Cassandra: top ten

Nikolai

Finally got Saturday results up

1 Portrait in Cherry:



2 Playing with the stool:



3 Portrait with umbrella:



4 Pinup theme:



5 Navy #1:



6 Navy #2:



7 Green and red #1:



8 Portrait in red corset:



9 Relaxed:



10 Stripes:



Enjoy!

gabrielzimages

Wow those are all really great! I just looked at your homepage. Your work inspires me greatly.

beetle8

#1

Shima

Love them all... the lighting is great and her skin looks really smooth.

cmorganphotography

Is it just be or is the focus really soft? I have been sick for a week... so i might be delirious. :puke
***
Working with a corset is so not fun. If the spine is not in a perfectly fluid line or a straight one it punches and folds in on itself [and your insides!]
I'm attempting pin-up soon too. For me, personally, pin-ups need to have a plain background. One colour the way the paintings were. I'm distracted by the fabric this time.. that's where I'm coming from.
She really has that 50's body. SHe'd look so fabu in an old bikini with large white sunglasses and one of those gigantic hats. :jose

I didn't say anything nice, tHE LIGHT IS VERY NICE. I saw the setu padn who knew a reflector on the other side could go that!

Swartzy

Beautiful poses and comps Nik. Love the color and exposure as well. Looks like you both had a super time. About the only thing I would do differently is add a touch of contrast to make her face pop...nothing like harsh but just a touch of pow. Very well done and executed.....great for you! #8 says "class".

bendruckerphoto

Great poses, great lighting. The red clothes on green background makes for a very interesting image, but I don't agree with it from a portraiture point of view. The point of a facial portrait is to highlight the face. With solid color/unobtrusive clothing, you want some light falloff on the body. Since her clothes have a lot of detail and interest on their own, I don't disagree with your decision to light the body evenly. However, I think a red background would have worked better when she was wearing the red corset. The contrast between the green/navy background and the corset draw attention from the face. If the background were similar in color, it would draw attention to the face, which is what you want.

saurora

Very nice set Nik!!! The lighting looks great to me, but I'm not too knowledgeable in that area. She definitely has the figure and her outfits are wonderful. I couldn't for a moment quite figure out what seemed to be 'missing' and it dawned on me that she might look better with some more red lipstick as her face seems somewhat washed out for these types of shot. I would like to see more snappy contrast. Poses are excellent, I'm not too sure about the exaggerated tilt of the head and so many shots with eyes looking out of frame. This may be typical, but again I'm not an expert here. The shoes are so important in these outfits, I wonder if there is a better way to show them off? I don't really care for the draped fabrics. I wonder about using a black plexiglass, or other shiney, type floor? You're doing great though, keep up the good work! Look forward to seeing more.

Nikolai

gabrielzimages wrote:

Wow those are all really great! I just looked at your homepage. Your work inspires me greatly.

Thank you very much for your compliments!

Nikolai

beetle8 wrote:

#1

Nikolai

Shima wrote:

Love them all... the lighting is great and her skin looks really smooth.

Thanks, Cat!
These were exactly two new things for me this time - this lighting and this smoothing technique, glad you liked them:-)

Nikolai

cmorganphotography wrote:

Is it just be or is the focus really soft? I have been sick for a week... so i might be delirious. :puke
***
Working with a corset is so not fun. If the spine is not in a perfectly fluid line or a straight one it punches and folds in on itself [and your insides!]
I'm attempting pin-up soon too. For me, personally, pin-ups need to have a plain background. One colour the way the paintings were. I'm distracted by the fabric this time.. that's where I'm coming from.
She really has that 50's body. SHe'd look so fabu in an old bikini with large white sunglasses and one of those gigantic hats. :jose

I didn't say anything nice, tHE LIGHT IS VERY NICE. I saw the setu padn who knew a reflector on the other side could go that!

Yes, most of those images are softer than my prior ones. I'm trying a new stuff. They are not OOF though. But I didn't resharpen them for small web, these what SM does with them by default when presenting smaller versions...

And I agree, she's very much a classic pinup girl. I may have another session with her specifically with that theme in mind. Then I'll take care of the BG, too. Thank you very much for your suggestions!

Nikolai

Swartzy wrote:

Beautiful poses and comps Nik. Love the color and exposure as well. Looks like you both had a super time. About the only thing I would do differently is add a touch of contrast to make her face pop...nothing like harsh but just a touch of pow. Very well done and executed.....great for you! #8 says "class".

Thank you David!
I see what you're talking about... I may reprocess and replace if I have time/will power ... before the next shoot starts :-)

Nikolai

baseballboy828 wrote:

Great poses, great lighting. The red clothes on green background makes for a very interesting image, but I don't agree with it from a portraiture point of view. The point of a facial portrait is to highlight the face. With solid color/unobtrusive clothing, you want some light falloff on the body. Since her clothes have a lot of detail and interest on their own, I don't disagree with your decision to light the body evenly. However, I think a red background would have worked better when she was wearing the red corset. The contrast between the green/navy background and the corset draw attention from the face. If the background were similar in color, it would draw attention to the face, which is what you want.

