I
am a member of the modeling web site, One
Model Place. People run hot
& cold about the site, but I like
it. It does a couple of things
that I like:
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The
administrators review all the
images uploaded each day &
designate the best ones as
"Showcase Images", which
they put into a gallery. I
enjoy looking through that gallery
every day & following the
links to the photographers' &
models' profiles & portfolios.
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When
a member (photographer or model)
has travel plans, he or she can
update their profiles, and a
traveling model/photographer
notice can be sent to the members
of the travel destination.
I
became aware of Valentine when one of
the images of her became an OMP
Showcase Image -- I followed the image
to her profile and became an instant
fan of her work. She posed for
some highly skilled photographers
& created some wonderful
images. But she was from Louisiana,
and she seemed to be staying close to the
East Coast. So, when I got an
OMP Traveling Notice for her, I jumped
at the chance to work with her.
Actually, her travel dates came &
went, so I was resolved to be
disappointed -- I assumed that I
missed her, but later she contacted
me. Her travel plans were
delayed -- we actually set up a
sitting for the very next day. I
mention this because normally I have a
week or so to plan ideas -- with
Valentine, we just winged it.
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I
have this theory: that tastes & styles you form during
your teenage years stays with you for your whole life. For
example: although I enjoy plenty of different kinds of
music from plenty of different eras, I still particularly enjoy
the music from the late 60's & early 70's that I enjoyed as
a teenager (The Beatles, various blues like Paul Butterfield
& Bonnie Raitt, some jazz -- heck, I even became a Tom Waits
fan back then, when he had only two albums out).
The time in
my life when I first became aware of women & mature
relationships roughly coincided with the Summer Of Love -- the
late 1960's. While there is plenty about current fashions
that I like (e.g. really low jeans), the beautiful women on the
hippie generation really get my motor rolling.
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So,
when I open the door & laid eyes on Valentine for the first
time, I thought I was back in 1968. She was wearing layers
of loose & flowing clothing, none of which matched. She
had a long & flowing paisley skirt over iridescent jeans and a
"Make Levees Not War" t-shirt under a plaid unbuttoned
shirt. She had granny glasses & a variety of necklaces
& bracelets that rattled together when she moved. She
had long & straight hair, compelling arctic blue eyes, &
minimum makeup.
She was the
hippie chick of my dreams! Did I mention that she was in
town staying with the Grateful Dead (cover band)?
I mentioned
this to her, and she seemed surprised. Her chosen style
wasn't any kind of intentional homage to the Summer Of Love -- it was just how
she dressed. I hope I didn't offend her. Trust me --
coming from me, it's a high compliment! Anyhow
-- study this picture, and consider it the "Before"
image.
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I
love these "Getting Started" setups, where I
photograph a model in the clothes she wears to my door, and then
continue while she removes her clothing. It's a gradual
way to break the ice, and I'm always so fascinated by how a
woman transforms herself from a person you could pass on the
street into a beautiful nude figure model.
More than
ever before, I was interested in seeing Valentine go through
this transformation. The photos I've seen of her before
meeting her -- they were all so timeless: many of these
images were outdoors or in neutral indoor settings, and thus,
there was nothing to date the image.
Just look at
her (here, removing the rattling jewelry). Play the game
& join me, wondering what she looks like without any clothes
on at all. Valentine's flowing clothing hides the
fabulous & interesting figure we are soon to see.
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(One
patron, who got to see some preview images, thought this was a
very sexy image).
Valentine is
amazing -- none of her clothing matched -- her other clothes were
earth toned, but her bra is cool blue & green. Yet
somehow, it all worked together. Part of me felt that it was
almost a shame to ask her to remove those clothes. A small
part of me. A very small part.
With all those
loose articles of clothing, this image is the first hint at the
wonderful figure underneath. We took our time, and I enjoyed
being exposed to Valentine's body one piece of clothing at a time.
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And
somehow Valentine swims in color. Normally, it wouldn't
bother me to post only B&W images, but somehow, I suspect
that this collection will feature more color images than most.
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Valentine
removes her skirt to reveal the most amazing jeans -- as she
moves, the jeans change color from blue-black to magenta.
Valentine is a three ring circus, and she swims in colors.
Trippy!
Okay, I'm
drooling over Valentine's looks a bit too much. But that
wasn't what was going on. The objective for any first
sitting with a new-to-me model is "get
acquainted". As flamboyant as she looks, Valentine is a
bit on the quiet side. I also like eye contact with the
camera, but Valentine's eyes just wander all over the room &
out the big window. We took a little while to warm up to
each other, but we got there soon enough.
I should note
that I'm enjoying the wonderful natural light here in the big
comfy chair.
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Now
we are getting serious.
Just look at
her! Forget for a second that she's topless (and that she
has a really fine chest). Look at her crossed leg pose
& the position of her hands -- like she's meditating.
Look at the lovely light on her moon child goddess face. Look at
those eyes! She seems serene and at peace; she seems wise
& open. She is 1968 still.
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Step
by slow step, we get to see a little more, and we learn how to
work together.
It's hard for
me to believe that this is totally lit by natural window light --
the light on Valentine's beautiful face is all natural.
Those iridescent jeans don't hide Valentine's fine & slim
figure, and her magnificent breasts speak for themselves.
This is a
favorite images from this sitting -- but be forewarned:
there are a lot of favorite images from this sitting.
I also
like to play cropping games: my first camera was a
rangefinder, and with such cameras, you are never sure where the
edges of the negatives are. So, I got into the habit of
stepping back a little & including 110% of what I think I
need. Then, when I printed the images, I would crop it down
to what I liked. Sometimes, I'd find a picture within a
picture, and with a radical crop, I'd produce a whole new image.
On occasion, I
did more radical cropping -- using only a small part
of the original image. I'm also a fan on unusual sized
images. I know that some photographers take pride in using
the entire original image, sometimes including the graffiti around
the edges of the film. Not me -- I was born a cropper &
I'll always be a cropper.
Case in
point: the image below is a cropped version of the image to
the right. This also is a favorite. Which do you
prefer?
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It
took a little while, but somewhere around "now"
Valentine & I became more comfortable with each other.
We work on removing the rest of Valentine's clothes. |
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A
little wide angle distortion is always fun. Valentine
consents to remove the last bits of clothes, revealing her
inspiring figure.
I should note
that the windows are uncovered, and we were working in the
middle of a Thursday afternoon. My house is downtown on a
busy street. And here is a ravishingly beautiful young
woman prancing around naked by the front window of my house.
The
adventurous part of me figures that I'm just enhancing my
reputation in the neighborhood.
The reality
is that my living quarters are on the second floor (the ground
floor is the rental unit of my duplex), and with bug screens
on the window, passers-by can't really see into the front room
from the street.
Then again,
there's a six story office building across the street -- they
might be able to see in. It's a chance we'll have to
take.
In any case,
it's probably all okay -- I don't believe that anyone can see
in, and if they could, well, no one has ever complained.
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Ta-Da!
Valentine is finally nude.
I'm really
pleased. I'm struck by the transformation from 1968 hippie
chick to beautiful nude moon child goddess model. I've already had
a ton of fun with Valentine, and we were just getting started.
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You got
to love these "Getting Started" setups. I've got to
admit that I found Valentine's wardrobe style fascinating, but her
figure is nothing short of inspiring. She has alabaster skin, riveting
blue eyes, long limbs, fabulous breasts, and a graceful slim
figure. I just know, right away, that I'm going to enjoy working
with Valentine.
This sitting continues with
The Dining Room Chair.
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