When I was living in the Bay Area, California, I guess I was spoiled -- there were lots of skilled photographers & excellent (albeit expensive) models in the area.  Not so here in Portland, Oregon; there are a few photographers, and there are a few models.  Perhaps these items are related.

Leona wanted to try her hand at modeling, so she posted a few photographs of herself on a modeling site.  This site allowed searches by state, and that's how I found her.  We exchanged a few e-mails, she viewed my website, and we set up a first sitting.

I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised when I answered my door -- none of the photographs I had seen of her did her justice.  Leona is tall, long limbed, long necked, and angel faced.  She is 100% natural, with no tattoos, enhancements, or piercings.  I have to admit that as a photographer, I hate photographing enhancements & piercings, and I refuse to photograph tattoos.  It is a welcome relief to work with a model like Leona, who looks great from any angle.

On top of all that, Leona proved to be a sweet, well grounded, and mature person; she is very easy to get along with, and I enjoyed the time we spent together.

Leona arrived around noon on a Sunday, and at that time of the day, the best light is on the back stairs.  That's where we got started.

 

cc1bs02.jpg -- Leona, Back Stairs

Just as we were getting started, there was this sunbeam pouring in from one of the skylights onto the landing.  I asked Leona to occupy to beam of light, and we made a couple of exposures.  But, before we could do more than three exposures, the beam of light was gone.  You've got to move fast when you work with natural light!  We moved on to using the window light reflecting off of the white walls.

cc1bs04.jpg

A recurring theme for this whole sitting:  for the most part, we were working with natural light throughout the house.  Although I use a high speed film (ASA 400), I tended to use relatively slow shutter speeds (e.g. 1/30th of a second) with a wide aperture (e.g. f/4.0).  This results in a narrow depth of field, which if you look closely at the picture above is evident -- Leona's hands & navel are in focus while her face is slightly out of focus.  I'm thinking that I may have to break out my strobe lights soon.

cc1bs11.jpg

 

cc1bs14.jpg

 

cc1bs01.jpg -- Leona, Back Stairs

I think this picture, above, is our favorite from the whole sitting.

In a lot of ways, the first few exposures with a new model are the most difficult.  It takes a while to get comfortable with each other, regardless of the experience levels of the participants.  For that reason, I often start a model out holding something, like a blanket or a towel, when we first get started.  The guest room (used for a model's changing room) is at the top of the back stairs, and Leona got herself ready and popped down the stairs totally nude.  She was marvelously unselfconscious throughout the sitting.  Although we did use a throw blanket later in the session, Leona was totally comfortable being nude.

Still, we were getting to know each other & how we worked when we made these first exposures.   

 

(Remember -- feedback is always appreciated)