Becky - NUDES

[Manfred M]

Here are a few nudes of local model Becky. I had previously posted some implied nudes taken at the same shoot.

A Japanese theme with a red and a blue yukata as well as some Japanese fans.


1. Becky in a red yukata





2. Becky in a blue yukata





3. Becky with Japanese fans

[Shadowman]

Nice series, like 2 and 3 but think first image would be more sensual as implied nude, the one breast seems odd.

[Manfred M]

Nice series, like 2 and 3 but think first image would be more sensual as implied nude,

Easy enough to do. I shot one of those too.

the one breast seems odd.

That is one photographic rule I have never heard of. If it does exist, it would definitely be one that should be broken I find the shot quite effective as the exposed breast is a bit of a surprise to the viewer. We tend to sweep across an image from bottom left to top right, so our eyes will generally get to the covered breast first and the viewer gets a bit of a surprise when the eyes reach the second one.

[Shadowman]

Easy enough to do. I shot one of those too.





That is one photographic rule I have never heard of. If it does exist, it would definitely be one that should be broken I find the shot quite effective as the exposed breast is a bit of a surprise to the viewer. We tend to sweep across an image from bottom left to top right, so our eyes will generally get to the covered breast first and the viewer gets a bit of a surprise when the eyes reach the second one.

Much better, at least for me, with the first (Becky in a Red Yukata) the shot has a nip/slip feel to it as if the nipple was accidentally exposed. My critique had nothing to do with an perceived rule, the comment of seeming odd just had to do with the presentation. I suppose I'm thinking in terms of the old burlesque acts where the dancer would temptingly rotate her fans across her breast but cleverly never revealing anything until the moment of climax or finale.

[Manfred M]

I suppose I'm thinking in terms of the old burlesque acts where the dancer would temptingly rotate her fans across her breast but cleverly never revealing anything until the moment of climax or finale.

You have more experience than I do in that genre as mine is exactly zero.

I am shooting Randi Rouge (
Bodyscape - NUDES)again in a few weeks and she does burlesque and teaches it as well at a local dance school. My idea for the shoot was to get her to use some of these costumes in the studio. She confirmed yesterday, so I will be discussing this type of material with her and will be doing a bit of research on it if she is okay with the theme.

[Shadowman]

You have more experience than I do in that genre as mine is exactly zero.

I am shooting Randi Rouge (
Bodyscape - NUDES)again in a few weeks and she does burlesque and teaches it as well at a local dance school. My idea for the shoot was to get her to use some of these costumes in the studio. She confirmed yesterday, so I will be discussing this type of material with her and will be doing a bit of research on it if she is okay with the theme.

That should be an exciting shoot, will you use some smoke effects during the session; smoke filled rooms would've been a normal occurrence?

[mugge]

I have watched with interest your shots of implied and now also nudes and, to my mind, the lighting around the models is good, especially these last ones. I have noticed however that the areas around the models forehead or temples and also parts of shoulders are a bit bright. This is not the first time as I have observed that in other nudes.

Is that a particular problem in this genre with regard to lighting I wonder?

[Manfred M]

There are several issues at play there Ole.

First and foremost, this is an issue with the makeup (or lack of makeup, once one gets off the face). The model moves around a lot (as does the photographer) and perspiration builds up. In a professional shoot, a makeup artist (MUA) is on site to clean up those issues. A similar comment applies to controlling the hair. In a shoot like this one, we live with these issues and reduce it in PP.

The second issue is that some of these areas are done on purpose as areas of shadows and highlights give the features depth and dimension. The photographer is aiming for these to get these as they add interest to the image making. The hot spots on the forehead or tip of the nose, are not desirable and have been reduced to acceptable levels. I could have been a bit more heavy handed in my PP work, but prefer not to as I like the look I have achieved. If you look at some of the shots (not this set) where I have used a rim light, the sheen can be seen on other body parts as well.

If you look at this shot, the lighting has been set up precisely to create the hot spots.





