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Let's catch
up. Before Carlotta showed up, Jessica came over,
and we set up the first setting, with the down light by
the back stairs. We took our time, so that Jessica
could familiarize herself with my equipment. We then
both worked over there at the back stairs, taking turns.
Part
of the objectives for this sitting was to get Jessica up
to speed with the strobe equipment. I had agreed to
let her pack up & borrow all that stuff -- she planned
to take it out to her grandmother's farm the next day; Jessica
also planned to spend the day photographing Carlotta on
her own.
After
the back stairs stuff, Jessica had Carlotta put on a burlesque
costume, and she set up the lights in my home theater room,
using the heavy velvet curtain as a backdrop. I didn't
make any exposures of this setup -- it's was all Jessica's.
Jessica
really enjoyed herself -- and she did a great job communicating
her excitement to Carlotta, and Carlotta was brought right
along. But the downside was that Jessica lost all
track of time, and by the time she was done, we had used
up the time allotted.
Carlotta
knew that I wanted to get her into the shower. She
was committed to going the extra mile to get us the shots
we want, so we went over, and we threw Carlotta in the shower.
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As soon
as she closes the steam room door & turns on the handheld
shower, the glass immediately starts to steam up.
The tile in the steam room is brownish, so the palate of
the images is restricted. So, without any greens or
blues or reds, there really isn't much point in producing
color images. Enjoy the sepia tones. |
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I really
like these through-the-glass images. The steam &
the water drops on the glass make the images abstract &
indistinct.
These
images, however, are logistically very difficult for me.
Carlotta is on the floor, and since I like to hold the camera
at chest level, it's difficult for me to aim the camera
perfectly. In particular, it's difficult for me to
hold the camera perfectly horizontal or vertical.
Also, space is tight, so finding places for the light, the
light stand, the camera, and me is a challenge.
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Another
difficulty: with the door closed & the shower
working (to create the steam), Carlotta really can't hear
me. She's on her own with regards to finding poses.
Sure, I can shout at her, and we do pause once in a while
to open the door so that she can see the images on the camera's
LCD screen, but those are rare. (And opening the door
means that we lose the steam and that the camera fogs up).
Carlotta
comes up with the idea of pressing her hands against the
inside of the glass, and I immediately love the effect.
Throughout this setup, we play with this idea.
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Although
the natural palate is somewhat monochromotic, I do like
the occasional color image here. For a little fun,
I also try out some artistic effects. See? |
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Between
Jessica & I, we've worked Carlotta hard already, but
Carlotta is a trouper -- she is full of energy & ideas.
We continue playing with the water on the inside of the
glass.
The round
white shape at the top of the image is the reflection of
the large reflector lighting the scene. There's a
insert that diffuses the light, and the strobe head is on
a boom arm (which provides me a little bit of room underneath
the light).
I never
did get that light set up the way I wanted -- normally,
I would hate to see that reflection in the image, but I
do like the light on Carlotta. There is room for improvement
for future sessions, but for now, this will do.
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To be honest,
I don't like talking about women's bodies or their body
parts, but I've got to make an exception here: Carlotta
has some of the most beautiful breasts I've ever seen.
It was her idea to try out the breasts pressed against the
glass idea. I don't quite know what I think about
it. On one hand, it's fun & saucy & a little
erotic; on the other hand, I hate to see those lovely breasts
crushed.
So, for
the time being, I'm going to go with the flow -- let's have
some saucy fun.
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Here's a
favorite image from the sitting.
I like
to think that Carlotta was enjoying herself.
I also
like the abstractness of the image -- the pose is somewhat
provocative, but because of the blurring caused by the water
beads & the steam, the image is abstracted. It
adds a subtlety to the image -- you can tell that Carlotta
is nude, but you can't see the naughty bits. It's
exciting.
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On one hand, it's
getting late, I'm getting tired, and I'm getting hungry. On the
other hand, Carlotta is beautiful, the shower pictures are lovely, and
she is going strong. So, we continue for a while.
This sitting concludes
with Steamy, Page 2.
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