Ayla – Handstand (NSFW)
Working with Ayla always gives some great images. In this set athletic handstands are the main focus of her poses
Model : Ayla
- Lighting: Window Light
- Model: Canon 5D Mk IV
- Lens: EF50mm f/1.8 II
- Shutter Speed: 1/125 second
- Aperture: F/8.0
- ISO Speed:100
Capturing someone performing a handstand you would think it would be easy. However you need a model that has the athletic ability to perform them. Ayla is a model with a dance background and has great athletic ability as you can see in the above images. So was idea for working with to capture these strong athletic shapes.
I worked Ayla a few times in the past. You can see some of my dance images which featuring Ayla in my Dance portfolio by clicking here.
So she was ideal to work with to capture the strong athletic form of the handstand shape.
I had arranged to work with her at the Loft studio in Rochester. Which is a small and compact studio. Worth a visit if you need a studio in that area. The studio has a window at one side that gives some really good natural light. Which worked really well for shooting these shots.
20 in 2020
2020 a challenging year
Well, what a different and challenging year 2020 has been.
None of us have been unaffected in some way by this global pandemic. Little did we know what was coming in the early part of the year. Shoots and travel were booked and then slowly they were all cancelled as the lockdown came into being across the world.
For all creatives this has been an incredibly challenging time.
Fortunately some enterprising people saw an opportunity to use technology and the web to enable remote shooting and thus image making could take place. With me at home and the models in another part of the world, this was a way to keep producing images during the periods of lockdown.
This certainly enabled me to work with creatives in other countries which would not have been possible in normal times. A few of the images selected here were shot remotely with models/dancers as far away as Denmark. When the restrictions eased mid year, some social distance studio work did take place.
I think I have learnt a little bit about myself during this time. I am more interested in the engagement with people and creatives, then the popularity of my photographs. If people like my work then that is fine, but I am not interested in creating images to be popular.
That would compromise my creativity and my style of image making. I have certainly found a calmness in creating images that I like and not being driven to follow the trend to be popular.
As is often said “Art mirrors life” and aesthetic output reflects on us as people. The twenty images I have selected here are ones where I felt strong connections with the creatives I was working with and reflect my style and values.
Thanks to all the creatives I managed to work with this year and lets hope that 2021 brings a return to a more normal artistic environment.
Models/ Dancers: Carla Monaco, Riona Neve, Poppyseed Dancer & Jasmin, Elesha Eden, Natalia, BOou, Ariel Taylor, Amie Boulton, Zoi, Erica Mulkern.
Erica – Black Tutu shapes
Dance Photography – a set of dance themed images featuring the Dancer Erica Mulkern. I have worked with Erica a number of times. We have always managed to create strong dance images. As I will be working with her again in the near future. I decided to work up some images from my last shoot with her.
The first four images are a set shot with high key lighting and feature Erica doing ballet style floor shapes with a black tutu. The other three were a selection from the shoot and feature different lighting and a change of outfit
She is great to work with and can produce ballet as well as contemporary dance shapes and moves. More images featuring Erica, feature in my dance portfolio here.
December Print of the Month
My pick for the December 2020 Print of the Month is entitled: Aerial hoop shapes hold a glode.Read More
Paisley pattern tights leg shapes (NSFW)
I have worked with Ivory Flame (Holly) a number of times in the past. She is a great creative model to work with. This set of images below were all shot at my studio, during a session with Holly. For the shoot I had purchased a pair of Paisley pattern tights. Which gave a nice texture to the legs. With Holly posing on the edge of a settee to give a base shape for Holly to work against. Which show off the Paisley pattern tights and her figure shape nicely. To light this set up I used a two lights. One a studio flash fitted with and striped soft box this was fitted grid to control the light direction. I also added an Arri constant light across the background. Which was focused to give a strip of light coming down across the background.
- Model: Ivory Flame.
- Location: My Studio
- Lighting: Mixed constant and a gridded studio flash.
- Camera: Fuji XT-2
- Lens: XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR
- Shutter Speed : 1/125sec @ F -5.6
- Aperture: F /5.6
- ISO – 200
November Print of the Month
My pick for the November 2020 Print of the Month is entitled: The form of a straight leg raise.
Natalia – Torn jeans
A session I called Torn jeans. These images are from a studio session with model Natalia. These are from the first set we shot with Natalia wearing her torn jeans and a white tee shirt. Love the energy and expression that she produced while we worked this setup.
- Model: Natalia
- Lighting: Single studio light fitted with a large Octa box
- Camera: Fuji Film GFX 50s
- Apeture: F5.6
- Focal lenght: 110mm
- ISO: 100
- Outfits: models own
I have not worked with Natalia before but was really pleased to have had the chance to book and work with her in the studio.
You can see more of my dance images here
Carla in a Leather Jacket mood
Model Carla was in the area which gave me a chance to work with her again. I arranged a studio session at my local studio Silkwood. For this set of images the lighting is provided by a large gridded Octa box to the left hand side of the model. The white wall to the right hand side reflects the light back in to model to provide some nice fill
- Model: Carla Monaco
- Lighting: Single Studio light fitted with a large gridded Octa box
- Jacket: Models own
- Styling Carla
- Camera: Fuji Film GFX 50S
- Lens: GF110mmF2 R LM WR
- 1/125 sec @ f-4.5 / ISO 100
I have worked with Carla Monoco a number of times in the past. You can see some more output from these shoots from these links. Walters wardrobe, Bandana.