This was my first time working with a model. We did a TFP shoot as we are both trying to get portfolios going. I suppose for me to have a proper portfolio, which includes but is not limited to models, I’m going to need to shoot a few more. More genders and ages too.
I was surprised to learn how difficult this actually is. Firstly we were shooting at a time of day where there was not super great light. I was mainly going for shots that were in the shade with the flash going. But she wanted to get some work done out in the sunshine. So I went along with that and tried to makes some interesting shots that looked different from one another. I’d like to hear opinions about my two backlit shots with ugly horrible solar flare bubbles. I think that totally steering clear from solar bubble ugliness is probably a mistake. Even though this effect takes away from the photo and is distracting in a sense, it is also interesting, IMO.
Love to hear any feed back and suggestions from the fashiontogs out there.
I think the ones with her sitting in the yellow flowers and the solar flare one with her standing near the fence are the best ones, as compositions. They seem the least self-conscious. I like how one of them catches her looking introspective, while the other one is more confident. Not sure how to “critique” them other than that some of them seem kind of self conscious? Maybe… the gesture, or the pose, can’t be random, but has to be “symbolic” of an attitude or feeling, and that attitude or feeling has to also represent a particular aspect of that model’s “visible” personality: what kinds of attitudes or gestures through which you might be able to interpret phases of her personality. That may be why I find the one with the dandelion to not really fit. From her other pictures, the model kind of looks like a hard-ass. As if she were my teacher and I was going to complain about my grade, she would be like, “are you joking? Get out of my office.” The yellow flower and fence ones, in contrast, seem to reflect two sides of a personality that seem to plausibly fit together.
I mean to say, then, that the dandelion one is kind of “whimsical,” which doesn’t integrate well into the predominant gestures which are more convincing.
the one with the dandelion was my idea, all of the other pictures were her doing her poses. good observation there. i found my ability to give direction, and suggestions, to not be working well. she just wanted her pictures, sort of the way she wanted them. i suppose thats okay. it would be different if they were all my ideas. it was a big learning experience.
it seems very difficult. i’m looking forward to seeing more of them.