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I've done this
setup a couple of times before,
most recently
with Keira. This concept works best with a model
who moves well, and Natalia is the best.
I like
the wide angle distortion and the movement, and I like that
I have to relinquish a lot of control to make these image.
Stuff just happens in these images -- we catch glimpses
of the picture rail, the air conditioning vent, the lights,
and so forth. As a photographer, I have to let these
things go.
I first
made these images using my point & shoot camera -- it
has a tilting/pivoting live preview LCD screen which helps
me get the camera low, but it is no longer possible to use
the P&S camera to fire off the strobes. So, I
now use my DSLR camera with a gadget that attaches a LCD
screen to the DSLR's viewfinder. This gadget is much
more awkward to use (I have to hold the LCD screen in one
hand and the heavier camera in another); further, the widest
angle lens I have for the DSLR is 24mm, while the P&S
camera can go 18mm wide.
My next
camera will have to have a tilting/pivoting live preview
LCD screen, and no full-frame sensor camera does that yet.
In the meantime, I'm considering obtaining a wider angle
lens for my DSLR.
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Making these
pictures is not very comfortable for me. I'm rolling
around on the floor, and I'm getting to that age where getting
up off the floor is not easy. Further, I like to respect
the personal space of each model, and here, I'm just inches
away from Natalia. I only make these kinds of images
with the models I feel most comfortable with.
It's
probably not all that comfortable for the model either.
At a minimum, she has to trust that I am not photographing
any, umm, gynecological images. And it's not overly
fun for them to have me rolling around at their feet.
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When doing
these wide angle distortion images, I like asking the model
to move a limb or a hand close to the camera -- that's what
makes Natalia's hand look so huge.
I note
that when I did this with Keira, I turned on the ceiling
lights -- these lights didn't really contribute much light
to the image, but if I caught the light in the image, it
would glow.
I could
have attempted to edit out the thermostat & the light
switch (and other things), but I chose not to. Lazy,
I guess. Well, no, actually -- this setup is an exercise
in relinquishing control, and that means that you've got
to accept that which happens.
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Here's a favorite
from this setup.
Some
notes:
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When using the strobes, I use my soft boxes nearly all
of the time, but here, I have a few strobe heads equipped
with grids that focus the light. (You can see
two of the lights in this image -- the position of the
third head is left as an exercise to the viewer).
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That brass plate on the floor is an electric plug, so
I can place a table in the middle of the room without
running a wire acrose the floor.
I love
the energy in Natalia's pose.
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Here's a tease
for the foot fetishists out there.
I did
review the similar images Keira & I made before.
Don't get me wrong -- Keira is great, but Natalia is better.
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Like I said,
it's really uncomfortable making these photographs -- I'm
rolling around on the floor, holding the camera in one hand &
the LCD screen in another. It's difficult for me to
gauge how well I'm doing, so as a result, I make a lot of
exposures. Normally, I conclude a setup when I start
to feel that I'm plumbed the depths of the concept and that
I'm starting to repeat myself. Here, I just stop when
I get too uncomfortable.
So, Natalia &
I call it a day -- but there's a second day of photography
awaiting us the next day. We grab some dinner, say
good night, and she comes over in the afternoon of the next
day.
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Day
Two Pictures Coming Soon
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