One way to shake-up your pretty girl shooting, you know, to kick it up a notch and add drama and interest, is by getting low. I'm not talking low-brow or mind-in-the-gutter low, although those mind-sets sometimes work, I'm referring to your shooting angles: Your position with the camera relative to the model, i.e., shooting up, rakishly up, from down low with radical, upward-looking, shooting angles.I often shoot from somewhat low-ish angles. Sometimes, I shoot from way down low angles. That doesn't just mean plopping my ass on an apple box and shooting up. (Which I'm often prone to doing.) It also means dropping my ass even lower: On my back or on my belly low. (On my back tends to be lower than on my belly altho my diet has me in shrinking belly mode and, before too long, I should be good-2-go, belly up or belly down.) Also, placing the model on a riser in the studio with a seamless behind her or positioning the model higher (than you) on a slope when you're shooting exterior locations are a couple of other ways to capture down-low goodness. (Without the need to lie on your back or belly.)
Besides adding drama and interest, shooting from down low adds power to the model, i.e., makes her seem more powerful in the image. Conversely, shooting from high angles downward often has the opposite effect. Photographing models from eye-level angles
For viewers, images shot from down-low (that is, shot from low with angles looking up) can make models really stand-out in a dominant way even when the background environment is dramatic and powerful, e.g., awesome sunsets or other dramatic skies, cool urban skylines, other breathtaking landscapes or really cool interiors. BTW, when I say "dominant," I don't necessarily mean it in a sexual sense -- although that can also be accomplished from down-low shooting -- I'm speaking more to the way viewers perceive the model when you're shooting from radically low positions and angled up.
If you want to go even further with this down-low stuff, try shooting from very low with Dutch angles. (A canted camera.) Doing so also produces really cool, less-often-seen, images.
Kayla, once again at the top, this time from down-low with her shining light on me. I gotta say, it's always a nice view when I'm down-low, between a hot model's legs, looking up. Yeah, I know, get your mind outa the gutter, Jimmy. But hey! I'm often being paid for having my mind in the gutter. It's part of my profession. It's like, when I'm on duty, I'm a paid perv. Besides, I'm a guy, right? A straight guy. I'm wired that way. So there!
7 comments:
True that! I remember in the basic photo classes I received -1 semester lol the rest self learned- that we studied the psychology of angles and how many people used the photographer in low angle to reinforce the message of strength, might!.
Sometimes for me is kinda difficult lol... I'm 5.9' and most of the models I work with are way smaller than me, and I learned about knee pads :D!!
Beautiful photo jimmy, the attitude the angle and the pose is amazing :)
My best wishes
Eduar
Jimmy, when shooting from a low position, do you have any words of wisdom in order to avoid the up-the-nostrils look? In looking at your photo, it's not an issue. Would it have been an issue if you photographed her from the shoulders upwards?
@anon,
...any words of wisdom in order to avoid the up-the-nostrils look?
Great question! I'll try to be wise in my answer. :-)
The up-the-nostrils thing is definitely something to avoid.
Couple of ways to do that: A) Don't let the model tilt her head back, in fact, have her tilt it slightly downward; B) Have the model turn her head slightly away from the camera, in the horizontal axis, one direction or the other. I prefer having her turn away from the mainlight. That produces some shadow depending on how much fill is coming from the darker/less-exposed side; C) Don't light from below; D) Be extra careful if the model has particularly wide, flaring nostrils.
In the example image of Kayla you can see that A, B, and C are going on. Plus, she's not naturally nostril-ishess.
JimmyD, thanks for the great answers. I didn't think of B.
And C is somewhat surprising to me. C) Don't light from below caught my attention because I thought we were supposed to avoid lighting from below.
On a somewhat tangential note...
I just happened to be flipping through Joe McNally's book, The Moment It Clicks, and on page 110, he writes the following:
Ever look at your subject and wonder why their face is all aglow with light? It's often because the light is coming from below. Look around. The light from the door or from the window...is it hitting the ground?
Never underestimate the floor as a light source. Set up your main light. Look average? Need a little glamour? A little fill? Throw a Lastolite panel on the floor or...a fill board...or a bed sheet. Bounce light into it at -2 EV off the main light value.
Presto. Your subject's face starts to come alive, those undereye shadows soften, and our average executive, well, I'll stop short of saying you'll turn 'em into George Clooney, but it's helpful, let's put it that way.
Don't try this if your subject wears glasses. We're talking hit city, bad reflections. But, if your subject is a high-fashion model in Shanghai and your shooting her in a hip nightclub, hit the floor and go for the glow!
Any thoughts on McNally comments?
Thanks again JimmyD for your helpful advice on making better glamour pics and avoiding up-the-nostrils look.
@anon, I'll definitely Go-with-Joe on that advice. And not just for high-fashion models in Shanghai.
As always, good information/advice, Jimmy.
I've used my right-angle finder for this from time to time, but it's a bit cumbersome. Wished I never sold my Rolleiflex...
Will
Jimmy,
Thanks for another good post but it leads me to a question. I have read that some fashion shooters shoot models with a wide angle. What's your opinion / experience with that?
Thanks,
Bob
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