Too sexy??

l.k.madison

Hi DGrinners, it's been forEVER since I've lurked around (just moved to another state, yadda yadda), but my mother just seriously bashed my photography for the first time ever and I guess I'm just looking for reassurance that I'm not completely crazy...

During this session, I was trying to get her to smirk so I told her to not smile - at all - but asked her Daddy to say something that would get her to laugh. He said something along the lines of "Don't make me give you the sex talk again, I know we've already had it". After I picked myself up from laughing so hard, the shock set in that he said that. While I don't know him that well, I've known his wife since high school and I know the conservative upbringing she had.

I got to this picture and sent it to my mom and said something like "No wonder her daddy threatened her with the sex talk, she's only 14" - Mom's text back was basically "She NEEDS the sex talk. NOW. She needs to know that pictures like that will get her in "deep doo doo" (her words). Her phone needs to be confiscated... teenagers are going to jail for sexting". And while my mother is anything but conservative, she hit a wrong chord and I defended the shot. The young lady *is* well endowed and while that's not her fault, I can't stop her from showing up in a strapless dress.

Thoughts? Opinions?

I'm not looking for c/c on the coloring/pose (it is appreciated if you want to send some my way) it's more of "is it TOO sexy for a 14 year old?"

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lkmadison/6141117658/&quot; title="Paige by L.K.Madison, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6062/6141117658_4775df1635.jpg&quot; width="333" height="500" alt="Paige"></a>

While I am aware that it's more of an adult shot than a child shot, she is 14 - almost an adult and incredibly responsible and mature. I agree that it's mature and slightly sexy, but I don't think it's over the line.

sweet caroline

Her expression and pose are not overtly sexy. My sister is well endowed, so I have sometimes photoshopped away cleavage. Maybe try to minimize it in processing?

P.S. I have a 14 year old daughter.

l.k.madison

sweet caroline wrote: »

Her expression and pose are not overtly sexy. My sister is well endowed, so I have sometimes photoshopped away cleavage. Maybe try to minimize it in processing?

P.S. I have a 14 year old daughter.

Thanks!

I didn't think it was too bad, neither did my husband. My step dad's a youth director at church, so maybe it was that part of my mom talking, I don't know. Like my husband said "if it was a sexy picture of a 14 year old trying to be sexy, she'd have on way less than that". The girl's dad and her step mother were both at the shoot - they know what she was wearing. Had her parents not been there and she changed, I'd see the reason for concern. They let her leave the house like that so they must be ok with it.

I'll include it in the gallery and if they say anything, I'll take it down.

Demian

My thought is... your mom is crazy. You show her a shot you took and she goes into "she needs to have her phone taken away"? Yeah, definitely crazy.

I think the pic is fine - and surprise, kids that age are going to want to look sexy (I'm guessing you guys were dating in high school too, right?) If the photo made her feel good about herself, then you did a fantastic job. Don't second guess yourself

l.k.madison

Mom's not usually that defensive, not sure what's going on. I had to say that *I* took it - I know she knows my watermark.

This is a shot of just her from a family shoot (Mom, Dad, baby and big sister) and when I showed a few out of the back of my camera, Paige said that I was doing her Senior pictures even though she lives a state away "I'm telling mom that you're doing them, I don't care what it takes" so I know she loves them.

I wasn't quite dating at 14, but there's nothing wrong with looking more mature. Especially when you're too young for the adults and too old for the kids at Sunday lunch, been there done that.

I hope to finish the gallery in the next few days so we'll see what they say about them pretty soon. I automatically culled all of the ones that I thought were too bad, they didn't even get opened.

Thanks guys for the input, just making sure I wasn't completely losing my mind. (Well, I *am* but ya know

Qarik

Tim Kamppinen wrote: »

I don't think it's overtly "sexy" but I can see why someone might say that seeing as her clevage pretty much dominates the photo. The pose itself and her expression are not "sexy" but I think this is an unfortunate shooting angle. I personally probably wouldn't shoot such an extreme "down the shirt" angle on any woman, 14 or 40, unless I was going for "sexy"... and in that case I would also try to manipulate the pose and the facial expression to go along with that vibe. Here I think you have a totally innocent wardrobe, expression, and pose but due to the angle the viewer can't help but look down her shirt (which also happens to be the area of greatest contrast in the image, so maybe the combination of lighting/pose is to blame... not that high-contrast lighting is intrinsically "sexy"... I don't mean to imply that). If you took the same shot, in the same location, with the same light, expression, and dress, but from a different angle where the clevage wasn't on full display, I doubt anyone would say it was too sexy.

