Shooting Sexy

Appeal., originally uploaded by kamikaze productions.

It wasn’t until recently, that I really got into shooting a model in a photograph. Most of the subjects in my work are my friends turned guinea pigs or strangers unaware of the new found celebrity via my lens.

I had a friend that approached me looking for some basic shots to start off her porfolio. It was an extraordinary challenge, given my lack of experience, not to mention the yellowish tint of light and low light at that — throw in no use of flash — in my apartment. So instead of really getting portfolio work done, it became a learning experience in what work and what doesn’t in low light no flash situations, and I found out that you can salvage a shoot if you don’t mind getting artistic.

This photo exudes sexy, classy — sexy. There is one element in this photo that keeps it sexy as opposed to the reaction — “She’s hot!” that you would get from a regular photo on some bikini modeling website. That element is absence of light, the vacuum that creates one of a photographer’s favorite tools – shadows.

Don’t get me wrong, I did use a preset in light room when I processed this shot, but the shadows are what make this photo what it is. There are both subtle shadows and overwhelming shadows. Subtle shadows have their role in a light ballad down the center of the chest, while heavy shadows drench her right side and even medium shadows have some play across her face.

Photography is capturing an image based on lighting…I have several other definitions as well…but regardless, pay attention to how you use the absence of lighting as well as the presence of lighting to capture the context, emotion, and aesthetic that you are looking for when shooting.