Page created June 17, 2007
Sitting date:  May 7, 2007

 

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I don't know how I thought about doing this, but I'm glad I did.  

The top floor of my house is a finished attic:  the walls are only ~4 feet tall, then the ceiling slants up at a 45º angle until it reaches a normal 8 foot ceiling down the middle of the floor.  In my office, in the slanted part of the ceiling, there are two skylights.  Skylight light is wonderful, and I've always wanted to use it, but I couldn't figure out how to.  If I used the best angles, I'd have the light Berber rug, heating radiators, electric plugs, doorways, etc. in the picture, and I just didn't want that.  

Then I thought about utilizing the studio cloth -- it's pinned to the ceiling, down the slant, and then along the wall under the skylight, and there was enough length & width to allow it to puddle on the floor.  I didn't stretch the studio cloth taut; instead, I draped it, so its billowing produced interesting shadows.

One final element -- the studio cloth is translucent, and there is a door about 4 or 5 feet behind Sylvia -- with the door open, the light from the next room shone through the studio cloth.  Easily solved -- closing the door made the studio cloth seem solid. 

 

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A wider image, to give you a little sense of the expansive space.  It's good to have enough space to allow the model to move around.  This setup is especially nice because you lose all references to horizontal & vertical -- there are no straight lines in the image. 

 

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It's nice how all the major creases and shadows in the backdrop point your eyes directly at Sylvia. 

 

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For some reason, I like photographing Sylvia in space, and I like how there are few lines of reference in this image.  Also, it is particularly gratifying to be able to get good tonality in these digital images.

 

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As we roll around on the floor, Sylvia shows me this shape, and I like it.  I like what it does to her waist.

 

Same idea in a vertical orientation.  I like this a lot.  It's an unusual body shape in an unusual setting.  I love the shadows & the tones in this image.

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The tricky thing about this light is that it is coming from above.  It is therefore important to find natural poses where the model's face is tilting up, so that it is well lit.

Here's a great example.  I love the tones of this image, but I particularly like the light on Sylvia's face.  I'm usually a fan of eye contact with the camera, because otherwise, I wonder what the model is looking at, but I'll make an exception in this case, because the light is so nice.

 

Here's another example.  I figure that instead of having Sylvia stare out of the picture frame, it's easier to ask her to close her eyes.

Again, good tonality.  This is much improved over the color version of this image.  For your reference, below is the color image.  Don't you think the toned one is better? 

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Sylvia does a very good job rolling around under the skylight & showing me different looks & angles.  But it's a little too much of a challenge to maintain eye contact with the camera while tilting her face up towards the skylight.  This is close, but I think the pose / shape is a little artificial.

So, I ask Sylvia to turn around & show me her back. 

 

Bam!  That what the back of an accomplished wind surfer looks like.  I don't often photograph backs, but Sylvia's is exceptional, and this light & setting is a great compliment. 

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We work on finding ways to put a jog in Sylvia's spine.  Some models can stand in an "S" curve stance quite naturally, while others simply can't.  Sylvia is strong & muscular, but we have to work hard to get bends & twists in her backbone. 

 

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Just for fun, I try an alternative cropping, to emphasize Sylvia's marvelous arms & shoulders & upper back.  Sylvia helps out by holding her hair up, and I still like the lighting & the tonality.  A favorite.

 

Another alternate cropping, this time focusing on the length of Sylvia's spine.  Another pleasing image. 

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One last image from this setup.  I like the images where Sylvia's hands were on her head.  How do I know?  We tried a few with her hands down. 

 

 

Sylvia has a very pleasant & mellow sitting together.  I like the shortened sitting length, especially if it forces me to plan & set up the concepts ahead of time.  That way, I was better able to concentrate on talking with the model, getting to know her.

Sylvia is very comfortable with her body & was enthusiastic about posing.  It is always a treat to work with a model who can move & pose.

I'm particularly pleased to see good tonality in many of these images.  In all, I am becoming more & more comfortable with the new camera, although I still have to learn how to control the focus better.  That'll come. 

 

 

On the first page, I mentioned that there was something unusual about this sitting, and I challenged the more observant frequent visitors to figure it out.  Did you?  What makes this sitting unusual is that every image was made with natural light -- I didn't use my strobes at all.

 

(Remember -- feedback is always appreciated) 

All images (c) 2007 Looknsee Photography

Sylvia #1 Out Takes

More than 90 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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