Monday (yesterday) I decided to do a natural beauty test. I don't typically dedicate any time to test, but I decided to follow the advice of my first book (The Linked Photographer's Guide) and pay attention to analytics. Last week I posted two natural beauty tests that I had done with a few models from MC2 model agency. The response was impressive-- I had a large spike in my blog hits... so... 'the people have spoken'. These shoots are for you!! I set up three basic model beauty tests for Monday from three different agencies: VNY, Muse, and MC2. For these basic model tests the models show up-- no hair, no makeup, no wardrobe-- and we make completely natural beauty shots. We are not looking to go 'high fashion', but instead to show the essence of the beauty of each model.
Monday was sweltering hot outside- hot, humid and unrelenting sun. I live right on Central Park on the upper west side, so the models would meet at my apartment and we would head over to the park to shoot in the shade of some beautiful trees and structures. I can't imagine trying to look 'naturally beautiful' in such miserable heat, but all three girls were troopers.
The first shoot I'd like to share with you was actually the last shoot of the day (2-3:30). 18-year-old Julia is from Muse agency and was born and raised in Queens, NY. The agency loves her look because she has a 'European asethetic' but is American (easier paperwork)! Anyway, Julia got to the apartment and I started to snap a few pictures. She seemed very comfortable and natural, so I asked her how long she had been modeling for. She informed me that my shoot was her VERY FIRST SHOOT!
It may sound odd, but sometimes I feel like it is an honor to be a model's first photographer. It obviously is much easier to work with experienced models, but I know my photos will have a much larger impact on the career of beginning models.
Julia was a pleasure to work with... willing to bare the heat and take direction. She had a natural ability at posing (although I kept it very simple for this test). It seems like her first modeling experience was a success for all involved. Enjoy the photos!!
Because it was so hot outside, we decided to shoot beneath the shade of some trees nearby to my apartment. This tree is beautiful and I've really been meaning to do a beauty test there. The branches curl and even touch the ground. I took this first shot with the Sigma 85mm 1.4 at aperture 1.4. I liked the composition created by the branch and the BEAUTIFUL bokeh behind the model.
I thought that Julia's expression was beautiful and the light on her face was stunning, so I moved in closer for a tight head shot. For lighting I had Joel (my boyfriend and assistant in this case) hold a bold above her head in front of her face in order to block out the over head light that was creating some odd highlight on the face. I still allowed the sun from behind to hit her hair (and create that beautiful separation). The light on her face is just from the bright sunlit outside of the tree bouncing around the environment.
I included this image amongst her images because I wanted to give her a nice color shot to show the color of her hair and eyes. Shot with the Sigma 85mm 1.4, I thought that the leading line in the background was a strong composition. The color of Julia's skin is beautiful and she has an even softer look in this image.
If you have ever taken beginning photography classes, your instructor would likely tell you 'whats wrong' with this image. There are blown out highlights (lack of detail in highlights) as well as lens flare. But that is EXACTLY what I wanted. These elements created a very dreamlike and beautiful scene that was great for a full length shot. I had many closeups of Julia, and needed a beautiful full-length shot that better showed her form. In this image I placed her beneath the shade of a tree. I got down very low so that in the background I would have backlit leaves on a tree. When shooting at aperture 1.4, these leaves turn to light textures in the background, and just add a bit more interest (versus just a pure white background).
I'd say that Julia did great on her first shoot!
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