Good points, thank you very much for bringing this out!

Yuri Pautov

Nikolai
My congratulations!
Very good session and wonderful results.
Yuri

evoryware

saurora wrote:

Very nice set Nik!!! The lighting looks great to me, but I'm not too knowledgeable in that area. She definitely has the figure and her outfits are wonderful. I couldn't for a moment quite figure out what seemed to be 'missing' and it dawned on me that she might look better with some more red lipstick as her face seems somewhat washed out for these types of shot. I would like to see more snappy contrast. Poses are excellent, I'm not too sure about the exaggerated tilt of the head and so many shots with eyes looking out of frame. This may be typical, but again I'm not an expert here. The shoes are so important in these outfits, I wonder if there is a better way to show them off? I don't really care for the draped fabrics. I wonder about using a black plexiglass, or other shiney, type floor? You're doing great though, keep up the good work! Look forward to seeing more.

They do not look out of focus. They look like he made them soft on his own.

#1, commented on already. ""
#2, nice shot glad she didn't fall back!
#3, I really like this shot. I agree with Saurora in that a red lipstick would really help.
#4, This seems to show her off the best. I don't have a problem with studio umbrellas - unless I can see where the handle is supposed to be. Also that half circle of light behind her head is confusing. I really like that the red really pops in this one, unlike most of the others.
#5, simple, elegant. Index finger looks stressed.
#6, simple, elegant. Shadow on right side of her jaw is bothering me because it looks like a double chin.
#7, love the outfit and pose and light. Black striped fabric competes.
#8, simple, elegant
#9, The black fabric competes again otherwise a very nice shot.
#10, love the pose, lighting, off shoulder of the top. Black fabric again competes.

No offense intended, just following my eyes.

All in all, I wish the red popped a tad more in a few of them. It pops in 4 and a bit in 3. Would love to see a few of them in black & white especially #3.

1, 3, 4, and 10 for my fave ? #3!

Hey Nik, what is your goal with these pics? I know you are looking for a certain type of lighting. But was this also to help showcasing the model? Showcasing the clothes?

Nikolai

saurora wrote:

Very nice set Nik!!! The lighting looks great to me, but I'm not too knowledgeable in that area. She definitely has the figure and her outfits are wonderful. I couldn't for a moment quite figure out what seemed to be 'missing' and it dawned on me that she might look better with some more red lipstick as her face seems somewhat washed out for these types of shot. I would like to see more snappy contrast. Poses are excellent, I'm not too sure about the exaggerated tilt of the head and so many shots with eyes looking out of frame. This may be typical, but again I'm not an expert here. The shoes are so important in these outfits, I wonder if there is a better way to show them off? I don't really care for the draped fabrics. I wonder about using a black plexiglass, or other shiney, type floor? You're doing great though, keep up the good work! Look forward to seeing more.

Susan, thank you very much for your detailed comments!

1) Contrast: check
2) Lipstick: I actually asked to her to make it more popping, but she didn't have one with her. That was my first time shooting her, so I didn't know what to expect. The whole pinup thing was an instant decision when I saw her and her wardrobe IRL. I guess next time I'll ask in advance.
3) Plexigalss/lexan: I wanted to get me some for months. I just can figure out where to get a large sheet without breaking a bank...

Nikolai

Yuri Pautov wrote:

My congratulations!
Very good session and wonderful results.
Yuri

Yuri, thanks, man!
I guess I did something right this time:-)

Nikolai

evoryware wrote:

...
No offense intended, just following my eyes.

None taken, your detailed feedback si greatly appreciated!

evoryware wrote:

Hey Nik, what is your goal with these pics? I know you are looking for a certain type of lighting. But was this also to help showcasing the model? Showcasing the clothes?

Uhm... None.. or a little bit of everything. It wasn't even a themed shoot. Think of it as a "portfolio building" session. "Hey, Cassie, I like you look, wanna shoot? "Yeah, sure, when?" "How about next Saturday". That's pretty much it.
For my models, it's definitely a practice and some nice (I hope) portfolio material. Most of them proudly display those in their personal websites and myspace, pretty much every one now has the avatar made from one of my pictures.
For me, it's a priceless and endless possibility to play with the lights, posing, backgrounds, communication, post-processing... And, who am I kidding, shooting young, beautiful, dressed up (sometimes scantily:-) and always very willing ladies beats the hell out of watching TV or shooting bees and/or flowers...

Thank you for your attention, always appreciated!

cmorganphotography

Thank you who said more red lipstick! That's it... the make up was way too modern! The make up of the fifties was like a grown up baby sex doll. [i know that sounds awful] but think about it. They posed cutsey, like little girls. The "oh my! I dropped my umbrella" face. The curls. The ruffles, pastels. The lipstick was the big thing.

Maybe I'll get better someday and get my hom studio up and running and we can compare pinning up some models... oh see that? That's a pun.

