Mina: top ten

Nikolai

1. Dgrin, meet Mina:



2. Despite this being her first shoot ever, she turned out to be quite a sport:



3. Afterall, wearing *only* feathers is quite a challenge:



4. Even more so when the only feathers are on the mask:



5. After that, wearing a swimsuit and a hat was easy:



6. Bikini was a total child play:



7. Her sun dress came handy:



8. However, it was much better without it:



9. We both loved her salsa dress:



10. Especially when it came with a matching move:



Enjoy!

Flyinggina

Another jaw dropping set, Nik.

Even though I haven't commented before, I'm really enjoying the results of your model shoots. Fabulous stuff.

Love your entry in the challenge!

Take care.

Virginia

JH-Photo

Great Pics :-)
Especially the outdoor pics are great.

From my point of view. good studio pics, can be made by everyone.
But good outdoor pics with perfect natural light or perfect flash with
good blur and sharpness at the right points....it is not so easy.

GOOD JOBS :-)))

Love that pics.

cmorganphotography

I like the last one best. Something about the dance move, her hair and the dress. I also think the all feathers one is a close second. Implied nudity [or actual] can be really good and these are tastefully done and look like it was fun for both of you.
She has a strong jawline and it's just working it's magic in #6. #7 looks really neat and I love the star peaking over her shoulder. That dress seemed like it was meant to be in silhouette.
Much less fabric love this time. It looks like two feather masks and a feather boa, am I right?

evoryware

#1. Hi Mina!
#2. I like this but I wish she was a step over to her right. Instead of centered, in the frame, centered in the black of the background.
#3. Glad you didn't tar her first! Definitely in the running for the contest!
#4. Her foot looks funny in the distance, but nice shot.
#5. Beautiful and I like the background. That weed goin thru her leg tho...
#6. Even better!
#7. My favorite of your silhouette shots by far.
#8. I see you took some advice from NielL.
#9. Looks awesome from top to bottom. Love the rim lighting. Looks like you put that vid to use!
#10. Is this straight out of camera? Love the mix of still and motion in it.
Spicy w/ or without the salsa dress! Nice stuff.

Nikolai

Flyinggina wrote:

Another jaw dropping set, Nik.

Even though I haven't commented before, I'm really enjoying the results of your model shoots. Fabulous stuff.

Love your entry in the challenge!

Take care.

Virginia

Thank you, Virginia, always good to hear from you!

Nikolai

JH-Photo wrote:

Great Pics :-)
Especially the outdoor pics are great.

From my point of view. good studio pics, can be made by everyone.
But good outdoor pics with perfect natural light or perfect flash with
good blur and sharpness at the right points....it is not so easy.

GOOD JOBS :-)))

Love that pics.

Thanks!
For some reason not many people use gelled flash outdoors.
Even smaller amount bring TWO lights to the regular outdoor shoot.
And recently I have started to really think about adding a third one.
As soon as I figure out the logistics of it...
Cheers!

Nikolai

cmorganphotography wrote:

I like the last one best. Something about the dance move, her hair and the dress.

I agree. I can see now how it can be improved, but it got out OK as it is.

Funny story about that shot... This was pretty much our last look, it was like 10min past sunset with not much of a clouds, so the light was falling fast. Also, as it often happens, bugs were fairly active around this time, and this place has a lot of them. I didn't like the length of the dress (duh;-) and asked her to pull the skirt part up. Being a great sport (as I already mentioned) she did as she was told. Bugs continued to attack her, and with both of her hands busy holding the skirt she did what every normal living being would do when annoyed by the bugs: she shook her head trying to shoo them away with her hair... Needless to say it immediate "clicked" with me that that's *it* and we spent the next several minutes perfecting it.

I can pretty much swear by now that the best stuff always happens in the end and it's always unpredictable. You simply need to be ready for it, and the whole "official session" is only a groundwork to build up that spirit and
rapport and ultimate creativity, which all together give the "the moment it clicks" (gosh, I love that book)

I also think the all feathers one is a close second.

Yeah, that was the actual "official target" of the whole shoot, so I'm glad it worked out decent.

Implied nudity [or actual] can be really good and these are tastefully done and look like it was fun for both of you.

