In the Studio with Model M

I had a lovely break from work over the Christmas holiday. In addition to shoveling and stomping around in the snow I had an opportunity to do a photo shoot with a friend who was willing to sit (lay, stand, kneel, etc.) for a series of tasteful nudes. This was a first for me, though not for her which I definitely think helped the process.


Model M - Classical Back

Since my studio is in my basement, and usually chilly, my first order of business was to get a good space heater. I hunted around and noted that most indoor heaters were rated at 1500 watts and no more. So I bought a radiator unit, knowing that it might take a bit longer than an oscellating fan/heater to warm the space, but thinking it would also be silent. My first lesson is that the heater is totally inadaquate for working with a nude model. My profound apologies to M. It was, however, nice for warming her robe into which she slipped any time we paused.

Reena also assisted during some of this shoot, helping out not only by holding a reflector but also by acting as a second set of eyes to notice an appealing angle or a detail I was missing - freeing a curl of hair to let it dangle just so or adding positive suggestions to tilt of head and so on. She has an art-seller's eye as well as some long-ago art school experience to draw from while my "experience" is purely theoretical, culled from the pages of some book. My thanks to Reena. I got some better shots because of her help.

M was completely relaxed throughout, which in turn allowed me to also relax and pay attention to my part. I had a few technical issues that needed to be worked through. Since that is exactly the experience I am seeking doing this batch of studio work, I have to say it was a positive experience for me. M seems open to doing more shoots later. I hope to narrow my intent to capturing a few specific images rather than doing a little of this and a little of that. Since M is looking for a glorious shot of herself, perhaps this round will be useful for both of us to establish a more detailed idea of what would make a truly glorious shot.

There will surely be more images of this shoot posted here, some of the Not Safe For Work variety. My subject line will contain "NSFW". I am in the process of editing the photos, and will review them with M to see which ones - specifically - she is comfortable with me displaying here or in other venues.

Stay tuned!