+1, it is not overtly sexy but I wouldn't release the shot either

Elaine

I think I've got to agree with Tim and Qarik. While nothing about it says "sexy" to me, the shooting angle + dress is unfortunate, IMO. Her sweet face appears younger than 14 to me, so it's just odd to have her young expression juxtapositioned with prominent cleavage. The shot has lovely colors and light, but I would rather see it in a different outfit. My 16 yo niece (and her mom) would be really self-conscious of a shot like this, feeling like it would be a distraction from her pretty eyes and face and sending an unintentional message of "look what I've got!"

Hackbone

There are three rules for a sexy port. 1 sexy clothing, 2 posed sexily, and 3 a sexy expression. If you have two or more of these you might be over the top. You are always safe with one but never more than that.

VayCayMom

I am the mom of two 30 something daughters, and I was strict. This is not sexy really. My attention went to her face and I saw she was quite young.. then the cleavage. If this girl were flat chested this would NOT be an issue. Your Mom went overboard I think, the girl I assume did not ask for that pose. Chubby gals tend to look thinner at that angle, but the dress canceled that out. It doesn't look like sexy is what the goal was here at all.
At this age she may not be as self concious as some gals with this type figure. Good for her, she looks very sweet and what girl at her age doesn't wear strapless tops or dresses for a portrait?

Her Dad, might have said that because I did just notice there is a new movie where the plot is the parent trying to avoid the TALK at all costs, maybe it was on his mind?? However men can be very primitive and inappropiate no matter who is the owner of large breasts.

If you draw a straight line from her right armpit where the dress begins across right breast to meet the dark line/shadow of her left breast it makes it less of an issue in my eyes. That could be a good compromise , a little cloning would do it.

Bottom line for me, I would change it or delete it since it seems to be a distraction.

l.k.madison

Thanks guys (and gals)!

I appreciate all of the comments, concerns and critiques! The more I look at it, her endowment is the first thing I notice, but that's because it slightly bothers me. While I don't think the shot is trash by any means, I was just trying to figure out if it was just my mom (who is my worst critic sometimes) overreacting or if it really was that bad.

I love that location and the natural light it gives me any time of the day and the pose. My thinking is that if her parents let her wear that, then I'm going to photograph it. I'd feel iffy about keeping it if it was just me and her with a friend or two and they changed when a parent wasn't around. It'll go in her gallery and if I'm asked to take it down, I will - no biggie.

Thanks again for everybody's input!

garratt15a

It's a nice shot of a lovely looking girl. If you had not mentioned the age thing, I don't think there would be any discussion about it. If you are happy with it, and she is happy with it, I see no reason to remove it.
I know that America seems to be a bit uptight about things like this, but in UK or Europe it would be nothing really to comment about.
Bottom line is, it's a nice PHOTO !

That of course, is only my opinion

Andy

Mitchell

I'm not usually the Puritan, but I think that shot is over the top for a 14 year old girl. I'm sure you have much more appropriate and flattering images from your shoot. The way this shot was composed looks to me like you were shooting down her strapless dress to accentuate her cleavage. It's just too dominating in this image.

0scar99

It's not really the intent of the shot that matters it's the viewers perception. To me the lighting style, combined with the angle of the head and nose direct my attention directly to her cleavage. Which, knowing that she's 14 makes me slightly uncomfortable.

Her parents did let her wear that top but in everyday life most people wouldn't be looking at her from that angle. Lots of 14 year old boys probably spend a lot of time trying to get that view.

All IMHO of course.

Svennie

It is a nice photo of a pretty girl, not too sexy. However, like others said: I would probably not pick this angle to start with, not with a 14-year-old ;-)
On a side note: make sure the model does not press her upper arm on her chest: this will flatten her arm and makes it appear bigger (unflattering).