Coming from you, I'm flattered:-)

She has a strong jawline and it's just working it's magic in #6.

#7 looks really neat and I love the star peaking over her shoulder. That dress seemed like it was meant to be in silhouette.

Yeah, this was a great piece of wardrobe. We only used it in a couple of looks, but it's so freaking versatile you can use it for two-three hours and still come up with some new ways of using it..

Much less fabric love this time. It looks like two feather masks and a feather boa, am I right?

I did get a fair share of "fabric love" shots, too:-), but they would not look much different from my previous ones, so I decided to skip them and post something Mina-specific:-)

Thank you!

cloak

The dark shadow(?) on the bottom of 5 and 6 is distracting in otherwise great pictures.

I like how you really accentuated her strong legs. They photograph very well. Good job!

Nikolai

Thank you very much, I do appreciate your strait and easy to follow C&C!

#2. I like this but I wish she was a step over to her right. Instead of centered, in the frame, centered in the black of the background.

It was very early in the shoot (being her first shoot ever, as I mentioned). I was desperately trying to shooke her up. She was trying hard, but still I wasn't getting what I wanted, so I decided to use some unusual props. I looked around and noticed my fencing gear:-) She never saw anything like that before, liked it a lot and it happened to be a real ice-breaker. This was one of her first "in the goove" frames, I liked it a lot, so I decided to include it into the final set.

#3. Glad you didn't tar her first! Definitely in the running for the contest!

Tar?? No, no, how could I... Wait a sec...Hmmm

#4. Her foot looks funny in the distance, but nice shot.

Thanks!

#5. Beautiful and I like the background. That weed goin thru her leg tho...

I saw that and comteplated removing it or choosing another frame. However my final train of thought was "it's a nature shot, and this is a connection to nature", so I let it be:-)

#6. Even better!

#7. My favorite of your silhouette shots by far.

#8. I see you took some advice from NielL.

Well, actually I'have been doing it for a while, Neil just brought it up:-)

#9. Looks awesome from top to bottom. Love the rim lighting. Looks like you put that vid to use!

Thanks! Yeah, that link was very helpful. I'm now thinking of adding 3d light for this scenario (making it two rims + one main) , I just need to figure out how to carry all this stuff.

#10. Is this straight out of camera? Love the mix of still and motion in it.
Spicy w/ or without the salsa dress! Nice stuff.

Well, there were some touchups done, but general look and feel was present right off the bat.

Thank you very much again for your detailed comments!

Nikolai

cloak wrote:

The dark shadow(?) on the bottom of 5 and 6 is distracting in otherwise great pictures.

I hear ya. It's actually a barbed wire fence going VP, but I agree, it looks like a shadow and is distracting. I will try to avoid including it in the frame at that light next time.

I like how you really accentuated her strong legs. They photograph very well. Good job!

Thanks!

cmorganphotography

Nikolai wrote:

Coming from you, I'm flattered:-)



Yeah, this was a great piece of wardrobe. We only used it in a couple of looks, but it's so freaking versatile you can use it for two-three hours and still come up with some new ways of using it..
I did get a fair share of "fabric love" shots, too:-), but they would not look much different from my previous ones, so I decided to skip them and post something Mina-specific:-)

Thank you!

So, you're saying there's a fabrigasm in my future? [with appropriate emote]
You are most welcome. I'm not a nude nazi, I just hate the culture of "open wide." Or having apples in mouths... you get the idea. Fetish stuff can be fun and look so good... but it can go too far, as can nudity. I'm sure she was nude but with all the colour and lighting and theme, it doesn't say "Hey lookit my tits." It says "artistic and moody," and I don't see the four zones. It's a picture I would take. I would have used bodypaint, though. Someday I'll get around to my body canvas project, but lens... lights... studio first... blah blah blah...
So, yeah. I'm not the enemy! I just have restrictions.
I think it all went really smooth considering she's green. She is a helluva lot more confident out of the gate than a lot of girls are after they've gained experience. I think she'll just be dynamite after she learns her face angles but as is she already got fire. A strong jawline can be such a blessing. She can carry the mask, she can carry a large hat. Not a lot of people can do that. She looks well balanced. I think she forgot her lipstick though.
I hope you get to work with Mina again. She's got Golden Age written all over her. Furs, large hats, mermaid gowns slit up to there. Very nice set. Very good model!

