My friend Jill

mmmatt · October 21, 2008

My friend Jill approached me a few weeks ago about doing some portraits for her. She wanted industrial/urban, but not too edgy and this is what we came up with. She is curvy... like REALLY curvy, and wanted me to hide it some. I tried to as much as I could with posing and using longer lenses, but only got a few I liked that were full body. Any opinions welcome!

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Thanks for looking!

Matt

Agnieszka · October 21, 2008

Awesome set

I particularly like #6 (there is something about that pose / look

) & love the colors in #9.

Haha, she didn't make it easy for you with that outfit, underlines her figure ....

mmmatt · October 22, 2008

Agnieszka wrote:

Awesome set I particularly like #6 (there is something about that pose / look ) & love the colors in #9.

Haha, she didn't make it easy for you with that outfit, underlines her figure ....

your telling me!!! The outfit is "vintage" as is the jewelry and the purse

. The black dress is open backed and VERY sexy.

She would beat me if she knew I was posting this one, but here is what I was working with in an unforgiving pose:

I have known Jill for 5 or 6 years now and she is carrying more weight now than I have ever seen her. The chest has always been there but the hips are new. Regardless of weight I think she will always be one of the most beautiful women I have ever known, but she isn't buying into that. she is OK with her body... even with the extra pounds, but she doesn't think she has a pretty face!!! Maybe I see a lot of inner beauty (which she is truly full of), but she is gorgeous to my eyes. Ah well, she's off the beaten path every other way too.

thanks for the comments Agnieszka!!!

Matt

evoryware · October 22, 2008

Nothing wrong with voluptuous!

I really like 4, 2, 5, 6, 7 and 11.
Looks like the black helped with the slimming even though it's not a full length shot.

Nikolai · October 22, 2008

mmmatt wrote:

My friend Jill approached me a few weeks ago about doing some portraits for her. She wanted industrial/urban, but not too edgy and this is what we came up with. She is curvy... like REALLY curvy, and wanted me to hide it some. I tried to as much as I could with posing and using longer lenses, but only got a few I liked that were full body. Any opinions welcome!
Thanks for looking!

Matt

Great series!
Good "hiding", really works!

mmmatt · October 22, 2008

evoryware wrote:

Nothing wrong with voluptuous!

yeah... I'm with you there. I do like soft women.

thanks evoryware and Nikolai for the comments. Here is the full set if anyone is interested, but I think I plucked out the best ones. I just got these up so I am going to be curious which ones she picks as her favs. She has only seen 1, 3 and 6 so far because I printed them for a portfolio and then gave her the prints.

http://mmmatt.smugmug.com/gallery/6089981_DJakJ//382318118_YY7ii

Matt

heatherfeather · October 22, 2008

Hi mmmatt-
#1 isn't showing for me (red x) But the rest are.

I love the soft light falling through her hair in #3 and her expression is perfect. I would clean up her underarm area a bit though. And if you could bring just a touch of light back into her eyes it would be just stunning.

She IS pretty, so don't let anyone (including her) tell you other wise. (We curvy girls got to stick together!)

In #4, what did you use for your hair light? Looks great!

(And I agree with Angie about the dress- it doesn't do her beauty justice.)

Malte · October 22, 2008

mmmatt wrote:

My friend Jill approached me a few weeks ago about doing some portraits for her. She wanted industrial/urban, but not too edgy and this is what we came up with. She is curvy... like REALLY curvy, and wanted me to hide it some. I tried to as much as I could with posing and using longer lenses, but only got a few I liked that were full body. Any opinions welcome!

11

Thanks for looking!

Matt

11 is my favourite, love the composition, light and dress.

Maybe the hand cutoff is a bit jarring. You should've done more of these pillar shots, maybe some playful peekaboo style?

She really needs to know thet she's gorgeous, head to toe. Keep nagging her!

