When you take photos of models....
Discussion
or rather 'friends helping out'...do they ever like the results?
Had my first go with photographing someone last night, rather than something...was a dancer friend of mine who agreed to help me out (for the practice!).
Anyhow, think it went ok and will be posting the results up here at some point - really enjoyed it. However I am a bit worried that she'll hate all the pictures (and she does seem to think I'm great...quite why she has that idea I'll never know).
Do you (those experienced) ever find your friends etc actually like the phootgraphs, or are they always "that photo makes me look....too fat, too thin, too tall, too short, too xxxxxx"
Just call it first-model-anxiety on my part
T
Had my first go with photographing someone last night, rather than something...was a dancer friend of mine who agreed to help me out (for the practice!).
Anyhow, think it went ok and will be posting the results up here at some point - really enjoyed it. However I am a bit worried that she'll hate all the pictures (and she does seem to think I'm great...quite why she has that idea I'll never know).
Do you (those experienced) ever find your friends etc actually like the phootgraphs, or are they always "that photo makes me look....too fat, too thin, too tall, too short, too xxxxxx"
Just call it first-model-anxiety on my part
T
They have always liked what I have taken more than I have TBH. I think we are normally more ciritical of our own work. If I let a model see all the shots from a shoot to pick which ones I should edit, they quite often pick ones that I wouldn't touch with a barge pole!
Don't worry Tony I'm sure you've done a good job
Don't worry Tony I'm sure you've done a good job
I knew it had to come! There were no 'kit orffff' pics done last night but if these come out well we will do some. Just hoping these ones come out well!
I've not processed the pictures yet, will do soon as possible (quite looking forward to how they come out) and then will post the results.
nickbbb said:
They have always liked what I have taken more than I have TBH.
Hmmm I can see that happening actually, I think I will be very critical and not like any but she obviously is excited to see them!
Ah well, we shall see. All good experience, and we did say that if all the pictures just don't come out at all....well, we'll just do them again no harm done!
(edit; nick, your ( )'s mess up the quoting
) Edited by TonyHetherington on Friday 19th January 16:40
I ve made pics of girls for a living, 5-6 days per week during 10 years. Interestingly, you will see that it vary a lot depending of the girl experience. I ve almost never actualy worked with girls who were not "real" models, but usually the more the girl has experience the more open mind she is to see "different" pics of her.
beginer girls have usually stupid idea about how they look best. they think that only "this" angle work on them, that only "this" make-up work on them and so on, and very usually they are of course complety wrong and if the pic is mnot taken in the way they think it should be, they will always think it is not good pics of them...
A model is not stuck at that step, she enjoy the fact that a photography is not 'her" picture, but the "photographer's picture" of her, and so enjoy to see the result which must be someone else point of view on her, if is just a copy of her own point of view, photography has zero interest.
Also, keep in inmd that the model, is a BIG part of the picture quality. Give a supermodel to anybody under a basic light, and except if blind, anybody will make pictures which will look like ok. Now give a shy girl who can not move to a super photographer, and it will be actualy very hard for him to make any good pic.
beginer girls have usually stupid idea about how they look best. they think that only "this" angle work on them, that only "this" make-up work on them and so on, and very usually they are of course complety wrong and if the pic is mnot taken in the way they think it should be, they will always think it is not good pics of them...
A model is not stuck at that step, she enjoy the fact that a photography is not 'her" picture, but the "photographer's picture" of her, and so enjoy to see the result which must be someone else point of view on her, if is just a copy of her own point of view, photography has zero interest.
Also, keep in inmd that the model, is a BIG part of the picture quality. Give a supermodel to anybody under a basic light, and except if blind, anybody will make pictures which will look like ok. Now give a shy girl who can not move to a super photographer, and it will be actualy very hard for him to make any good pic.
TonyHetherington said:
nickbbb said:
They have always liked what I have taken more than I have TBH.
