Victoria, With Shadows, May, 2004

On the long weekend at the end of May, two OneModelPlace models agreed to pose for me on the same day. The plan was for Brooke (see her One Model Place profile) to arrive first & work with me for two hours, at which time the second model, Victoria, was scheduled to arrive. The three of us would work together for an hour, after which Brooke would leave, and I would work with Victoria for another two hours. Brooke working solo was Part One; you can see her pictures here. Victoria & Brooke working together was Part Two; you can see those images here. And this page is the first of Part Three, Victoria working solo with me after Brooke left.

That's a marathon for me -- my typical sitting lasts for 3 hours with 1 model, hopefully exposing 10 rolls of film. There's a lot of reasons for this:

I typically can come up with a few ideas, usually plenty for a 3 hour sitting.
10 rolls of film is the maximum batch of film I could process in my Jobo film processing machine.
I'm typically exhausted after 3 hours. During the sitting, my brain is in overdrive. I'm talking with the model, designing the photograph, setting the lights just right, calculating the exposure, adjusting composition, etc. There is no respite -- there is only a high focus on the sitting.

Adding to the challenge is the fact that I have not met either of these models before the sitting.

Meet Victoria. She is the perfect woman. I don't say this lightly -- she is a wonderful model, because...

Look at her -- a fantastic figure & a lovely face.
She is lithe & streamlined.
She is very expressive.
She is enthusiastic.
She is supportive.
She is creative.
She knows how to move & present her body.
She instinctively knows how to "wear" the light.
She is energetic.
She's willing to try anything.
She is hyper-aware of her surroundings.
She keeps presenting variations to the camera.
She has a great range of expressions.
She has expressive hands.
She's easy to be around & to talk to.
She looks good from every angle.

If you get a chance, do check out her One Model Place profile or her website -- she has an impressive resume and a great range of images in her portfolio. She has my highest recommendation.

This lighting scheme is basically the same as the last setup used during Brooke's solo sitting & the arrangement used during the set with Victoria & Brooke posing together. Why not? That setup was quite nice.

So, if the light is the same in all these setups, the only difference is the model (and of course how the model moves). It's interesting to compare.

I tend to concern myself with exposure -- brightness & contrast, and I think perhaps there isn't quite enough details available in the shadows here. But I like Victoria in this pose -- not every model could pull it off. I like how her back tapers to her graceful waist. And if/when Victoria & I ever work together again, I think this picture will inspire me to concentrate on trying to capture the lines of her neck & shoulders.

Here's a digital image of a similar pose. I've noted that the digital images tend to have less contrast than my film & paper images -- normally, I prefer the film & paper contrast, but in this case, the film & paper were slightly off. Here, the lower contrast yielded more details in the shadows.

Still, this image doesn't quite deliver enough on its potential. My fault entirely -- Victoria looks terrific, but I just didn't quite pull it off.

I always learn more from my "near misses" than from my "successes".

Moving on...

During Brooke's final studio setup, she was posing on a small table, which was pulled out of the way when Victoria & Brooke posed together. And the end of the two-model posing, I put the table back, but when I did, I moved it a little closer to the camera. Just a few inches difference, and the result has lots more shadow.

I love this light on Victoria's lissome & supple figure, but I think I'd like to see more of VIctoria's face & figure in the light. We make slight adjustments & continue.

Better. I love models when they stretch.

I'm including these two pictures, above because I especially like how the light skims Victoria's face in both of them. I like how it highlights her eyes, nose, and lips.

Remember, I'm more than halfway through my "Model Marathon" by now -- my typical sitting lasts up to three hours, but by now, I'm in my fourth hour of a session that in the end will last more than five hours. I was concerned about fading energy, but Victoria simply inspires vitality. Make no mistake, I had a great time working with Brooke, but I'm glad that Victoria was the second model -- her experience & joyfulness electrified my enthusiasm. Victoria was a tornado of inspiration & creativity.

This sitting continues with Curly Willow.