Malte

jasonstone · October 22, 2008

mmmatt wrote:

9

This is my favorite

- That brown outfit really suits her the most
Only thing I'd do is tone down the handbag a little and maybe crop the top a bit

She's got a natural beauty and I love it in this shot

You've done well with the poses - although I'm no expert but I never really got the extent of the curves (no rudeness intended btw as I know it can be a sensitive subject for people) until you put the front on photo

Cheers, Jase

mmmatt · October 22, 2008

heatherfeather wrote:

Hi mmmatt-
#1 isn't showing for me (red x) But the rest are.

I love the soft light falling through her hair in #3 and her expression is perfect. I would clean up her underarm area a bit though. And if you could bring just a touch of light back into her eyes it would be just stunning.

She IS pretty, so don't let anyone (including her) tell you other wise. (We curvy girls got to stick together!)

In #4, what did you use for your hair light? Looks great!

(And I agree with Angie about the dress- it doesn't do her beauty justice.)

Thanks for all the great input guys!!!! I will take these sugestions to heart Heather and work on the eyes and the pits when I get some time in a couple of days. I will also continue to pound in her head what a dish she is!!!

I have been working on my skills with on-camera fill flash. I'm glad you brought up the lighting, because I am satisfied for the first ime with my fill flash on this series. The hairlight in the alley was a well timed ball of fire on a clear beautiful late afternoon. I have shot in that alley before and I was happy I hit it just right. I was using a lumiquest pro-max bounce system on all the shots with a 580exII on a bracket. The promax has silver, white, and gold inserts as well as an opaque difuser you can put over the front. I used the gold reflector, no diffuser, and I had the fc down 1 or 2 stops. My biggest issue with outdoor fill-flash is that the subject and the surroundings often have radically different colors and it is distracting to me. I felt the promax went a long way to matching the light colors perfectly and making the lighting seem very natural and even toned.

Jason, thank you! Good call on the handbag. I agree about the crop, but some of these are going to be printed so I left them full frame for her to crop at printing.

Malte, check the galery for more from the collums http://mmmatt.smugmug.com/gallery/60...82318118_YY7ii I have a few peek-a-boo's that I shot, but the best expressions were a little soft focus so I left them out. I think there are 4 in the gallery from the collums and I probably shot 20.

Jill is a real goofball even though we tried to look all sexy and serious... here is one that is more of a candid and showing (to my eyes) the real Jill

Thanks again all for the tips and Kudos!!!

Matt

urbanaries · October 22, 2008

You can take an unflattering pic of anyone. Everyone has their "good angles" and good sides and the first set of yours is extremely flattering of an already gorgeous model. Our job is to put our clients in their best light! and in my opinion you did that!

I would be careful about that one post though...you would be surprised what comes up in Google...this is a public website...I've been burned before. If my "friend" was publicly and matter of factly discussing my weight issues with strangers...well...

3, 4, 6, 9 and 11 are my faves. A couple of your BWs look soft (1 in particular).

Gorgeous lady!

mmmatt · October 22, 2008

urbanaries wrote:

You can take an unflattering pic of anyone. Everyone has their "good angles" and good sides and the first set of yours is extremely flattering of an already gorgeous model. Our job is to put our clients in their best light! and in my opinion you did that!

I would be careful about that one post though...you would be surprised what comes up in Google...this is a public website...I've been burned before. If my "friend" was publicly and matter of factly discussing my weight issues with strangers...well...

3, 4, 6, 9 and 11 are my faves. A couple of your BWs look soft (1 in particular).

Gorgeous lady!

Good point urbanairies, and I thought about that, but there are a lot of Jill's in the world and I didn't use a last name so I doubt she will ever find her way here. Like I've been saying, I've got rose colored glasses on when it comes to looking at pictures of her, so the before & after thing is an important part of the discussion for me! I think this kind of discussion here, is similar to a doctor talking with his colegues about an interesting or challanging proceedure he performed... That all being said, thanks for the compliments. I have been getting that a lot lately on my b&w conversions and I am going to work on that.

