Natalia, Day 2; Guest Room

I've got to admit that the idea of photo sittings on two consecutive days to be a little daunting. It requires that I come up with triple the number of ideas. But I'm beginning to feel that "daunting" is good for an artist. I have a tendency to stay "safe", meaning that I often return to concepts & setups that were successful in the past. But if I'm going to dive into the deep end of two days of photo sessions, there's going to be some setups that are new.

This is my guest room on the top floor. I had the idea of putting the strobe heads on the floor & pointing them up so that the light bounced off of the light walls, especially the slanty part under the roof line. And there she is -- Natalia naked on the best, looking so natural, so comfortable, and so intimate. Somehow, Natalia seems more nude than nude here.

Earlier, in the Day One commentary, I think I decided not to mix color & B&W images on a page. Here, I already break that resolution. Well, okay -- it takes a while to get started with a new setup, and converting to B&W is an extra step, so I usually start with color. But I think this page will be B&W.

I was in awe of Natailia when I first met her. I can't help but compare "her-then" to "her-now", and I think Natalia is much more sensuous now. As much as I liked looking at her then; I enjoy looking at her much more now.

I posted one of these images on one of my on-line profiles, and a viewer commented that he liked the natural lighting of these image. There is nothing natural about this lighting -- these images were lit by three separate strobes.

Still it is a nice effect, especially on a model with such natural beauty.

Think about it -- this setup is awfully constraining for a model. There's not a whole lot of space. But the amazing Natalia finds ways to move within those constraints.

I've talked about the great "chemistry" I feel with Natalia, and I think there are many images made on this second day that shows our "chemistry" -- this is an example of those images. I look at images like this & I see the relationship I share with the model. I wonder: can people who don't know either one of us see the chemistry?

One of the on-line portfolio web sites keeps sending me an e-mail advertising a "Shoot The Centerfold Experience" workshop, and there are three pictures of head-and-chest shots of three Playboy centerfolds. All are pretty, blonde, with squeezed together breasts and big, big smiles. They all look alike! Sure, they are pretty, but their beauty conforms to a pre-defined definition of "beauty".
Maybe that form of "beauty" is widely accepted, but it's not universally accepted. It seems plastic.

Want to know what I think is "beauty"? You need look no further than Natalia. She's all natural, graceful, and comfortable. She has very strong hands (you are looking at her hands, aren't you?). When I first met her, I thought she might be a potter.

Here's a wide shot; it shows off the unusual configuration of the guest room, and it gives a good hint about the placement of the lights. (You can also see the attic access and the speaker for the whole house audio).
I do like these wide shots. I think photographers should examine their own photographs & articulate their tendencies. For example, I tend to crop images so that the model's figure fills nearly the entire image dimensions. Yet, I like these images, where the figure is a small fraction of the image space. It's good to embrace these off-center compositions, if only to give the eye some exercise.

Bonus: I think Natalia's figure looks fantastic in this image.

I'm a big, big fan of eye-contact, because eye-contact implies intimacy. Or, at the other extreme, I dislike so-called "candid" images, because there is no risk to the photographer -- without interaction, the photographer is just a voyeur. I also dislike the "model staring wistfully out the window" images. I always wonder what she's looking at and why is she ignoring the photographer.

But "eye-contact" is a guideline, not a rule. Here, Natalia is glancing at the main light source. Somehow, I don't mind the lack of eye-contact.

It's real uncomfortable making this image and the ones that follow. I'm above Natalia, leaning over her, and holding the camera above her. You can't tell, but the lens is set at a wide angle setting, so I'm pretty close. There is a real danger of me falling on top of Natalia or of me dropping the camera onto her, and I am kinda invading Natalia's personal space, but she is trusting (or maybe she's unaware of how precarious her position is). But I like the weightless feeling of these "camera pointing down" images.

Natalia identified this image as one of her favorites, and I agree.

I don't remember whether I've ever worked in this part of the house before, but regardless, I had a good time with Natalia up here. Normally, I would be uncomfortable photographing a model on a bed, but we managed to have fun. As much as I enjoyed the previous day, when Natalia & I reconnected, I do believe that I'm enjoying Day Two's photography a lot more.

Under The Skylight