Page created March 31, 2007
Sitting date:  February 19, 2007
 

   

It is enough for me when a model leaves a sitting with me feeling respected & appreciated.  It is relatively rare when I become friends with a model -- after all, I'm probably older than the model's parents.  But it does happen, and I think sometime during this sitting with Natalia, it happened to us.  Take a close look at the images from this sitting -- do they look a bit more intimate than the images from our first three sittings together?

 

 

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I was admittedly anxious about this sitting.  Because of a long streak of bad luck, I hadn't hosted a sitting for a couple of months.  Further, this was going to be my first sitting using my new camera, and I was concerned that I would have to spend more time focusing on the camera instead of the model & the art.  I shouldn't have worried -- Natalia is a dream model.

 

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I chronicled the bad luck streak in the commentary of Ashley's first sitting, but since these troubles also impacted this sitting, I should summarize them again here.  Ignoring the less relevant ones (like broken chair, broken oven, etc.), the key problems included the following:
  • I stopped receiving e-mail via web forms used on this site.
  • As it turned out, my web host disappeared (their phones were even disconnected).
  • I had to search for a new web host.
  • I had to move my huge site to the new host.
  • I had to reimplement the e-mail forms & the security to the restricted pages (Out Takes & Secret Galleries).
  • My digital camera died mid-sitting with Ashley.  I bit the bullet & purchased a new DSLR camera -- as of this sitting, I was not quite comfortable with the new camera.
  • My new scanner doesn't seem to produce scans as good as my old dead scanner.
  • My PC monitor was dying.  When I edited these images, the monitor was down to about 3 colors (charcoal, pink, and light green) & had a contrast ratio of about 4.

 

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I guess my creativity is a fragile thing.  No one of these problems was devastating, and I was taking care of them one at a time, but when I'm so busy with the frustration, distraction, & disappointment associated with these troubles, well, I guess it just saps my artistic urges & energy.  Still, Natalia is not a local model, and although she comes through town here a few times a year, her visits are infrequent enough to make me want to jump at the chance to work with her when I can.  

 

So, the big change during this sitting was the new camera, a Canon EOS 5D.  This is a superior camera, and I do like it, but I've got to admit that the camera I really want just doesn't exist.  Specifically, I miss the tilting / swinging live preview LCD screen.  Like nearly all DSLRs, this camera's LCD screen is fixed on the back, where it collects nose prints when I put my eye to the viewfinder.  And like nearly all DSLRs, one is expected to position your head behind the camera's body in order to aim it.  Okay, I do have a right angle attachment to the viewfinder, but you've still got to get your head down there with the camera.  Since I like unusual angles, and since I'm getting to an age where I'm not as agile as I used to be, this can cause problems -- like cutting off Natalia's head in an earlier image.  That was just sloppy of me.  But I just don't want to keep the camera up at my face all the time.  I want to focus on the model, not the camera.

So, getting experienced with the new camera is a top objectives for this sitting.  We've got to thank Natalia for being my guinea pig. 

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More than pretty much any other model, I like the way Natalia dresses; her choice of wardrobe is often unique & stylish.  And more than pretty much any other model, I like the way Natalia moves.   So, as such, I am likely to start every sitting with Natalia by photographing her in the clothes she wears to my door (and thoroughly enjoying myself as she removes her clothes for me).

 

Here's a token color image.  I can't tell you how horrible my monitor was when I processed these images -- all colors are off, and the brightness & contrast of any image is just a guess.  For the brightness & contrast, particularly with the B&W images, I can use photo editing tools, like the histogram, but with the color images, I'm flying blind.  I've upped the contrast a bit & have increased the saturation.  No doubt, when I get a new PC monitor, these images will appear "off", but I'm doing the best I can at the moment.

