Glowing Skin

First sittings with new-to-me models are challenging for me. I really don't get a sense of what a model looks like until I see her & photograph her. I certainly don't get the sense of how a model moves or what our "chemistry" will be like. Therefore, it's a bit difficult for me to plan particular setups for these first sittings. The objective is typically "get acquainted", and I usually try some basic stuff & focus on simply having a little fun.

Here is a definite favorite from the sitting & one of my favorite images of the year (so far!). It's simple & basic -- I like the lighting. The main light is a medium sized soft box to the left of the camera; there's another soft box on the right, behind the model; and there is a spot light on the backdrop giving that halo effect.
Natalia's figure is just perfect here -- I love the smooth lines & the glowing skin. There are some nudes, like this one, that simply displays the architecture of the human anatomy. I like these images.

Further, Natalia's natural gesture & grace contribute a terrific presence to this image.

Definitely a favorite. I could quit now & be happy.

There are several things I don't do often enough:

Photograph model's backs

Use more film.

Here's both: a film image of Natalia's back. The lighting is working -- I love the highlight along her right side, and the backdrop halo is still working well.

Here is another favorite -- I love the natural gestures of her hands. I also love that you can see that Natalia is not wearing a stitch of clothing, yet none of her "naughty bits" are showing. Because of that, your imagination is stimulated a bit more.

The lighting on her face is just wonderful.

Before this sitting, I really didn't know what to expect. When Natalia & I exchanged e-mails, I ask her to send me some pictures of herself. She did, but at best they were "implied nudes"; at best, I had only a vague idea of what she looked like.

The risk in such circumstances is that you never know how comfortable a model would be posing nude. No worries -- Natalia was totally comfortable.

This image could be interpreted as her being coy, but I suspect that it had more to do with her conserving body heat.

If you just look at photographs & not host sittings, it might not be obvious to you how important movement is. How a model moves is an essential contributor to images. I take a look at Natalia's moves.

This sitting continues with How She Moves