modeling shoot - 05.18.07

[The Jackamo]

hey all.

did a little shoot earlier this afternoon, figured i'd share a few of the 500 that were taken. the #2 and 3 are from our initial studio session - i'm still figuring out all the nuances of lighting...and the photo place gave me the wrong speedring, so i'm using plastic garbage bags as softboxes for the time being which only serves to complicate things.

as for all the nitty gritty: shot in RAW with a 20D, 24-70mm f/2.8L, 70-200mm f/2.8L, 35mm f/1.4L, and 45mm & 90mm f/2.8 tilt-shifts. combination of studio and natural lighting.

opinions are welcome.

[Pow4Brains]

I'd hit it.

[bklyn]

Always be mindful of unflattering shadows falling on the face when you set up your lighting. Also, white dresses are difficult to photograph when you are unsure about lighting and exposure.

#1 - how close are you to the model? Seems too close or slightly too wide angle based on the appearance of the nose. Combination of shooting from above with wide angle or too close can be universally unflattering to the subject. Model should relax her forehead.

#2 - you have created a dark circle under 1 eye. Her natural hair is a bit too fine for using a fan, your goal should be to make the hair look as thick as possible with this model

#3 - face in shadow compared to the body. Forehead / expression not relaxed.

#4 - decent. She should not lift her hair away from the neck. Here you would have benefited from a reflector bouncing back more of the natural light onto the subject to avoid those blown out highlights.

#5 - a keeper for her book and yours. Lighting, exposure, color are all good. pshop out the wrinkles on her brow. Next time, make sure all the clothing is pressed. Suggest she turn the inside of her right elbow toward you (a minor thing, but it will make her arm look much better)

#6 - face in shadow, harsh contrasts under the eyes, blown highlights on the body

#7 - best of the series, imo, should be in her book. Composition excellent, posing and angle brings out the best in her bone structure. She looks mysterious, and interesting. It makes you want to know more about this woman.

#8 - did you use the tilt shift here? Exposure is off, but look at your subject and see how this combo of pose/angle/lighting does not bring out the best in her face or body. Double chin and overall softness is brought out in the face, knee hides any definition in her bustline and waist, hips look really wide compared to other photos of the model.

#9 - exposure good, expression not so. Tell your model to press her tongue against the roof of her mouth when you see an appearance of a double chin. She doesn't really have one, but in the last two photos she appears to have gained 15lbs.

Overall good effort here. Think about using some cheap cotton cloth instead of the garbage bags. Lots of strange things can happen on a shoot, and although fabric may burn, plastic bags melt and will cause damage to your equipment.

[lemon boy]

I bet Miss Jay could coax a couple of different expressions outta her!

Otherwise, I know nothing about photography but that girl is c-u-t-e!

[Tippster]

What Bklyn said. Spot on. Thanks for the lesson, T - I never even thought of the turning the elbow thing!

[The Jackamo]

#9 - exposure good, expression not so. Tell your model to press her tongue against the roof of her mouth when you see an appearance of a double chin. She doesn't really have one, but in the last two photos she appears to have gained 15lbs.

haha - this was around the end of the shoot and we were just goofing around.

thanks for the constructive criticism though. i was definitely having some issues with exposure at times, and i've been trying really hard in post production to negate some of the blown highlights you mention. most of the time i'm able to get them down to acceptable levels, otherwise i just crop if all seems lost. i was trying my best throughout the entire thing to shoot for shadows so i could just bump up the exposure in post, but after a while my brain just got really tired (it was a 5 hour shoot).

[summit]

brklyn's critique is spot on (although personally I don't like #5 as much because of the way thhe dress lays on her... doesn't seem flattering)

I'd hit it.

that was my first thought as well

[sledneckripper]

So on to the important question:

Did you bang her? Her face isn't all that great, but that body is pretty decent.

[The Jackamo]

So on to the important question:

Did you bang her?

oh if only my job description included a "bang" clause.

[The Jackamo]

oh incidentally enough, i entered #7 into a photo contest. shoot over and cast a vote if you have a second. i love it when you can repurpose stuff.

http://www.crestock.com/blog/photogr...y.aspx?id=2974

[sledneckripper]

oh incidentally enough, i entered #7 into a photo contest. shoot over and cast a vote if you have a second. i love it when you can repurpose stuff.

http://www.crestock.com/blog/photogr...y.aspx?id=2974

Good luck.

[The Jackamo]

Good luck.

With mine only garnering 6 votes and the highest rated being 42, I think I might need it.

It's all in fun, but it's nice to be validated every once and a while.