|
|
|
One surreal
aspect of making these nude photographs is that just minutes
after meeting a model for the first time, we are working.
I really enjoyed to warm natural light we found
at the big comfy chair,
and I was sure that we had made some good images.
So, I ignored the studio lights I had set up on the other
side of the living room. Instead, we started to wander
the house, hunting for more good natural light.
Ryonen
brought this robe, and she wore it while we wandered the
house. I liked it, so we used it.
Our first
stop is the back stairs. There is a bank of windows,
facing north -- on occasion (like this day) it brings in
some lovely light. In addition, there are a couple
of skylights that balance out the lighting.
It's
funny -- the light from the window tends to angle down,
so the light is good closer to the ground -- if Ryonen stood
up, her face would be in shadow. All that space, and
the good light is concentrated in a small spot.
|
|
|
Ryonen is very
comfortable in front of the camera. She moves slowly,
with grace.
I should
mention that Ryonen's portfolio contains a few "fine
art" & natural images, like these, but it also
contains fashion, hair styles, radical make-up, and lifestyle
images. I believe that Ryonen enjoys the fashion &
beauty posing the most.
|
|
|
|
Besides
the nice light, the back stairs are interesting because
all of its unusual angles. Most of the time, I use
my DSLR, but sometimes, I like using my dinky little point &
shoot camera. I like this backup camera a) because
it's wide angle setting is very, very wide (the 35mm equivalent
to a 18mm lens), b) because it is light, and c) because
it has a live preview, tilting & pivoting LCD screen
which facilitates making exposures from unusual angles.
The following images were made with this point & shoot
camera:
I might
be silly, but I do love the wide angle distortion.
|
|
Here's an
image using my DSLR at it's widest setting, roughly 24mm
(35mm equivalent).
To minimize
wide angle distortion, set the camera's lens axis parallel
to the ground & point the lens so that the subject of
interest is centered. Here, the lens axis is parallel
to the ground, but Ryonen is a little below center.
Hence, there's a little distortion in the image.
With
this image, you can see how the window light slants down,
concentrating on the floor. You can see that if she
stood up, her head would be in that shadow.
It's
funny -- when you look at the paintings of several of the "old
master" artists, the ones with long careers, you'll
often find that as they got older, their paintings got more
distorted. It's probably only a coincidence, but I
find that I enjoy a bit of distortion more & more.
In fact, obtaining a wider angle lens for my DSLR is on
my wish list.
|
|
|
|
For me, there's
something just a little distrubing about this image.
Somehow, I feel that I should be seeing more of Ryonen's
figure. She seems truncated to me here.
However,
I do like the off-center composition.
Below:
here's token sepia image from this setup. I like Ryonen's
colorful robe, but for some reason, this one image looks
better in sepia. Theory: a challenge when working
with natural light is that the light changes continuously.
For some of these images, the exposure is spot on; for others,
like this image below, the sun was slightly brighter, making
the image slightly overexposed. For B&W and/or
film images, that's not a big deal, but I'm finding that
digital images have to have perfect exposure in order for
the colors to be pleasing.
|
| The back stairs are configured in a slightly
unusual manner. There are four steps and a long landing
-- that's where we were working in the preceding images,
with Ryonen at the far end of the landing and with me at
the other end. Then the back stairs turns 90 degrees
to the right, with four steps leading up to another landing.
In this image to the right, Ryonen is standing on this second
landing, while I'm standing where she was. The stairs
turn to the right again, and there are nine steps up to
the upper floor.
This is another session favorite. I've been looking
at pictures for decades, and I guess I'm tired of the predictable
ones. I especially sensitive to the ones in which
the key subject is centered. So, I'm often looking
for "off-centered" images.
This image shows off Ryonen's wonderful hour glass figure.
Below are some variations of these images. Like I said,
I've grown to like distortion in my old age.
|
|
|
