Lindsay Gets Wet

At this point, we've exposed 10 rolls of film, but there was still plenty of time to our sitting. I had planned all along to invite Lindsay into the shower for our final setup. I just like working in there -- it is a very unique place. Further, it's fun to get models wet. The concept I had in mind was to use the ability of the digital camera to expose images from unusual angles, using this camera's wide angle setting (and its attendant distortion).

I'm still learning how to use the digital camera. I find that the challenge is setting the camera on "manual", but I've got to do that if I use the studio strobes -- the camera simply can't figure out the exposure. I'm getting better at figuring out the exposure for the digital camera, but I'm not quite up to snuff yet. But I'm getting closer. (If your camera allows you to inspect the histogram, that could be a great help).

Oh, by the way, Lindsay still looks lovely, even after a couple of hours of posing.

This actually is the steam room, adjacent to the shower. While the ceiling in the shower is 9.5 feet tall, the ceiling in the steam room is lower, at 8 feet. But with the pivoting LCD screen, I can position the camera all the way up against the ceiling.

That's a particularly seductive look on Lindsay's face. Also, she has fine, long legs.

All this is fine, but the whole idea is to get Lindsay wet, which we do shortly after this exposure.

(Of course, getting the model wet is a little scary -- water & electronics don't mix well, and if the strobe light gets wet, it can explode. But we are careful -- you should be, too).

Keep looking at these images. Not only will you occasionally see Lindsay's feet (I rarely show feet, for no good reason), but you'll also get to see her freakishly large hands.

I feel like a kid again, or a very young photographer. Young photographers go crazy for unusual angles, and I'm doing this for these images.

Working in the steam room is a challenge. It's a large steam room, but it's a small studio space. From this position, I could have easily reached out & touched Lindsay's ankle (I didn't, of course -- there is no touching during my sittings). And sometimes, I just can't get everything into the image. Don't complain about me cutting off Lindsay's big toe -- it was an accident.

I figure that if you come up with a good concept, you've got to commit to it. I've been in the steam room with a wet model before, and I didn't want to repeat past images. As an artist, you've got to keep stretching, trying new things, experimenting. Sure, working with a new model counts, but I want to press myself.

The concept here is to use the camera's lens at its widest setting (equivalent to 28mm for 35mm cameras), and to embrace the wide angle distortion. This image, and the ones that follow, are me & Lindsay pushing that concept.

I'm playing with the angle, utilizing the pivoting/swinging LCD screen. Here, we are looking almost directly up. You can see the showerhead over Lindsay's shoulder, and you can see the ceiling of the steam room, which is tiled & arched.

One bad thing about using the pivoting/swinging LCD screen to achieve interesting/unusual angles is that it's difficult to hold it straight.

It's funny -- I believe that men & women photographers tend to compose images differently. Men tend to be tied to gravity, with one edge of the image being perfectly horizontal or vertical, while women don't mind. So, the slant of the tile grout lines bugs me a bit, but then again, striding away from your comfort zone can be a good thing, too.

I ask Lindsay to show me her freakishly large hand.

(At this point, Lindsay's hand is just inches away from the camera lens).

Okay, we've been in the shower for a long time -- see? Lindsay's skin has air-dried. Time to wrap things up.

I make one final exposure of Lindsay's freakishly large hands.

I was pretty tired after this sitting. Being charming & entertaining & fun is hard work. But I've got to say that I had a great time working with Lindsay -- this was a fun, fun, and productive sitting.

I was a little nervous about working with Lindsay -- she had had disappointing experiences with her mainstream & adult modeling, but I had nothing to worry about. After the sitting, she told me, "I sent the link to [her friend] and he was impressed he said you made me look like a women and not the sex kitten most photographers portray me as!" Given the kinds of things I like to accomplish with my sittings, this was a great compliment. Thanks, Lindsay!