Page created May 27, 2005
Sitting date:  May 4, 2005

 

I love working with models multiple times.  There are a lot of advantages:

  • I've mentioned this before, but I really don't get a good sense of what a model looks like until I've photographed her.  When you look at a photograph, you don't always get a sense of how the model moves, how she reacts to direction, etc., and of course, there's no predicting what your chemistry will be like.  You may find this hard to believe, but some models just don't get my sense of humor!

  • Looking at previous sitting images can inspire new ideas.

  • You've established working relationships and have built trust.

  • I feel more inclined to experiment with new ideas with people I've already photographed.

(A bonus is the implied endorsement I get when models work with me multiple times.  This gives a good impression to new potential models.  Further, when a model works with me multiple times, she is often quite happy & willing to be a reference for new models.)

  

   

The sitting previous to this one was with Betcee, a traveling model.  We worked in the late afternoon, and I invited her to stay in my guest room.  Her next sitting wasn't until the next evening, so I played tour guide for Betcee for the day.  She gave me feedback:  I have a beautiful house, but I rarely use it for my photography -- I mostly make studio images.  So, I had that in mind for this sitting with Kira.

Kira's third sitting was in early May in the middle of the afternoon.  This was one of the first sunny days of the Spring.  For our first setup, I plan on working in my living room (the room I usually turn into a studio), using at least some of the natural window light and the various pieces of furniture in situ.

km03d0003.jpg

 

km03d0007sepsat.jpg

If you are familiar with the previous sitting with Betcee, you will know that during that sitting, my digital camera finally failed to fire off the strobes.  After that disaster (and the resulting happy accidents), I got rid of the old digital camera & got a new one.  I got a Nikon Coolpix 8400.  It had features I wanted:
  • It has a pivoting, swinging LCD screen for composing & exposing images.
  • It has a supported methodology to fire off strobes, with the optional AS-15 accessory.
  • It has a very wide angle lens (the 35mm equivalent of a 24mm lens).

For the most part, this sitting's objective was to try out the new camera.  You'll note that the color images might have slightly-off color balance, but overall it did very well.  It never failed to fire the strobes.

 

My house was built in 1890, and the city of Portland grew up around it.  The building to the south is a nine story apartment house, and this building is less than two feet away.  But the building itself is recessed a bit from the street.  I have one window that faces south, and it is this window that gets direct afternoon sunlight.  During the summer, the light comes in almost from directly above; during the winter, the light comes in at an angle (See this sitting with Leona for examples of winter light -- when you look at these pictures of Leona, you'll see that I've made vast improvements in my photography in the past few years).

Kira & I make some natural light photographs by this window.

km03d0013sepsat.jpg

 

km03d0016sepsat.jpg

I love natural light & shadow on skin.

Kira arrived looking fantastic.  She has a flawless figure & clear, beautiful skin.  Kira works studies hard & works hard, and she was in terrific shape for this sitting.  In fact, I've got to say that she was feeling good about herself, and that lent her a lot of confidence.  I think that confidence shows.

After working in this tight corner, we move across the room to the big comfy chair.  You might have seen that chair before -- in fact, Kira asked to pose in it during our first sitting.  But this is where the chair normally sits, but the front windows of the house.

 

km03d0025.jpg

 

This is a semi-advanced photographer's trick:  I balance the natural light (especially the light on the buildings across the street) with a strobe in the room and the lamp in the back corner.  This is a good test of the digital camera -- it is useful to be able to preview the results before fine tuning the exposure.  You can see that my fairly large Victorian house is surrounded by larger city buildings.

 

km03d0028.jpg

 

km03d0027sepsat.jpg

I guess that Kira was feeling good physically, too (more on this later).  She was moving all over that chair.  She is in constant motion, and I like this a lot.  Some models simply sit there & strike a pose, and such poses often look forced or stilted.  But when a model moves, she always looks natural.  By moving constantly, the model gives the photographer much more choices.

