Today’s Post by Blue Moon Staff
From the first instant when you meet a glamour model, you should begin developing a good working relationship. Maybe it’s at just during a casting session but, in many cases, it’s when she rings your doorbell for the first time. Beware of first impressions. I remember the first time I met one particular model—look for a post about her soon—at the front door of my home and had no idea of how impressive she would be until I turned on the lights and pointed a camera at her. It was a Jekyll and Hyde transformation of the best possible kind.
But even before you start shooting, you should let the model know the kind of photographs you have in mind so she understands what’s expected of her. (Part of that is a warm-up exercise that I’ll discuss in a future post.) You might start by showing her some of the kinds of shots you’re looking to make, Also let her know the type of attitude you want her to express, it will help her do a good job. If you have done a shot similar to the one you are working on with her email her a link to it before the shoot. But nowhere will your personality, working style and communication skills be more helpful than when you have a model in front of your camera.
I talk to every model differently.
I think it’s our first job as glamour photographers to find the best way of working with each model in a way that makes her comfortable. Sometimes I’m a goofball and other times, depending on the specific model’s experience level, I’m quiet and just shoot. Either way, when I make what I think is a great shot, I always show it to them on the back of the camera. This kind of feedback is, I think, essential in communicating and motivating a model to work with you to create better images.
Glamour photography is a collaborative process. You need to combine the best of your talents and the best of hers to create a synergy that makes the sum greater than the parts. The most important thing to remember during the entire process is to treat every model with the highest ethical and professional standards. It will make your photographs better and your legal bills non-existent.
About the portrait
I photographed Joy in the doorway to (what real estate agents would call) a Butler’s Pantry that’s next to the dining room of my home. Lighting was from a combination of daylight coming through a large large South-facing window at camera right (on the second floor in an open foyer) along with a Rotolight LED light source at camera right. I also turned on the incandescent light in the butler’s pantry to fill any shadows behind her and to add some warmth to the background. Camera used was a Panasonic Lumix GH4 with M Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 lens The exposure was 1/60 sec at f/1.8 and ISO 800.
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