so I ask Brooke what's the difference between "fine art" & "glamour" modeling. She thought for a moment and replied, "More makeup". I thought that was a marvelous answer. I assure her that she's doing terrifically -- it's always a good idea to give models feedback; they don't know what you want or whether they are providing it, and it's your job to let them know.

Brooke is proving to be a dream to photograph. She is beautiful, she looks good at many angles, she takes direction well, she's up for anything, and she was fun to be around. I move in for some closer images.

This sitting continues on the Sensuous & Close page.