In Bed, Something New

binghott · January 4, 2007

this is a concept for a shoot that has been kicking around my head for months that has and now i've gotten to try it. please tell me what you think. rip it apart if you'd like. even brief comments would be greatly appreciated.

Scott_Quier · January 4, 2007

I'm not quite sure where you are going with this concept (please keep that in mind), but here are a few things I would think about as you flesh out your idea:

Light is good and the B&W will probably suit you well
Watch for distracting elements. The sheet near her feet is one example.
Not sure about having your model so tightly wrapped up in the bed linens. I'm thinking a little looser would be better. Give your model a chance to breath.
The crossed armes in front is almost always a closed posture. Is that your intent?

Hope that helps some.

Seneca · January 4, 2007

I see nothing there.

Seneca · January 4, 2007

Never mind...I see it now.

JimM · January 4, 2007

The lighting is very nice, so is the B&W. I agree with Scott on the posture and tightly wound bedding (actually I guess I just pretty much agree with Scott).

asylumxl · January 4, 2007

i like it

. i kinda like the pose and tightly rapped bed linen, not sure why, maybe cos we all like to be warm and wrapped up tight in bed

pathfinder · January 4, 2007

I think you have lost all shadow detail in her hair on her left side of her head.

I think a little more reflected illumination from her left might help with that, and give a little more pop to her left eye. This image is not a dramatic B&W with heavy black shadows, so more hair and eye detail is appropriate I think.

She has a blemish on her right cheek. She has very little, if any, make up. She looks almost pre-teen in this shot to me. ( Maybe my age is showing here)

Maybe a little more dramatic makeup might be in order.. Then again, maybe not.

DavidTO · January 4, 2007

She definitely looks underage to me, and in a somewhat provocative pose. That puts me off right there. I just feel like I shouldn't be looking at it.

I agree with PF's comments re: technical aspects.

Scott_Quier · January 4, 2007

pathfinder wrote:

I think you have lost all shadow detail in her hair on her left side of her head.

I think a little more reflected illumination from her left might help with that, and give a little more pop to her left eye. This image is not a dramatic B&W with heavy black shadows, so more hair and eye detail is appropriate I think.

She has a blemish on her right cheek. She has very little, if any, make up. She looks almost pre-teen in this shot to me. ( Maybe my age is showing here)

Maybe a little more dramatic makeup might be in order.. Then again, maybe not.

I missed that about the shadow detail - good catch

. The rest I saw and discounted it as this being a concept photo and that it would be fixed/corrected/addressed when he went to do the "production" shoot.

Seneca · January 5, 2007

Ok now that I can see it...I love the natural light...but the back of the picture to me is a little distracting.

I think a little sharping...and cropping and the picture will look fantastic. Again...JMHO.

binghott · January 5, 2007

thanks for the comments!

first, i must address this:

DavidTO wrote:

She definitely looks underage to me, and in a somewhat provocative pose. That puts me off right there. I just feel like I shouldn't be looking at it.

this is one of the bits of feedback i thought i might get. rael is my girlfriend and she is 17, turning 18 on valentines day (don't worry i'm not much older). i wasn't sure if she came off as too young in this photo, i apologize if she did.

Scott_Quier wrote:

Light is good and the B&W will probably suit you well

Watch for distracting elements. The sheet near her feet is one example.

Not sure about having your model so tightly wrapped up in the bed linens. I'm thinking a little looser would be better. Give your model a chance to breath.

The crossed armes in front is almost always a closed posture. Is that your intent?

i wanted her tightly wrapped because i thought it was cute as if she was trying to cover herself up. the crossed arms seemed like the best way to do that, but i see what you're saying about the closed posture. i'm not sure how i feel about it. thanks so much for the input!

pathfinder wrote:

I think you have lost all shadow detail in her hair on her left side of her head.

I think a little more reflected illumination from her left might help with that, and give a little more pop to her left eye. This image is not a dramatic B&W with heavy black shadows, so more hair and eye detail is appropriate I think.

She has a blemish on her right cheek. She has very little, if any, make up. She looks almost pre-teen in this shot to me. ( Maybe my age is showing here)

Maybe a little more dramatic makeup might be in order.. Then again, maybe not.

the lighting was not perfect and i was too lazy to bring out my reflector, but if i get to do this shot again, i will get some more hair and eye detail as you suggested. i also don't like that one eye is darker than the other.

as for the blemish, it is a pockmark. i often struggle with choosing to remove or keep certain facial characteristics. i decided to leave it because i like to be more natural, but now i see that it isn't adding anything to this picture. the concept for the picture is about waking up, meaning she would have no makeup on. this might not have worked as well as i had liked, but i think it would look almost odd if she had makeup on. maybe not.

this was basically a practice shoot, that turned out better than i had planned, so i thought i could share this one. i understand that it is not perfect, and the comments i have received will be a big help in getting this shot right next time! thank you thank you thank you!

i would love any additional comments!

DoctorIt · January 5, 2007

binghott wrote:

first, i must address this:

this is one of the bits of feedback i thought i might get. rael is my girlfriend and she is 17, turning 18 on valentines day (don't worry i'm not much older). i wasn't sure if she came off as too young in this photo, i apologize if she did.

I don't want you to be paranoid, so let me give you my take on what David said. I'm guessing he wasn't questioning your ethics or legality, rather the feeling it gave him. The pose, etc, make Rael indeed look young - like you were going for that on purpose, in almost a provocative kind of way? We know you're a good guy and a hell of a photog, so that wasn't a warning, just a criticism on the mood the photo was portraying. Does that make sense?

You're lucky to have such a willing partner!

Phyxius · January 5, 2007

binghott wrote:

the concept for the picture is about waking up, meaning she would have no makeup on. this might not have worked as well as i had liked, but i think it would look almost odd if she had makeup on. maybe not.

I have to agree with this statement and maybe expound on it a bit. Unless you're Paris Hilton (Diary of an Heiress) or a fictional character in a movie most women don't go to bed with makeup on.

And, since the image does have a very fresh, almost innocent (and I do have to agree with young) look you wouldn't necessarly think of sex when you see it, but even if you did I personally don't think sex and make-upwork great either.

pathfinder · January 5, 2007

I think I am being misinterpreted.

When I said make up, I did not necessarily have heavy mascara in mind. The best makeup is invisible, but improves the model's appearance none the less.

That's all I had in mind.

Phyxius · January 6, 2007

pathfinder wrote:

That's all I had in mind.

JenGrace · January 6, 2007

I like the idea of taking pictures of people when they're in such an open, almost vulnerable state, such as in bed. The soft focus, slightly tosseled hair and big eyes make her appear very innocent and fresh. All in all, I like it!

binghott · January 6, 2007

DoctorIt wrote:

I don't want you to be paranoid, so let me give you my take on what David said. I'm guessing he wasn't questioning your ethics or legality, rather the feeling it gave him. The pose, etc, make Rael indeed look young - like you were going for that on purpose, in almost a provocative kind of way?

thanks doc, i know what you're saying, i was just trying to say that she came off looking younger than i had hoped.

pathfinder, you're right, a little makeup wouldnt hurt here.

thanks for all the comments and input i really appreciate it!

In Bed, Something New

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