The third reason is that the lighting is coming from the top. In studio flash work, we often try to emulate the way light normally falls. In order to get soft, attractive lighting, the the light and light modifier are placed fairly close to the model; in fact they are just out of frame. This means that the inverse square law is in play. The forehead and nose (and often the chin) are closer to the light than the rest of the body, so these are more likely to develop hot spots, that the rest of the body, which is farther away from the light source.

There is a couple of other issues in play. The lights were set up for the model to stand in one particular spot on the floor. If she moves closer to the light, the illumination will be hotter, if she steps away from it, the light levels drop off a bit. That is in play here too. Another issue is that I was having some problems with one of the lights; the key (main) light, It and the fill light are about 15 years old and were supposed to have been replaced several months ago. They have been a bit inconsistent. The new digital lights should have just arrived or will be arriving shortly, so that problem should be gone for the next time I shoot.

Sorry about the long winded explanation, but it really is that complicated. These problems are not limited to working in the studio. If you pay attention to a subject photographed in open shade outdoors. the same issue occurs.

[mugge]

Thank you for the explanation. I confess I am reluctant to try this genre. I was offered an opportunity a few months ago and I declined simply because the 'science of lighting' is a bit beyond me at this stage.
Cheers Ole

[Shadowman]

Thank you for the explanation. I confess I am reluctant to try this genre. I was offered an opportunity a few months ago and I declined simply because the 'science of lighting' is a bit beyond me at this stage.
Cheers Ole

Ole,

What was the opportunity, was it an offer from the model or to partake in a group session? Would you have agreed if the opportunity relied on natural lighting?

[mugge]

John, I was invited to partake in a group session and if it was using natural lighting I would have jumped at it. I find it very daunting using studio lighting. More often it does not look right to me especially when the model is isolated smack in the middle and the background is just one colour. Next time.

[Shadowman]

John, I was invited to partake in a group session and if it was using natural lighting I would have jumped at it. I find it very daunting using studio lighting. More often it does not look right to me especially when the model is isolated smack in the middle and the background is just one colour. Next time.

Hi Ole,

I've only done studio work a few times and it can seem daunting, my first time I spent the first ten minutes or so shooting with the sound indicator going off after every shot.

[Manfred M]

John, I was invited to partake in a group session and if it was using natural lighting I would have jumped at it. I find it very daunting using studio lighting. More often it does not look right to me especially when the model is isolated smack in the middle and the background is just one colour. Next time.

That is sort of the limit to the downsides, although there are different backdrops available, grey, white and black tend to be the most common. Large prints and images are available and can be used. As an example, this is a studio shot using a backdrop that looks like the entrance to a large house. The model and costume are "real", the rest is just a large image.



Plain backdrops make it easy to extract the image from a background and place it onto a totally different image.

The advantage of a studio shot is that the photographer is in control of the light and once one has figured that out, the rest is actually a lot easier than fighting with natural light.

The easiest way to get started with studio lighting is to just use the setup of the previous shooter. That is actually pretty common practice at a group shoot. Everyone takes turns shooting the model using the same costume / props and lighting setup. It takes around 10 minutes to make a significant change to the light setup, so setup changes are minimized to maximize shooting time.

[Manfred M]

Hi Ole,

I've only done studio work a few times and it can seem daunting, my first time I spent the first ten minutes or so shooting with the sound indicator going off after every shot.

In fact, that is usually the way that I shoot as the audible signal is the only way of knowing that the studio light capacitor is fully charged and ready for another shot. Without that signal, it is all too easy to end up with a blown shot. I can see some instances where I would disable the audible signal, for instance when shooting on site in a very quite setting where the noise might disturb people, although the burst of light is going to be noticed, regardless.

[Manfred M]

That should be an exciting shoot, will you use some smoke effects during the session; smoke filled rooms would've been a normal occurrence?

I will have a small smoke machine along. Smoke does tend to linger, so I will only be using it on the very last series of shots.

The studio is a converted racquet ball court, so has extremely high ceilings and decent width and length, so making it quite smoky is going to be a challenge. Smoke scenes are generally lit from behind and I won't have any v-flats to work with to cut down light headed towards the lens.

It's going to take a bit of playing around to see what I end up getting.