Page created July 26, 2005
Sitting date:  June 24, 2005

 

Over the past few studio sittings, I've been devoting some time to experimenting with an up light next to the model.  The thing about putting lights close to the model is that small changes to the placement of the light or in the position/pose of the model can result in dramatic changes in the results. 

 

 

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The first image is a spooky image to start!

The problem with up lights is that you can easily wind up with "Boris Karloff" lighting.  Also, with the light so close, small changes in the model's position can result in dramatic changes in the effect.  I like this -- you can't control everything, and if you want to control everything, you might as well photograph bowls of fruit.  Models are people, and the best photographs involve the model's movement.  So, my job as a photographer is to set up an environment for the model; the model's job is to adapt to that environment and use her creativity to find ways to move & interact within that environment; then the photographer's job is to select those moments where all the elements come together.

That sparkling highlight in Yulia's left eye is spooky. 

 

Yulia starts to move within the light.  That up light & Yulia's curvy figure were literally made for each other!

Okay, another part of the photographer's job is to look & really see ("looknsee"!) what is happening before his eyes.  I love the combination of the soft light coming in from the left side of the image & the harsher up light on Yulia's figure, but I don't much like the up light on Yulia's face.  I ask Yulia to work with her face more towards the soft box light coming in from the left. 

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Bingo!

With the third exposure in this setup, we make a near perfect image.  Yulia's breathtaking figure is well displayed, and I love the tonal separation of all parts of her figure against the background.  There is a great three-dimensionality feeling to the play of light & shadow across Yulia's torso.  She just looks perfect.  My only complaint is that her left hand disappears.

Definitely a favorite from this sitting!  In fact, I don't expect an image this good from any first sitting with a new-to-me model.

I'm enjoying myself -- we continue with this setup. 

 

Nice sultry light on Yulia's face.  And this time, we can see her hands well.

Okay, confession time.  Some men are "breast men", others prefer the butt or the legs or whatever.  My favorite part of a woman's anatomy is her abdomen, and Yulia's is perfect.  I like the subtle lighting on her ribs and her strong stomach muscles.  And I like how there is good tonal separation between the figure & the background.  

Note:  Yulia "got" this lighting setup immediately.  It was all her modeling experience that came up with all these poses where her left arm is extended away from her torso, highlighting the up light's effect.  At one time, I believed that intelligence wasn't a prerequisite for a good model, but I'm reevaluating that opinion.  My best work came from working with very smart models.

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Okay, I don't like this picture all that much, but I'm including it because it illustrates a personal posing point.  I ask models not to point a portion of a limb directly at the camera lens, and this image illustrates why.  Yulia's left arm looks distorted, because her forearm is almost completely parallel to the camera lens axis.  Thus, it appears short & stumpy.

Like I say, the "near misses" are more educational.

 

Here's a film image from the same lighting setup.  I've got to admit that I still am in much better control over the tonality & contrast & exposure of the film images, and (at least to me) the difference in quality between film & digital is still quite obvious.  Can you see the difference?  The film image has more contrast, yet the tonality balance is fine.  I also like the subtle hints of light on Yulia's face and the shadow of her hair across her chest.  Not to mention my favorite glimpse of ribs & the muscularity of her torso. 

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Another film image, and a favorite.  I like the expression on Yulia's face & the body language & attitude.

The tonality is a tad off -- there is not enough details in the blackest areas of the image (for example, Yulia's hair).  Still, it is a very good image.  I like it.

 

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Two very similar pictures, side-by-side.  The image on the left started life as a digital image; the image on the right is a film based image.  Can you see the differences in the quality?

Recently, I saw my web site on a friend's laptop, and I was shocked.  My images look great on my monitor, and they looked terrible on his.  Similarly, an image that looks great on my monitor will look terrible when I print it.  What can I do?  I'm open to anyone's advice.  Thanks in advance.
 

 

When the lights are so close to the model, you can make radically big changes with tiny adjustments in position of the lights & of the model.  Note that the background here is lighter than the previous images and that more of Yulia's yummy torso is lit.  How was this achieved?  Simple:  Yulia is standing about 6-9 inches closer to the back wall.  Isn't this amazing -- a very different feel for the image was achieved by a very minor adjustment in the model's position! 

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When I was a beginner, I was all over the place.  At first, it was enough to be able to arrange for someone (anyone!) to pose for me, and as a result, the objective of the sitting was achieved as soon as the model was nude & ready to go.  The resulting images weren't very good -- I didn't control the lighting, I didn't have a concept in mind, I didn't have quality standards.  I just made random exposures & hoped for the best.

Nowadays, I work quite differently.  Before a sitting, I develop a few concepts.  Sometimes it's enough to have a specific lighting setup in mind, like I did here.  Sometimes, I have some specific direction to give the model (e.g. "I want to photography you jumping off a bench -- we'll do some with you frozen in mid-air and others with your figure being nothing other than a blur").

So, I'd say that my typical sitting is 50%-60% preplanned and the rest improvised on the spot within the context of the setups..  I usually manage about two to four setups per sitting, and within the original concept (which can be as simple as "use an up light"), we experiment.  

We experiment with a few different poses, here -- here with Yulia leaning forward.

 

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Another digital (left) vs. film (right) comparison.

The digital image on the left is a favorite -- I like the lock of hair dangling in front of Yulia's left shoulder.  Crazy curly hair!
 

 

 

Yulia is far exceeding my expectations (which were high to begin with).  Intelligence is not a prerequisite for being a good model, but Yulia is quite bright.  She understands the overall setup & easily finds ways to contribute with movement & poses.  She takes direction easily -- often she doesn't even need direction.  Oh, yes, she's gorgeous, with a world class figure and a beautiful face.  Add that she has a unique feature (her crazy curly hair), and she is the total package. 

This sitting concludes with More Studio Light

 

(Remember -- feedback is always appreciated) 

All images (c) 2005 Looknsee Photography

Yulia #1 Out Takes

Nearly 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.

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