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I ask Lynsey to put her pants back on, and we
wonder the house looking for good light.
Well, some of the best light of the house is
on the back stairs, and that's our first stop.
I
like how all the angles & lines point
right at Lynsey. On the last page, I
talked about trying some more unusual
compositions, and I guess this one qualifies. |
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slightly different images with a slightly
different composition -- I've got to admit
that I like the first one better. But
I'm including this to point out that the line
of the window sill has become pixelated
somehow. I don't know where I picked up
this unwanted effect -- I'll have to
experiment to figure out how that
happened. Someday soon, I'll do
that. Sorry. |
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There
are lots of advantages to prancing around the
house with a topless model still wearing her
pants:
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The
resulting images tend to take on an
intimate, informal feel.
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Both
the model & I feel comfortable with
poses like this.
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It
has the potential of improving my
reputation with my neighbors. Just
kidding -- the house next door is empty at
the moment.
Anyhow,
the light is wonderful & Lynsey looks
fabulous, so we explore the setting. I
embrace some unusual compositions that pop
into my head. |
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I
look at tons of photographs,
and I talk to tons of
photographers. A mistake
that is common to beginner
photographers is that they
might have a "happy
accident" & produce a
pleasing image, then they
spend too much energy &
effort trying to reproduce
that "happy
accident".
Alternatively, there are
photographers whose definition
of success is very
narrow. In any case,
many beginners make the same
image over & over again.
Now
here's a counter
example. I've been
making images here on my back
stairs for years, and I've
even photographed models
sitting on this sill before,
but I've never produced an
image that looks & feels
like this one. The light
is very real, the
"contact" is real --
it just works for me on many
levels.
One
final point: remember on
the previous page when I
talked about positioning the
camera a little lower than
usual. This is a good
example -- the camera lens is
low, at Lynsey's hip
level. Think about it --
what is the impact of having
the camera so low?
Mark
this image as a sitting
favorite.
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Again, note the low
camera angle. It doesn't look all that unusual, but it does make
a subtle and (to me) significant difference.
Doesn't Lynsey look
marvelous in this light? I guess I should mention that when I
think about making an image, the first thing I consider is the light,
then I try to figure out something appropriate to put in that
light. That's just how I think. Other photographers start
with the subject matter -- in this case, a beautiful nude model, and
then they craft the light for the subject. I do that sometimes,
too -- especially when I'm using the studio lights. But for me,
pure photography starts with the light.
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We
move back to the floor for some more
fun. This is the spot with the absolute
best light. |
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With
the camera's lens set at its widest setting, I
move in for some fun wide angle
distortions. Every photographer starts
with a "standard" lens, and usually
their second lens is a telephoto, but for my
money, I really love wide angle lenses.
They are very versatile. And I love wide
angle distortion -- it is major fun. |
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Another
example of wide angle distortion, for the foot
fetishes out there. |
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I
walk up the back stairs to the top, leaving
Lynsey in her spot. I snap one more
picture before inviting Lynsey upstairs with
me. (Darn -- I should have moved that
koosh ball -- see it?) |
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At
the top of the back stairs is
the guest room. It's
often a bit of a mess there,
so I don't make photographs
there often, but I have made
images here before. At
one side of the room is a
little alcove with a skylight,
and under the skylight is a
table. You can probably
see this area better in the images
I made with Betcee.
Anyhow,
Lynsey & I sit at the
table for a quiet conversation
and some images, lit by that
skylight. Although I've
worked under this skylight
before, I've never done any
from this perspective.
The light is very good, and we
produce some images that have
quite a different feel from
these others.
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Again
-- here's me going back to my roots &
embracing unusual compositions. When you
have a lovely model nude & posing, who
photographs their hands? Well, I'm glad
I did. This is another favorite. |
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In general, I like eye
contact with the model. If the model is looking off into the
distance, I just don't like it -- I wonder what the model is looking
at, and I am disappointed that the model is not paying attention to
the photographer.
But here's an
exception. I love the light on Lynsey's right eye. I love
the light on her face. I love how her shoulders aren't
equal. I even like that we get a little peek at her
nipple. But most of all, I love the "mood" -- here
expression, the light, her pose all work together.
This
is another favorite.
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The
alcove is tight -- there's
barely room for the table
& both chairs. That
means that the camera is once
again set at a wide angle
setting. When life gives
you lemons, you make lemonade
-- so I do a little wide angle
distortion work.
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Yes, Lynsey's still
wearing her pants.
More interestingly,
when using natural light, you've got to be prepared for changing
light. The day was partially cloudy, the skylight points towards
the northern sky, and in a moment of clarity, the clouds parted,
providing this very nice (but brighter) light.
I'm going to have
to come back to this spot, utilizing it at different times of the day
& different seasons.
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I'm
a big fan of ribs & good
abdominal definition.
One
advantage to using the digital
camera is its instant
gratification. Just a
couple of seconds after making
an exposure, I can show it to
the model & we can discuss
how to utilize the light
best. I don't show the
model every image -- that just
slows everything down too
much, but at the beginning of
a setup or when a significant
image is made, I do share it
with the model.
I
mention this because Lynsey
did an excellent job at taking
direction, understanding the
light, and adjusting her poses
accordingly.
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There
is a bed in the guest room, in another alcove
with a window that faces east. (You can
see some new construction going on across the
street there).
Okay
-- I like this picture. But I've got to
admit that I don't like photographing models
in beds -- it's just too suggestive for
me. Still, I like this image, and I love
how Lynsey's abs look when she's lying down. |
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