 

km03d0032sepsat.jpg

 

km03d0033.jpg

 

km03d0035.jpg

 

Kira often looks ravishing when lying down on her back -- we love that wonderful taper from ribs to flat stomach.  I've seen terrific photographs of her by other photographers.  Someday, I hope to produce a horizontal image of Kira worthy of her beauty.

 

km03d0042sepsat.jpg

 

km03d0047sepsat.jpg

The sunlight is changing a lot -- sometimes it is shining directly through the windows; sometimes it is filtered by passing clouds.  Those of you who are sensitive to such things can see the changing light conditions from image to image.  My camera & I strive to keep up (while trying not to drool too much).  Kira can't help it, but she is very, very sexy. 

 

km03d0059sepsat.jpg

km03d0053sepsat.jpg

 
 

km03d0062.jpg

Mindful of Betcee's feedback, I take a moment to step back a bit & include more of the room in the image.  There -- you can see my collection of photography books.  And of course, the inspiring & beautiful Kira!

This is a favorite from the sitting. 

 

Kira showed up for this sitting after working out in the gym -- she certainly was energized.  She crawled all over that chair.  

There actually are three windows, side by side by side, in the front of the room, each window slightly angled from its neighbors.  It's not exactly a bay window, but it is nice.  Standing by the windows, you can look up and down the street, especially since the neighboring buildings are further back from the street.

More to the point, the light bounces around a lot.  There is nice light on Kira's belly & breast, and interesting light complimenting that on her hip & back.  Look at the wonderful muscles on her right arm & shoulder!  I like how this all works together. 

km03d0069.jpg

 

km03d0071sepsatclose.jpg

The way you "balance" strobes with ambient light is that you calculate the aperture with the strobe light and then adjust the shutter speed to pick up the desired amount of ambient light.  The strobe flash lasts only 1/3000th of a second, but the camera was set at a relatively slow shutter speed.  

Here, we catch Kira is a quick motion.  Interesting blur, huh?  

Let's call this a happy accident, one that will probably inspire future experiments.  I like this blur.

(See my dance photographs for more extremely blurred images.) 

 

I say this often, but I don't photograph models' backs often enough, and Kira's back is exceptional.  I love her shape & how the light bounces around & caresses her.

I'll have to remember to photograph Kira's back more often. 

km03d0079.jpg

 

km03d0085.jpg

One last picture, by my photography book collection.  Kira is looking in fine shape, but I abandon this particular concept quickly.  I hate the cliché "beautiful model looking out a window".  I prefer models to have eye contact with the camera or to be focused on something within the image frame or to have their eyes closed.  When I see a model looking off into the distance, I wonder what is she looking at, why isn't she involved with the process of making the image, is there someplace she would rather be?  

But even so, you can see that Kira's figure is just perfect.  This is exactly the kind of figure I like photographing. 

 

 

I am happy, happy, happy.  I am happy that the digital camera is working reliably, and even though I'm still learning how to use it, I know we are getting some really nice images.  I'm happy that Kira is exceedingly energetic today -- she is moving around a lot, giving me all sorts of ideas for images.  I'm happy because I tried something a little different from my typical studio fare -- working with natural light (sometimes augmented with strobes) in natural settings, and the results are promising.  That's happy, happy, happy.

I've got to admit that the inspiration from working this way started when Jay from Grace & Beauty photographed Betcee in my house -- he did nothing but utilize the features of the house & furnishings, and this inspiration was reinforced by the feedback Betcee gave me.  While I won't claim that I've really utilized the house & its furnishings, I did more than I have done previously, and the results are encouraging.  What do you think?

Meanwhile, I have an idea for refining some studio lighting setups that I've been experimenting with.  We set up the more traditional studio setup (closing the shades to block out the sunlight, moving the furniture out of the way, using multiple strobes, etc.).  Then, something unexpected happened...

This sitting continues with Kira Dance!

 

(Remember -- feedback is always appreciated) 

All images (c) 2005 Looknsee Photography

Kira #3 Out Takes

Over 90 more images from this sitting are available in the Out Takes Galleries.  These galleries are available to those who have made a donation to the upkeep of this web site.  See this FAQ question for more details.

Hit Counter