Okay, I finally get
her clothing off, and what do I do? I start making close up
photographs of Natalia's lovely face. There's plenty of reasons
for this:
- I'm just feeling
a terrific connection with Natalia this day. I just want to
look her in her eyes.
- The new camera
came with two lenses, and I wanted to work with both of them:
- Most of the
time, I'll be using a 24-135mm zoom; this is pretty much
everything I need in the studio session.
- I have
another lens, a 70-300mm macro lens, which is good for
portraits and some other situations.
So, I slap on the
other lens & see what we can see.
|
|
|
Throughout
this page, I suggest you pay
attention to the range of
expression on Natalia's face.
I
like it when I photograph
people when their brains are
engaged. I don't just
sit there & ask for a
smile or a serious look or a
sultry look -- that would be phony.
Instead, I just engage the
model in conversation. I
won't tell you what we
discussed, but we did talk on
a wide range of
topics.
|
In fact, I do have a
recurring fantasy about writing a three act play, where each act is a
photography sitting. The actors would perform dialogs not unlike
what is discussed in one of my sittings, and we'd project images on a
screen as they are made. It would be interesting.
Fine art nude
models are special people. More than most, they are comfortable
in their own skin and are confident & enthusiastic.
I am quite aware of
the stereotypical conception of photographers & models, but for
me, at least, that stereotype is very far from reality.
|
|
|
I'm
enjoying these images.
They are so simple. Just
a little skin, some basic
light, a marvelous model, and
perhaps most importantly, very
good report. The changes
from photo to photo are
huge.
Sometimes,
simple is best.
|
It's funny. It's
been taking me longer & longer to draft these pages, mostly
because my narratives are getting longer & longer.
But on this page, I'm not
writing as much. I find these images to be very beautiful.
Looking at this collection, well, what can I say? Natalia takes
my breath away.
|
|
|
Natalia
has been hypnotizing me, but I
snap out of it long enough to
realize that Natalia has her
hair tied up. I ask her
to let her hair down.
|
|
I
love these pictures.
Okay,
maybe I was getting a little
trigger happy. Working
with film involves a
significant time commitment --
all that darkroom time takes
several days.
Additionally, material costs
are significant. So,
when I work with film, I'm a
little more careful, and I
typically limited my sitting
exposures to 100 (which is the
maximum number of exposures I
can develop in one batch.
With
film, I find that I can make
tons more exposures -- it's
not unusual for me to make
300+ exposures in a
sitting. That's not a
good thing.
So,
I get the sense that I was not
refining / improving the
concept, so I figure it's time
to move on.
|
|
Here's
the big secret: the challenge to
a sitting is being able to manage
distractions. Having a new
camera is a distraction.
Learning how to get the camera to do
what it is supposed to do is a
distraction. Figuring out the
appropriate lighting & exposure is
a distraction. The beautiful
nude model is definitely a big
distraction. Heck, I'm even
distracted by wondering what I'm going
to make for dinner or how am I going
to repair the oven or whether the
lousy quality images on my computer
screen is the fault of the camera or
the monitor is a distraction. No
matter what you are focused on, there
are other things, of varying
significance, that are tugging on your
coat.
So,
for me, a sitting is all about
organization. I usually start a
setup with thinking about the lighting
& the overall concept, and I'm
usually ignoring the model while I do
that. I then setup the lights
& props & whatnot. I put
the model in the general vicinity
& calculate exposures. Then
I put the camera on the tripod, set
the exposures & whatnot, focus,
and so forth. I then do a few
test exposures, studying the image
& histogram carefully, making fine
adjustments as needed. Then, and
only then, I pay attention to the
model, interacting with her, and
snapping away. That works for
me.
This
sitting continues with Glory
Light
|