Shima

Nik these are all fabulous! You always continue to amaze

Nikolai

Shima wrote:

Nik these are all fabulous! You always continue to amaze

Thanks, Cat, you're too kind!

Swartzy

Beautiful Nik. #10 is in a class by itself. I like the variation you've done here. Lighting is very nice as well. Keep up the great work. For the studio (indoor) shots maybe next time go for some dynamic lighting for the heck of it......these are very nice as they are but am envisioning some selective lighting to enhance the mood...again, it's me and simply an observation. Great guns dude!

cmorganphotography

The portable black bg, what did it cost ad where can I find a comprable one? I'm bidding some jobs... and need some studio gear.

goofry

I've been watching your posts for just a while, and I have to say I am beginning to look forward to the next post each time.

#7 is my favorite. I love the silhouette and hint of something without really showing much. You have her positioned very well and I like the use of the sheer dress. Simply, WOW

#10 comes in next for me. It's hard to really describe what it is about this picture. The dress is very nice on her, but she puts a lot of emotion in with the movement. You did a great job capturing all that emotion.

#9 follows right along. Very nice pose and composition.

You do a very good job of posing your models in a very comfortable looking position while still accentuating their features.

I may have missed it in some earlier post, but have you ever taken a shot of your setup, both in studio and on location. I would like to see how you do your lighting for these wonderful shots.

Nicely done

WildWally

All are superb , but 2/5/7/9 are EXTREMELY appealing !!!!
Very nice ...

Nikolai

Swartzy wrote:

Beautiful Nik. #10 is in a class by itself. I like the variation you've done here. Lighting is very nice as well. Keep up the great work. For the studio (indoor) shots maybe next time go for some dynamic lighting for the heck of it......these are very nice as they are but am envisioning some selective lighting to enhance the mood...again, it's me and simply an observation. Great guns dude!

Thanks, David!
I am planning on more selective light... especially now that I have the power I have a coupe of shoots coming this weeknd, we'll see:-)

Nikolai

cmorganphotography wrote:

The portable black bg, what did it cost ad where can I find a comprable one? I'm bidding some jobs... and need some studio gear.

It can be anything from $20..$30 if you opt for PVC frame and a dark cloth from SA store to $200..$300 if you go all high end. "The choice is yours"
PS Mine is $80 rack from Amvona plus ~$40 worth of fabric from LA's famous Fashion District.

Nikolai

goofry wrote:

I've been watching your posts for just a while, and I have to say I am beginning to look forward to the next post each time.

Thank you, appreciate it!

#7 is my favorite. I love the silhouette and hint of something without really showing much. You have her positioned very well and I like the use of the sheer dress. Simply, WOW

#10 comes in next for me. It's hard to really describe what it is about this picture. The dress is very nice on her, but she puts a lot of emotion in with the movement. You did a great job capturing all that emotion.

It was a nice moment, I'm glad I captured it, and thus far everybody seems to like it:-)

#9 follows right along. Very nice pose and composition.

Thanks again!

You do a very good job of posing your models in a very comfortable looking position while still accentuating their features.

I tell them every time when we start: "If the pose is uncomfortable - don't take it or at least let me know. Unless there is a special occasion where you can be VERY uncomfortable but it just looks great"

I may have missed it in some earlier post, but have you ever taken a shot of your setup, both in studio and on location. I would like to see how you do your lighting for these wonderful shots.

Yes I posted quite a few of those. Do the search in "People" for my threads, I'm sure you find more than one.

In the studio it's usually a main (7' octabox or a 3'x4'/stripped softbox), plus a silver reflector on a side plus a hairlight with a DIY 0.5'x1' diffuser.



Outdoors is either one light in Rembrandt position if there is enough light from the sun/skies to provide the backlight/hairlight:



or two lights in diagonal pattern, second being higher and 1/2..1 stop brighter:

Nicely done

NeilL

Nik!

You are really DOING it!

#5 is the one I think is most successful, tho she should be wearing white shoes, and that green plant L has latched onto her leg (understandable), and left a blob of some green substance on her ankle L (also understandable) and she has attracted a lurking dinosaur just R of her ankles (I've heard of sex tourism, is this sex time-traveling? ).

