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Much as I would
like to be actually inside the steam room with the model,
it's difficult to be in there once the water is turned on:
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I don't like getting wet, at least not while I'm wearing
clothing.
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I don't like getting my camera wet.
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For safety, the glass door is closed, meaning that the
steam room quickly becomes steamy.
So, once
we turn on the water in the steam room, it gets steamy,
and I go into the regular shower to photograph Ashlyn through
the glass wall.
I should
mention that the steam you see is just from the shower head
running hot water. The steam generator itself spits
out tones more steam, but it takes maybe 45 minutes to warm
up, and once it gets going, it can get up to 120º in there,
and there would be a wall of steam, even with the model
pressing up against the glass wall.
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Posing in the
steam room must be really challenging for the model.
With the door closed & the water running, the model
can't really hear me even though I'm only a few feet away.
So, before
we got started, I give the model some direction, and I turn
her loose.
In any
case, here's one of the early pictures we made with this
setup, and Ashlyn really loved it when she saw it.
It's in her on-line portfolio, and she said that this is
one of the best pictures that she ever posed for.
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I have mixed
feelings about this image, above. I don't mind the
ethereal feel of this picture, with a lot of image detail
obscured by the mist/steam. I also like the water
beads on the glass. I just wish that I could figure
out how to make the water on the glass stand out better,
in a safe way. I suspect that if I could get a light
source actually in the steam room, with light coming at
the glass wall from behind, the beads of moisture would
stand out better, but I haven't figured out how to get a
light source in there. |
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A word about
cropping: my first camera was a Nikon rangefinder
that was/is older than I am. With a rangefinder, you
are never quite sure about the edges of the images.
So, I got in the habit of taking a step back to include
a bit more than what was necessary -- I could always crop
the image down for the best effect.
I find that
cropping is a lot of fun. Sometimes, I find hidden
images within the original exposure. Here's an example
(see below). Some photographers constrain themselves
to use 100% of the exposure -- not so me.
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Another cropping
exercise. The cropped version (below left) is my favorite
image of the session. I like how Ashlyn's hands are
so well defined (because they are pressed up against the
glass wall). I like the soft light on Ashlyn's face.
I can also point out that with her head tilted back slightly
and with her nose pointing directly at the camera lens,
her nose looks great.
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I find these
model-in-the-steam-room pictures to be really compelling,
but because I can't communicate with the model, they are
also challenging. Before you suggest it, yes, I can
open the door to the steam room to talk with the model,
but that lets the steam out (and onto the strobes &
camera). So, we tend to work until I start feeling
that we are repeating ourselves, and then we call it a day.
(The steam room pictures are usually the last set because
the model is wet, and it would take a good effort to move
the lighting equipment out of the bathroom.
Ending
the session is a tad difficult, too -- we turn off the water,
and I throw the model a thick bath towel, but I have to
leave the model in the steam room for a bit, to let the
water condense while I remove the electronics out of the
bathroom. Wet models can get cold quickly, so I have
to move.
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