Hmmm I can see that happening actually, I think I will be very critical and not like any but she obviously is excited to see them!
Ah well, we shall see. All good experience, and we did say that if all the pictures just don't come out at all....well, we'll just do them again no harm done!
(edit; nick, your ( )'s mess up the quoting
) Edited by TonyHetherington on Friday 19th January 16:40
OK I've changed it
dmax said:
Now give a shy girl who can not move to a super photographer, and it will be actualy very hard for him to make any good pic.
I don't agree. I have worked with people who detest having their photograph taken and others whom are wooden with shyness. I think that the strength of the resulting portrait is very much dependent on the photographer's ability to put the person at ease and to perceive their character. Added to this, you need to have a really clear idea of the sort of image that you are trying to achieve and communicate that to the person in front of the camera through tactful and explicit direction.
If I'm taking pics of someone who has not modelled or done very little modelling I tend to ask them how they like their photo to be taken, ask them where they think their best side is and in fact get them to tell me everything about how they think I can get the best results when taking their pictures. Then when I start taking the pictures I usually do a good handful of shots exactly as they said they wanted me to, talking through each shot as I do, and constantly talking to and reasuring the model. Once I've taken enough test shots, usually about 12 or so (or more if I think they still need to be put at ease) I put some film in the camera and start taking the shots that I want to take. No one has ever been dissapointed with my work, they all felt I did a really good job and because I communicated with them all the way through they are happy to accept that the photo's they suggested didn't come out as well as the ones I suggested. None of them have yet to realise that the shots they suggested weren't even in the prints I showed them.
I think people are more co-operative if you can show them you listened to them.
I think people are more co-operative if you can show them you listened to them.
EmmaP said:
I don't agree...
you need to have a really clear idea of the sort of image that you are trying to achieve and communicate that to the person in front of the camera through tactful and explicit direction.
And there's the rub. I'm a sheet or two to the wind but in my honest opinion I find just about every glamour shoot a rehash of everything that's gone before. It's all been done. And thus reworkings just seem seedy. There's not enoguh imagination going into glamour shoots any more. It's all formulaic.
Unfortunately I cam't think of anything constructive to suggest - that's also why I don't do anything glamour related myself because I'm aware I can't add anything to the genre.
I wasn't actually thinking of glamour. But, whilst we're on the subject, if you are looking for inspiration just take a look at the work of Helmut Newton. Imogen Cunningham's work is very sexy too. Playboy and the Pirelli calendar - past and present - should be a great source of inspiration also.
EmmaP said:
I wasn't actually thinking of glamour. .
Fair enough - I skimmed the thread. Tony being the originator kind of skewed my sensors
But, to redress the balance away from that undeservered slur a bit, I have no experience shooting models at all. Anything "people" oriented that I've shot has been candid. Total novice on that front really.
In fact, I've no basis for making any kind of judgement there, sorry Tony.
Bugger...more beer Landlord..
Edited by graham@edinburgh on Saturday 20th January 00:50
At the end of the day (it gets dark hoho) I'm a vaguely typical bloke. I'm not sure I have it in me to shoot a topless, or naked, woman without thinking "wahey!" I can only assume those that do it for a living somehow ignore that. Because I can't believe for a second it doesn't occur to them. Hence my assertation that women make better glamour photographers.
Sad really, but at least I can recognise my faults
Sad really, but at least I can recognise my faults
actually its quite easy. you are too worried about the light, the pose and the picture taking to thinl ooo a nipple
graham@edinburgh said:
At the end of the day (it gets dark hoho) I'm a vaguely typical bloke. I'm not sure I have it in me to shoot a topless, or naked, woman without thinking "wahey!" I can only assume those that do it for a living somehow ignore that. Because I can't believe for a second it doesn't occur to them. Hence my assertation that women make better glamour photographers.
Sad really, but at least I can recognise my faults
Sad really, but at least I can recognise my faults
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