#3 There are just too many feathers. I think it's a failure of nerve. You should have started with naked and then enhanced it with props, rather than distributing the props to NOT reveal too much nakeness. And too much face is lost.

#4 Too much face is lost in this one too. I would have liked her propped on one elbow, with her body in perspective, as it is, but more uniformly lit so there are no separate tone planes near to far.

#8 It's too dead still. No involvement of the subject. The sun chews into the edge line of the silhouette, and also makes her hair look raggedy. The nakedness is good, but I would have liked to see some light giving some moulding to her body features so it was more dimensional than featureless flat. Just a tease of mounds and hollows and skin texture.

#10 I've already talked about the great involvement and the horrible legs.

It's a lot of fun following your progress, and the discussions, and I'm learning heaps! clap

Neil

Blurmore

The silhouette need something beside her mop of hair, she could be a taller more lithe cousin it. You need to see her face in profile (unless she has a shnoz). The rest is very cool and I think your light placement is very good, and the fall is great considering you are not using modifiers. You can carry a third light in the field... I do it for portraits all the time (weddings sometimes). Sunpak 622's work great for this or if you are just looking for a ground light even a 430 EX (or nikon equiv speedlite) will work. If you are considering using this third as a hair light be very careful to meter it correctly and don't move much. It is easy to get overpowered by a hair light (because you usually have to pump it up because it has to be far away) and easy to get flared by it. Flared isn't a big deal, but overpowered can leave weird shadows on the face.

Sam

These are fantastic!!!

Sam

len20

Hellooooo Mina!

Nikolai

NeilL wrote:

Nik!
You are really DOING it!
....

Thank you Neil, appreciate the time and thoughts! Alwasy good to hear a detailed feedback!

Nikolai

Blurmore wrote:

The silhouette need something beside her mop of hair, she could be a taller more lithe cousin it. You need to see her face in profile (unless she has a shnoz). The rest is very cool and I think your light placement is very good, and the fall is great considering you are not using modifiers. You can carry a third light in the field... I do it for portraits all the time (weddings sometimes). Sunpak 622's work great for this or if you are just looking for a ground light even a 430 EX (or nikon equiv speedlite) will work. If you are considering using this third as a hair light be very careful to meter it correctly and don't move much. It is easy to get overpowered by a hair light (because you usually have to pump it up because it has to be far away) and easy to get flared by it. Flared isn't a big deal, but overpowered can leave weird shadows on the face.

Thank you!
Now that I have finally learned how to use my 580EXII with PW and a new cartrige for Sunpak555 will arrive today to replace the one I lost in the Tawny accident I think I'll be using three light setup outdoor more often: two as rim/fair and one as a main/fill.
Darn, I forgot to order another umbrella clamp, I only have two :bash :bash :bash
Of well, I'll figure something out in the meantime...

Nikolai

Sam wrote:

These are fantastic!!!

Sam

Thanks Sam!

Nikolai

len20 wrote:

Hellooooo Mina!

Blurmore

Nikolai wrote:

Thank you!
Now that I have finally learned how to use my 580EXII with PW and a new cartrige for Sunpak555 will arrive today to replace the one I lost in the Tawny accident I think I'll be using three light setup outdoor more often: two as rim/fair and one as a main/fill.
Darn, I forgot to order another umbrella clamp, I only have two :bash :bash :bash
Of well, I'll figure something out in the meantime...

If you are using the 580 EX II on a stand off camera without a modifier you can velcro the PW reciever to the top of the flash (or let it hang) and use the little stand up foot to mount it to the threaded stud on the lightstand...you get no angle control and if the stand goes over you risk breaking the foot, but it works in a pinch. This is how I mount my 430 EX all the time.

Nikolai

Blurmore wrote:

If you are using the 580 EX II on a stand off camera without a modifier you can velcro the PW reciever to the top of the flash (or let it hang) and use the little stand up foot to mount it to the threaded stud on the lightstand...you get no angle control and if the stand goes over you risk breaking the foot, but it works in a pinch. This is how I mount my 430 EX all the time.

I actually did just that, you can see it as a front light on my last setup picture in this thread.
But gosh, is it weak or what? I got spolied by sunpaks...