|
|
(This one is another of my
favorites from this sitting) |
|
|
|
Some
folks have commented that they like to hear
how I lit some images. These were lit by
two main lights, positioned somewhat to either
side of Justine, slightly behind her, & slightly higher than her
head. Each of these lights had a grid in
the reflector, which causes the resulting
light to be slightly focused -- you'll note
that none of the light reached the
background. In most of these pictures
(including this one to the left), I also added
a hair light -- a light directly behind the
model pointed at her hair. That being
said, I should encourage photography students
to "deconstruct" the images they
like -- examine the photograph carefully, look
at the shadows, and try to figure out how they
were lit. It's a habit for me to
deconstruct photographs, and it is probably
the single-most important habit I have that
contributed to my growth as a photographer. |
| The appeal of this
lighting is the shadows. The shadows bring definition to torsos,
and they often hide the "naughty bits" which could prove to be
too distracting in some images. The problem is that this light is often not too
good for faces -- if the model is facing the camera, her ears are lit
while her face is in shadow. The simple solution is to ask the
model to turn her head to either side towards one of the light
sources. This has the added benefit of providing some interesting
tension to the model's neck.
|
|
|
|
I
don't always ask a model to turn around so
that I could photograph her back. The
primary reason for this is because I like to
talk with the model during the sitting to keep
her engaged in the process. A secondary
reason is that most models simply don't have
the figure for these kinds of images (again, in my
opinion). For back photographs, I like a
model, like Justine, with strength in her
shoulders and a very narrow waist. I
love the muscular definition in Justine's
shoulders & neck (and the rest of her
isn't too bad, either). These two images
(above & to the left) are also favorites
from this sitting. Which do you prefer?
|
| The photo to the
right is a cropping of the photo directly above. I do that a lot,
cropping my images. To my eye, the cropped image is a
significantly different photo than the original one. What do you
think? Which do you prefer?
|
|
|
|
I like this lighting set
up. Unfortunately, it is so popular &
prevalent, it's practically cliché. But
Justine is well suited for this kind of photography --
she has smooth skin, a narrow waist, a wonderful neck
& shoulders, and a tight & flexible figure.
At the party, and in these
photo setups so far, Justine had her hair up. We
do one final setup -- see it here: Justine
Lets Her Hair Down.
|
