|
|
This is Ashlyn,
a new-ish model from southern Oregon who traveled through
town a while back. At this time, she had only a few
images in her on-line portfolio. While I like working
with experienced & well-established model, I also like
working with new models on occasion. Ashlyn does have
some experience & some natural abilities, so I'm glad
we got together.
Frequent
visitors to my web site know that I like starting sessions
with this "Getting Started" setup, where we start
by photographing the model in the clothes she wears to the
door, and we continue to make images as the model removes
her clothing. Ashlyn embraced this concept with enthusiasm,
as you will soon see.
|
|
|
|
Ashlyn arrived
wearing some of the lowest cut jeans I've ever seen, and
despite this, she moves well & with confidence.
Although
I got the exposure & color balance right, I think I
still prefer the B&W versions of these images (color
versions will be on the Out Takes galleries).
Each
session with a new-to-me model is a "get acquainted"
session. I never know how a model would react to the
Getting Started setup. I think Ashlyn enjoyed it a
lot. Some models worked quickly to remove their clothes;
Ashlyn took her time, giving me the opportunity to savor
each moment. I like that.
|
|
|
|
|
Yes, I got
to say that I love these artistic effects still, and I often
play with them. I know that many of my visitors are
not overly excited about these images, but heck, I still
like them. As I age, my vision is deteriorating, and
it's nice to look at these images with reduced details.
I like the abstractions. |
|
I do like working
with Ashlyn. Most of all, she's very confident, and
I do like her well-defined figure. She moves great.
She takes
her time removing her clothing, but I'm not impatient.
She is energetic & entertaining.
|
|
|
I like this
lighting setup -- it's a basic, go-to setup for me.
The main light is the big honkin' (4'x6') softbox on the
left, with a small softbox high, to the right to highlight
Ashlyn's hair. I should also say that Ashlyn's previous
session messed up her hair a bit, so before we started working,
Ashlyn had jumped into the shower & washed her hair.
It's
a bit strange to me, but I don't really feel that I know
what a model actually looks like until I've photographed
her. Now that I see the photographs, I think I see
a different person than the one on her portfolio.
That's a testament to Ashlyn's versatility.
Some
models handle this "Getting Started" setup in
a casual, matter-of-fact approach. Ashlyn is a bit
flirtatious. That's fine for me.
|
|
|
|
While you are
enjoying seeing more of Ashlyn, I've got to admit something.
During a photo sitting, my brain is a three-ring circus
-- there is so much to think about, including...
-
All the
technical details (e.g. exposure, color balance, etc.).
-
The lighting
setup.
-
Maintaining
a conversation with the model.
-
Remembering
all the setups I want to accomplish that day.
-
Being open
to new opportunities that may present themselves.
-
Giving
feedback to the model.
-
Giving
the model some direction.
-
Keeping
an eye on the time (I hate going over).
-
and plenty
of other things.
Much as I like
how Ashlyn moves, she has a tendency to tilt her head away
from the main softbox light -- this is an example.
It's probably just how she moves naturally, but because
of the room configuration, I really can't reverse the positions
of the lights in the room. I like the shadows across
Ashlyn's torso, but I don't like lighting anyone's face
from below their chin (I call that Boris Karloff lighting).
So, I give her that feedback, and if she just naturally
moves into that wrong head tilt, I just ask her to give
me the mirror-image pose.
Still, I like
this particular image, perhaps in part because Ashlyn made
me wait so long to see her breasts. In any case, I
do a little experimenting with the artistic effects.
I think I like
this image in part because Ashlyn is doing something meaningful
with her hands. Ashlyn isn't at all nervous -- indeed,
I believe that she feels like she's in control, but if you
ever work with a nervous model, one thing you can try is
to give her something to do with her hands.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See?
Ashlyn takes my direction & tilts her head towards the
light -- see how that change in head tilt changes the light
on her face? It's a challenge to find light that is
simultaneously good for both the figure & the face --
I like side lighting for figures, because the shadows created
with side lighting help define the figure's shape, but side
lighting isn't always flattering on the face. However,
this particular head tilt presents the face to the main
light & looks nice. I like how there is a subtle
shadow that defines Ashlyn's lovely cheekbones, and I also
like the light on her lips. |
|
|
|
I like off-center
compositions, when they are done well. Here, I've
included the shadowed crease in the background to balance
the positioning of Ashlyn. The vast majority of the
images I see are always perfectly centered -- it's nice
to try something less predictable. |
|
|
And with that,
Ashlyn is nude.
I've
mentioned that Ashlyn took her own sweet time removing her
clothing, but when I check the EXIF data on the images,
she took only 17.5 minutes. Is that a long time?
Maybe I should measure time in the number of exposures made
-- we made roughly 100 exposures up to this point.
Somehow, that seems a lot. Perhaps it's because Ashlyn
removed her clothes in a somewhat seductive manner.
In any case, we got there, and I'm having a good time.
Note:
Here's she's tilting her head towards the light. I
like it like that.
|
|
