scsdesphotography Loc: Southeastern Michigan

Enough of me ("A portrait of the . . ."). This image was the result of an in-person (remember those?) portrait class a few years ago, at the community college. This was my third time, I really like my instructor, and I learn new things each time. Our requirement for this session was to bring in a model, any willing victim we could find, to be shared and posed by my classmates. For refence purposes I'll call my younger friend and volunteer, Double S. The instructor set up multiple stations using various kinds of studio lights and back drops. The models rotated between set-ups, and we took turns posing them and adjusting the lights.

Double S had spent the last year working out and he was very proud of his physique, so he had no problem discarding his shirt and showing off his pecs! At this station there was one softbox camera left and a reflector on the right. The backdrop was mostly gray, so I aimed the light to illuminate him from the front and away from the backdrop. I adjusted the reflector to provide some fill light for the dark side of his chest and face. I had him stand at a slight angle to the camera so that his chest had more definition. It was a fun session and he really enjoyed being at the center of things. For those concerned, his parents did sign a modeling release allowing the college and myself to use his images for non-commercial purposes.

A portrait of my younger friend:

(Download)

scsdesphotography Loc: Southeastern Michigan

I forgot to ask the question at the end of my previous post. What could I have done differently with regards to posing and lighting, to improve this image?

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

My suggestions:

If I wanted to emphasize the "bodybuilder" aspect of this portrait, I would have applied SHORT light as opposed to broad light and used a CONTRA pos as opposed to a similar pos or a more dynamic composition.

I shot light, that is a light coming in for a direction turned away from the direction that the subject is facing. The shadows on the camera would emphasize the musculature on the chest and prove the face with more chiselled and dramatic lighting.

A similar pose is where the body and face are facing the same direction. A contra pose is where the head and body are posed in different or opposite directions.

scsdesphotography Loc: Southeastern Michigan

Thanks Ed. Good suggestions. I'll try the Contra pose the next time I get somebody to bare their chest and pose for me. If I understand your idea, then, I could have put the main light to camera left, in the same direction that he was looking?

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

That pose can be used for folks who are fully clothed or bare-chested, male or female. Sometimes is called the "feminine pose" and the simial pose is called the "masculine pose". It depends on how the head is tipped.