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Forgive me
for repeating myself, but the objective of a first sitting
with a new-to-me model is simply "get acquainted".
Sage is very experience and has a great range of images
in her portfolio (including fine art, fashion, casual, lifestyle,
and so forth). But I never can totally predict how
a model & I will work together by looking at pictures
done by other photographers -- I need that first experience
to get a sense of what kind of chemistry we will have.
(And I have
to admit that as I age, interacting with young models becomes
more challenging as I approach the age of the model's grandparents).
So, I have
some generic concepts in mind when working with a model
for the first time. I definitely know that I want
to photograph the model with the strobes, and I want another
setup using window light. I usually plan three setups
for each 2.5 - 3 hour session.
For a third
setup with Sage, I've been thinking about trying a lighting
setup where I use a main light that is to the model's side
(or a little behind the model). I've also turned the
backdrop so that it's narrow (9') side is at the top of
the wall, and the long (20') side extends down the wall &
across the floor towards the camera -- nothing should be
visible on the floor or the back wall except the canvas.
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A common problem
when photographing the nude in the studio is that often
one devises light that is great for the figure but not so
great on the face (or the other way around). Here
is a good example -- I think Sage's figure looks fabulous
in this image, but the heavy shadows on her face are not
so great. Hence, I crop (see below). The challenge
is to construct lighting that works great for the face &
the figure simultaneously. |
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When she is
posing, Sage is constantly in motion, and I like that (indeed,
many photographers like that). Further, Sage can make
big gestures with those long, long arms.
That
would be my first piece of advice to new models: keep
moving. Don't pose -- move!
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I'm having
a great time with Sage. I like her face & her
figure, and I love the way she moves. She's also inspiring
some unusual cropping -- I like when I can find off-center
compositions. I also like the cropping of this image
presented below.
(I'm
not in love with the lighting -- I think I can do better).
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I'm having
mixed feelings about the lighting.
Sage has
terrific eye contact and has wonderful expressions on her
wonderful face.
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Here's a pretty
sexy image.
I do admit
that I enjoy the various "artistic effects" available
via my photo editing software. Certainly, the "paint
brush" effect is my favorite. Here are some of
the effects that I don't use as much.
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There are some
photographers who prevision & plan their images to a
great degree -- indeed, several of these photographers spend
hours setting up an image and, in the end, they make a single
exposure. Other photographers don't plan -- they just
bring the various elements together, and then they jump
around & react. If that's a scale, I'm a centralist,
with leanings towards the prevision & plan side.
I say this
because sometimes I stay on a setup too long. I tend
to know when it's time to move on when I get the feeling
that we are repeating ourselves. When that happens,
I don't move on right away -- I think about changing perspective
or finding a variation on the lighting. Here, I change
the lighting a bit. I figure that I shouldn't do things
halfway -- I make the light even more contrasty for the
last few images.
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