Here are some "outtakes" from the set-up of the previous page, the "More Naked Than Nude" animated GIF image.  (Also, don't miss the Commentary page for these images.)

I've recently started (digitally) applying a sepia tone to these images, and I like it.  I'll soon be applying sepia toning to my real life prints, not just my scans.

Which is the better cropping?  (Same image)

Here is a happy accident.  I had thought to end the animated sequence with the blanket falling by itself, revealing the disappeared model.  I had Barbara do the dropping, but she didn't quite clear the scene.  Because of that, this image wasn't usable in the sequence, but I liked the image.  I like the weirdness of the frozen-in-time blanket, I like the gradient shading, and (of course), I like the stretched & truncated figure.

So, there's a lesson.  Working in the studio is all about control -- controlling light & composition.  But sometimes, you got to let go & let things happen. 

Here is one final image, and another lesson.  When we were making the images for the animated sequence, I had the camera on a tripod & a mark on the floor.  I wanted as much consistency as possible.  While we were making the nude exposures, I looked down at Barbara's feet, to verify that she was standing on her mark, and I loved the way the blanket puddled around her feet.  I should have made that exposure right then & there, but we didn't.  After completing the exposures for the sequence, we tried to recreate the same image -- we lifted & lowered that blanket a dozen times, and we failed to get it right.  This wasn't even close to the arrangement of folds that interested me.

So, the lesson is this -- if you see it & you like it, you should photograph it right away.  Don't expect to be able to go back & recreate it later.

Hands On Barbara