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Some photographers
are "shoot from the hip" people -- they get the
model to a location, and they just react to what's there.
Other photographers do a lot of planning, coming up with
concepts & working to execute those ideas. In
particular, those photographers who use artificial light
tend to be "planners", because good artificial
light doesn't just happen, it is crafted.
So, when
I'm planning a sitting, I like to do a good deal of pre-planning.
I usually plan certain lighting setups, and then we make
fine tuning adjustments as we go along. Most often,
however, I like to create these setups based on my understanding
of how the model moves & reacts. This is difficult
when it comes to new-to-me models. I don't know how
they move; I don't know what our chemistry is going to be
like. So, I use a generic & simple setup, and
we'll see what happens.
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Another advantage
to experienced models: they don't get tired (or if
they do, they can hide it). Although this was a short
session, I think that Gemini ran out of energy every now &
then, once we got the strobe lights & big comfy chair
set up.
But she
recovers quickly, and her laughing playfulness comes back.
We made
this picture especially for her fiancé, who is a fan of,
umm, what you see here.
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What do I mean
when I say that Gemini is a bit tired? Her eyes often
wander away from the camera, and she blinks a little more.
But that's okay -- if I wait, her good humor & enthusiasm
comes back. I really don't mind -- every image you
see is a product of all the images that came before.
It's a process. |
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See?
A "tired" picture, but a charming one, nonetheless. |
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Okay -- I felt that I needed to shake
things up a bit. So, I change the lighting.
Previously, the main light came from a large soft box, off
to the left of the camera. I move the main light,
using a small-ish reflector placed above & slightly
in front of Gemini, above her head.
I like this lighting. It's a good change of pace
for us.
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These "lit
from above" setups can be very dramatic, but if the
model holds her head straight, her face is often in shadow.
This can be countered by asking the model to tilt her head
back. While that will allow her face to be lit, the
shape/pose often looks awkward. What are you going
to do? |
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Just to see what it would look like,
I ask Gemini to get up on her knees, and I like the effect.
My living room is fairly big, but even so, it's not really
big enough to be a good studio. Although the ceilings
are 9.5 feet high, and maybe 20 feet wide, that still means
that the strobe light heads are fairly close to the model.
That means that minor changes in position can translate
into major changes in the lighting. This is a case
in point -- Gemini's torso is only inches closer to the
camera than where it was when she was sitting, but the changes
in the shadows is significant.
Another advantage -- Gemini is more comfortable moving
around when she's up kneeling.
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I ask Gemini to move around a bit.
It's a big challenge for any model -- she's got to find
graceful shapes, maintain a reasonable amount of comfort,
and remember to cheat her face up towards the light.
Gemini does well. |
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