Nikolai

cmorganphotography wrote:

Thank you who said more red lipstick! That's it... the make up was way too modern! The make up of the fifties was like a grown up baby sex doll. [i know that sounds awful] but think about it. They posed cutsey, like little girls. The "oh my! I dropped my umbrella" face. The curls. The ruffles, pastels. The lipstick was the big thing.

Maybe I'll get better someday and get my hom studio up and running and we can compare pinning up some models... oh see that? That's a pun.

You know, I think I can actually try to do it in PS... Afterall, I'm a NAPP member:-), I should be able to adjust lipstick color/intensity after the fact:-)

cmorganphotography

Nikolai wrote:

You know, I think I can actually try to do it in PS... Afterall, I'm a NAPP member:-), I should be able to adjust lipstick color/intensity after the fact:-)

I will have to give you the bow down if you can. She need some cupid's arrow upper lips and a full pouty bottom. As it is now, she hasn't got any lips. She needed lash extentions and higher eyebrows.
By modern pin up standards she'd be bent over in the corset in stilettoes . I much prefer the old skool ones. Esp the Navy and Army ones where the girls are trying to do rigging or clean a gun and they look so confuzzled but adorable.

kombizz

nice series

Nikolai

cmorganphotography wrote:

I will have to give you the bow down if you can. She need some cupid's arrow upper lips and a full pouty bottom. As it is now, she hasn't got any lips. She needed lash extentions and higher eyebrows.
By modern pin up standards she'd be bent over in the corset in stilettoes . I much prefer the old skool ones. Esp the Navy and Army ones where the girls are trying to do rigging or clean a gun and they look so confuzzled but adorable.

, I hear a call for MUA.. :-)

I'll play with it in PS, and hopefully we'll get a better makeup next time.

Nikolai

kombizz wrote:

nice series

Thank you!

Richard

Nikolai wrote:

You know, I think I can actually try to do it in PS... Afterall, I'm a NAPP member:-), I should be able to adjust lipstick color/intensity after the fact:-)

It's certainly worth a try. Very cool pics, but Saurora nailed it: needs red lipstick.

Cheers,

Nikolai

Richard wrote:

It's certainly worth a try. Very cool pics, but Saurora nailed it: needs red lipstick.

Cheers,

Thanks!
Yep, my thoughts exactly. I asked Cassandra about it during the first 5 minutes after her arrival, while we were going through the wardrobe and such. Didn't have one...

cmorganphotography

Nikolai wrote:

Thanks!
Yep, my thoughts exactly. I asked Cassandra about it during the first 5 minutes after her arrival, while we were going through the wardrobe and such. Didn't have one...

She shall have a spanking. A spanking a spanking!! [what movie?]
I guess I'm lucky that way because I'm a girl and a former make up captain for theatre. I have a smattering of make ups that I don't even wear because, who knows, I may need pruple lipstick one day!
It'd be weird if you had a make up bag... but useful. Very useful.:D

Nikolai

cmorganphotography wrote:

She shall have a spanking. A spanking a spanking!! [what movie?]
I guess I'm lucky that way because I'm a girl and a former make up captain for theatre. I have a smattering of make ups that I don't even wear because, who knows, I may need purple lipstick one day!
It'd be weird if you had a make up bag... but useful. Very useful.:D

Well... there was more to it. She is still new to this whole fashion/modeling world (this was her 3d shoot ever - and trust me when I say that the results from her two previous ones were totally *l*a*m*e* in every respect possible). So she's not fully accustomed to the need of being able to change her look on a dime.
She was also a bit tense due to the fact she didn't know me at all. I blame the same lack of experience:D . So when I was suggesting things she was like "but that's not me, I don't wear this/do that/etc." I noticed that pattern and decided to go with the flow simply to have her relaxed. Normally the "defensive pattern", if it is present at all, wears itself off after two-three hours (the more experience, the faster it goes away), and we had a 6-hour slot. However, the blooming 100 degree weather (and probably the same lack of experience) also wore off her stamina. I noticed that and simply suggested to cut the session short and better reconvene some other time, to which she gladly agreed (which means I was right on the money).
I still think we did OK:-)

eL eSs Vee

I'm jealous, Nikolai! You're doing the kind of work I was doing years ago! I have but one word to describe it, though: FANTASTIC!!

The jealousy will be short-lived, though, as I got a set of budget lights (two heads, stands, umbrelas and etc.) just yesterday. I can't wait to find a good subject.

Great work, Nikolai! Every shot is a winner!

Nikolai

eL eSs Vee wrote:

I'm jealous, Nikolai! You're doing the kind of work I was doing years ago! I have but one word to describe it, though: FANTASTIC!!

The jealousy will be short-lived, though, as I got a set of budget lights (two heads, stands, umbrelas and etc.) just yesterday. I can't wait to find a good subject.

Great work, Nikolai! Every shot is a winner!

Lee,
thank you very much!
If you were doing *that* years ago I can only imagine what it would be now.