For the record, I do intend to obtain a new PC later this year.  I recently decided not to wait for a new monitor -- I ordered one, but the place where I ordered it lost it in transit -- okay, that happens, but their customer service during these difficulties was horrible.  In fact, they lied to me twice -- telling me one thing while documenting the opposite in their incident tracking notes.  So, I had to give up on them, cancel the order, and order the monitor from somewhere else.   The new monitor will probably arrive & be set up before I finish editing these pages.

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To me, Natalia is a chameleon:  she is young & looks younger.  At times, she's a little girl; at times, she's all woman.  She's always sweet and sometimes sexy.  She's sinuous & graceful.  She's sometimes sultry.

Here's a little taste of her posing like a three ring circus -- the cutoff jeans & the holy stockings say "young girl" to me; the red bra & the sensuous stretch says "desirable woman" to me.

Natalia has a natural ability to be all-women at once.  

 

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I like that strong, knees apart stance, and I'm always a fan of models who can give me a jog in their spine.  For our first three sittings together, I felt that Natalia was a graceful fine art model (and nothing here is changing that opinion).  But this image is something new for us -- Natalia has added "sexy" to her repertoire.  Maybe she always had that skill, but for me, for us, it's something new.  I think I'll choose to believe that this is a step in my relationship with Natalia -- she has reached a new plateau of security with me, and she is comfortable showing me this side of her personality.  I'm not complaining.  I'm appreciative.

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Some photographers are control freaks -- they want the light & the pose to be perfect.  Other photographers just want to let stuff happens & hope to capture perfection as it fleetingly passes before their eyes.  I'm somewhere in the middle -- I take time to set up the lights, then I communicate what's happening to the model, and I just let her move.

Sometimes, I like only a tiny part of the image.  Here, I like the light on Natalia's left shoulder & cheek.  See:

 

 

I am hyper-critical of myself.  I'm always evaluating what's going on -- that happens not only during the sitting but also later, when I edit the images & put together these pages.  In fact, for me, publishing these pages onto the web is an important milestone -- it's the point where I close the book on the lessons learned & prepare to make adjustments for the next session.

I do like a lot about this image and this setup -- there's lovely radiant light on a beautiful model who is enjoying removing her clothes for me.  I also like the various textures & colors here.

But it's easy for me to be critical, too.  For one thing, the camera isn't exactly vertical -- it appears slightly tilted to me, and I find that distracting.  I'm using the tripod that I used for the dinky little point & shoot camera, but the DSLR is bigger/heavier, and it is uncomfortable for me to get down behind the viewfinder & make the fine adjustments necessary.  I'll be looking for a new tripod shortly, one with spirit levels on the tripod head, to assist me in setting it perfectly horizontal or vertical (when that is my intent).

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I also like the pile of clothes on the floor -- they contribute to the "story" of the image.

Using the DSLR is a lot like using the film camera.  Even though I am using studio strobes (which can freeze action), I put the camera on a tripod.  That way, I can fuss with the camera, framing the image & setting the focus & exposure; then I hold the cable release, pay attention to the model, give her feedback & direction, and snap away.  The only difference is that the film camera can make only 10 exposures before I have to pause & change film -- the DSLR has a big honkin' card, and I can make hundreds of exposures without stopping.  

The dinky point & shoot camera had to complete writing one image onto the flash card before it's ready to make the next exposure.  The DSLR has sufficient buffering to allow me to make exposures whenever.  I'm usually slow & deliberate, but it's nice to know that I can work quickly if the need arises. 

 

I like this picture a lot -- there's something going on & we caught the action.  I like the textures, the lighting, the depth, the subtlety, and the boots that are so not-sexy that they are sexy.

There is a significant difference between the DSLR & the film camera that I didn't notice until I started processing these images.  I'm getting older & I am having difficulties focusing my cameras manually.  In fact, using auto-focus is a major enticement to making the switch to digital.  But the auto-focus works differently.  With the film camera, I just press the cable release & the picture is captured.  With the auto-focus DSLR, I press the cable release down halfway, and then press it fully to make the exposure.  I was just pressing the darn thing down without the halfway-press, so many of these exposures are out of focus (some worse than others).  I've got to learn a new way of pressing the shutter release.  But when I started to see out-of-focus images, I have to admit that I had a moment of panic. 

