It was one of those shoots where none of us had a very clear idea of what we were going to shoot. I had a particular pose in mind that I wanted to actualize. Ahna wanted to get some images with the models on different planes. And all three models, Ahna, Solenne, and Vicki, all brought crazy high-heeled shoes to shoot in.
Sometimes when you go into a shoot like this you create awesome images, sometimes it’s a learning experience. I’d say this shoot fell into the latter category. I’ll take you through the process of this shoot.
Uno
Like every shoot, you start with setting up the lights and take a few test shots to fine-tune your exposure and determine whether or not the scene is being lit the way you envision. Vicki sat down while I did these few initial test shots. These are normally throwaways, but once I cropped them down, I kind of liked them. I like the tones of her skin and the smooth, almost metallic, texture of her skin.
Vicki had a reference picture of a woman in high heels shot with a very wide lens to get a stretch or elongation distortion. So we tried to capture a similar kind of look.
Duo
This was the pose I came into the studio wanting to capture. I’ve been giving my duo models some challenging poses lately and this is no exception. This is the full sequence of images. The first few we focused on what the upper body was doing and tried various head positions. I felt we needed to get the hips higher, I also needed to get some separation between Vicki’s lower legs, so we could see both legs. The final image is somewhat close to what I imagined, but not quite. I’ll probably revisit this in the future.
We still had a few minutes before Solenne arrived, so Ahna and Vicki played with another concept. It’s the black and white image.
Trio
Once Solenne arrived, we played with some group shots. Because we had no idea where the session would go or what we’d be doing, I lit the studio pretty broadly. If we would have had some more concrete ideas, it would have been preferable to set up the lights to capture those visions specifically. The broad lighting makes it easy to play and work fast, but it’s not as interesting as it could be.
We started with a concept that Ahna had of creating depth by having one model on a different plane. The problem with this on a seamless white cyc wall is that there are no points of reference, so Vicki looks like a little person who is standing under their legs. I’ve had this issue with other shots and I don’t know how to get around it except by shooting in a location where there are clear walls and objects, so the viewer can situate themselves in that three-dimensional space.
Then we tried a number of setups as the trio. And to be honest, I’m not quite happy with the images. It’s no fault of the three models, who are all incredibly talented creative artists. As the photographer, it’s my responsibility to direct all aspects of the production and create a striking image for myself and my collaborators. I didn’t quite get there. But the images are still beautiful and they showcase the talent of these three women.
