Leona -- Out Takes, December, 2002

Previously, I had ask visitors whether they thought I presented an appropriate number of pictures from each sitting. To be honest, I was thinking that I was presenting too many -- instead of presenting a half dozen images from each setup, I thought that perhaps I should present only the best image from each setup. However, the response I got surprised me somewhat -- people wanted to see more, including the ones I thought weren't good. Several people postulated that there might be gems in the "rejects".

My response: well, thank you. However, it is unlikely that I'll present more images from each session -- I do all my own development & printing, and I just don't have the time to print more images from each sitting. However, I'm not shy about presenting images that I don't think work (or at least work as well as I want). I'm sad to say that there were quite a few images & setups from this sitting that I don't like as much as the other setups & images. Here, take a look:

The problem with these torso pictures is that they aren't anything special -- I've seen images like these a thousand times, and these just aren't unique enough for me. I do remember liking the light around Leona's navel, and having her turn just a bit made significant changes to the image. And this image on the left is kinda nice -- we like photographing her breast from almost-behind.

These pictures were made towards the end of the sitting -- the black background from the torso pictures is still up on the wall, and we simply both get down on the floor & rolled around a bit. I joke with Leona that it was a good thing that we had put the mirror away before we made these pictures. I like the interpersonal contact in these images, and I like that we've found a natural way to include Leona's hands in these portraits. And it's often a good idea to change your perspective -- I'm getting older, and I don't get down on the floor often enough.

But that's about it. The lighting isn't quite right -- I should have moved the big soft box closer & less to the side. In general, I'm a big fan of "less is more" pictures. What I mean is that often has more impact not to show everything; instead, it is more stimulating to leave something to the imagination. That was the idea of the mirror pictures, where Leona held the blanket up against herself -- it is exciting to think that she is naked under the blanket. But in this case, there isn't quite enough "less" to make an impact. We may try something like this again.