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I still like the pile of clothes on the floor. 

Natalia has a wonderful ability to give me a nice looking jog in her spine.

I should also forewarn you -- during this sitting, we never left the big comfy chair, and Natalia never lost those leg warmers.

 

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Wait a second.  Let's pause the flow a bit.  Above is one of the images from this sitting, processed in the usual way.  At first glance, it's not one of the best images -- in fact, it's pretty typical of a mis-timed image (which happens more often than I'd like to admit):  I caught a moment where Natalia's eye contact slipped a bit as she reached up to move her hair from her eyes.  Often, I would simply react with an "Oh, well!", put the image in the "reject" pile, and move on.  But in my old days, when I first got started, I wasn't exactly decisive when making exposures.  Back then, I would do some radical cropping & find some interesting mini-pictures within the overall original image.  Such is the case here.  Take a look at this: 

 

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I like this a big lot.  To me, this looks more like a lithograph than a photograph.  That inspired me to play with some artistic effects: 

 

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Sometimes, I find gems inside otherwise ordinary images.  It's a good thing I create large (12 megapixel) exposures.  That leaves some flexibility for cropping.

Sorry for the detour -- back the the regular narrative flow.

 

 

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All models who pose for me typically have a very good idea of what we are going to do together before they arrive.  Additionally, this is my fourth sitting with Natalia.  So, she knows that we are going to be doing fine art nude photography, but she is taking her time getting everything off.  I'm not complaining -- I'm enjoying the anticipation; that's a large part of the appeal for me.  But before we move onto the next setup, I ask Natalia to remove her panties.  She finds an unusual way to do that.  I like the textures, including but not limited to her boots.

 

Almost there.

Of course, you can't always tell about the photographer-model interaction just by looking at the images.  When Natalia & I first worked together, I think she was a little reserved, keeping private details private.  That's no problem for me -- it is sufficient to me if a model leaves our sittings feeling respected & appreciated (and hopefully willing to work together again).  But by this sitting, we are closer.  We are sharing more details about our lives and are behaving like friends.  

When I see these pictures, I see more interpersonal contact.  Earlier pictures from previous sittings showed off Natalia's fine figure & grace, but here, we get also to see the lovely woman before my camera.  I really am enjoying this added dimension to our interaction.

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The magic moment, where the strobes freeze Natalia's panties in mid-air as they fall to the ground.

Love that smile.

 

One last look at the collection of clothes on the floor.  We worked hard to arrange that (not).  That's just where they fell once they left Natalia.

You know -- I was anxious & hesitant before this sitting.  I was concerned about the streak of bad luck being a distraction, and I was concerned about working with an unfamiliar camera.  

But Natalia managed to distract me from all those distractions.  She was especially "in the moment" this sitting.  She opened up.  She showed me more of herself.  She brought me along into a truly fun sitting.

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Also, I've got to admit that producing interesting images is of secondary importance.  My favorite part of my photography is the joy of the sitting itself.  At some times, it's just a thrill to talk with a naked lady, who will do pretty much what I ask her to do.  At other times, it's gratifying to try out new concepts (especially when they work).  And often, it's just the pleasure being with enthusiastic young people.

 

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Just moments into the sitting, and I'm having a good time.  I haven't quite forgotten about my streak of bad luck -- in fact, every time I have to figure out how to get my new camera to do what I want it to do, I'm reminded.  But at the same time, Natalia & I are working together more closely than ever before.

This sitting continues with Beautiful Face

 

(Remember -- feedback is always appreciated) 

All images (c) 2007 Looknsee Photography

Natalia #4 Out Takes

Roughly 140 more images from this sitting are available in the Out Takes Galleries, which are available to those who have made a donation to the upkeep of this web site.  See this FAQ question for more details.

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