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I like this kind
of lighting -- it's something I
haven't done in a while.
Basically, there are two smallish
soft boxes on either side of the
model, positioned further towards
the back wall. I've often
stated that I dislike single-light
source setups, because I don't
like how the unlit side of the
model disappears into a dark
background, but with two light
sources, you get a better
appreciation of the three
dimensionality of the
subject.
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I'm
a big believer of eye contact
in photography. In fact,
I remember Jessica &
Betcee teasing me about that
when I requested eye contact
during Betcee's second sitting
a few months earlier.
But
perhaps it is more accurate to
say that I strongly dislike
the "model staring off
into the distance"
images, including the
"modeling looking out of
a window" cliché.
I dislike these images because
the model appears disengaged
from the photographic process
in general and from the
photographer in
particular. I always
wonder what the model is
looking at. I wonder at
the relationship between the
photographer & model, and
in particular why is the model
ignoring the
photographer? Therefore,
I usually ask for eye contact,
or failing that, I want the
model to give her attention to
something within the image
frame.
(This
is a sitting favorite.) |
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The
problem with eye contact while
using this kind of lighting is
that it often looks terrible --
this is one of those setups where
light that is terrific for the
figure is awful for the
face. I love how the light
caresses Betcee's figure -- I even
like the shadow of her hand on her
hip. But if her face was
turned towards the camera, her
face would have been in
shadow. We solve this by
turning Betcee's face more towards
one of the two light
sources. We avoid the
"modeling staring out into
the distance" stuff I dislike
by keeping her eyes aimed low (and
with this light, that looks good
on her face; if she had raised her
chin, we would have gotten Boris
Karloff lighting).
I
really like how this lighting
highlights Betcee's curvy figure.
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graceful pose from Betcee.
In
my opinion, beginner
photographers don't care about
this, but intermediate &
advanced photographers do:
there needs to be a tonal
separation between your subject
matter & the
background. That's why I
dislike the single light source
shadowy images -- the unlit side
of the model can disappear into
dark backgrounds. Here,
you can see all the edges of
Betcee's figure; they are
distinct from the tonal range of
the background behind. |
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I
don't do figure close ups
nearly often enough. |
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Much
as I like fine art figure studies, it
can be limiting. I quickly run
out of ideas, so we move on.
What's
next? When I spent some time
with Betcee during her second visit,
she had mentioned that some of the
mild fetish stuff appealed to her --
in particular, she liked some of the
leather products I had been
using. It's not something she
did often, but she had done it before,
only with photographers she knows
& trusts. We try some.
This
sitting continues with Naughty
Betcee
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