BTW... her weight isn't a "problem" for her or me... just a challenge to photograph in a flattering way.
Matt

glennp · October 22, 2008

Like 4,5,9,11 with 11 being my favorite out of this set. Checked out the other photos and liked the way they came out as well. She will really like the way the photos have come out. Good work!

glenn

divamum · October 22, 2008

These are BEAUTIFUL portraits - I love 6 and 10 that you posted, and the trenchcoat series to my mind work best (all of the ones on p3 of the gallery), and you really DO capture the "inner beauty" that you see in those closeups. She should be thrilled with them (with one or two exceptions, ie 44 - not flattering, IMO)

The entire series is a tribute to what can be done if you have the eye and heart to see beyond the obvious (sorry, but the blue outfit doesn't work for her and emphasises all the things you say she wants to hide ... and you made some of those look terrific, too!). You brought out the beauty that you see in her and made it obvious for anybody who looks at the pictures.

I wish more of the folks who hang out a shingle doing actor/performer shots had half your eye - this is beautiful work!

Edited to add: what happens if you recrop 2 and 3, so that more of the bust is cropped off the bottom (ie leaving just enough arm to keep the comp)? Would create the illusion of fewer pounds, and also lose the armpit

jsedlak · October 22, 2008

mmmatt wrote:

your telling me!!! The outfit is "vintage" as is the jewelry and the purse . The black dress is open backed and VERY sexy.

She would beat me if she knew I was posting this one, but here is what I was working with in an unforgiving pose:

I have known Jill for 5 or 6 years now and she is carrying more weight now than I have ever seen her. The chest has always been there but the hips are new. Regardless of weight I think she will always be one of the most beautiful women I have ever known, but she isn't buying into that. she is OK with her body... even with the extra pounds, but she doesn't think she has a pretty face!!! Maybe I see a lot of inner beauty (which she is truly full of), but she is gorgeous to my eyes. Ah well, she's off the beaten path every other way too.

thanks for the comments Agnieszka!!!

Matt

After seeing this one, I wish you would of used the hips more. This shot really stood out, despite the facial expression (or lack-thereof). But then again, I am very partial to hips.

Great shots none-the-less.

mmmatt · October 22, 2008

divamum wrote:

These are BEAUTIFUL portraits - I love 6 and 10 that you posted, and the trenchcoat series to my mind work best (all of the ones on p3 of the gallery), and you really DO capture the "inner beauty" that you see in those closeups. She should be thrilled with them (with one or two exceptions, ie 44 - not flattering, IMO)

The entire series is a tribute to what can be done if you have the eye and heart to see beyond the obvious (sorry, but the blue outfit doesn't work for her and emphasises all the things you say she wants to hide ... and you made some of those look terrific, too!). You brought out the beauty that you see in her and made it obvious for anybody who looks at the pictures.

I wish more of the folks who hang out a shingle doing actor/performer shots had half your eye - this is beautiful work!

Edited to add: what happens if you recrop 2 and 3, so that more of the bust is cropped off the bottom (ie leaving just enough arm to keep the comp)? Would create the illusion of fewer pounds, and also lose the armpit

Wow... what wonderful things to say! I will look at the cropping suggestions tomorrow when I have some time. I'm not sure which picture you were talking about in the gallery because the numbers I see are different than yours. Probably the wide angle up-shot. That was an inside joke with Jill and I'm sure she'll hate it!

FWIW, I wasn't trying to kill her curves, just tone them down a bit in hopes that it isn't the first thing you see.

thanks guys for all the comments and suggestions!

Matt

Malte · October 23, 2008

jsedlak wrote:

...But then again, I am very partial to hips...

thumb

I guess that's why the blue outfit works for us.

But if the goal was to hide some of that goodness, then the blue wasn't the best choice.

Malte

My friend Jill

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