theodora

With a local forum there is a contest to produce a calendar for 2009
theme and model are give and the participants have to arrange for the rest.

august's theme is <<fresh orange hype>>

model: theodora
MUA: theodora

nikon D300 iso100 f/8

elinchrom octa 'deep throat' on camera right,
elinchrom strip light to camera left slightly behind the model.
d-lite 4 gel'ed for the background (black studio wall),
small strip ath the height of the glass with the orange 90deg to camera - model axis

first was just a test for the control of make-up, etc. unfortunately color for background did not match clothing/makeup so i converted to b/w

no photoshop, only lightroom for conversion/crop/background clearing

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Nicolas

Hi Nicolas,

You have picked a wonderful concept for the calendar using a woman and desire as the basic building blocks. I'm going to write more on what I have issues with because getting to the final idea is the goal, not just more praise.

I do like the coordination of the colors. It makes for a unity in the picture. We want to exclude things in photography so that our subjects are uniquely significant. You have done this here when you reduce the color palette, as the model now fits into a milieu which extends from her. Having the orange slice, blurred, out of sharp focus, provides a further clue to our eyes to go to her. That device, however, is rather obvious and I'd have tried it perhaps with a little less obviousness. Here, we are told by the picture, "Don't ponder or lurk here!" whereas it should be instructed to out physiology not our sentient brain. I prefer the first of the orange picture series.

I would consider carefully her hands and nails. With your composition, the hand comes forward and her nails are important as much as her eyes and dress. These are what are moving toward us. The way the nails are done may be the new style, and I'm told, that's so. Still, for this picture, a curved finish is what I'd ask for. The squared off fashion stops the movement and presents loess delicately and the "shovel" end of the new fashion.

Finally I'm always a fan of the Elinchron lighting except why the deep throat Oct instead of the softer lighter of the large shallow Octa? In any case, what would you think of lightening the hair and her eyes in that first picture of her.

Can you keep shooting her. The nails need to be reconsidered as they are to harsh and the gentle more feminine oval curved form would boost the unity of design.

Asher

BTW, Nicolas, make sure you add back the IPTC data at least with your © in the file!