Let's face it, we all love digital photography.
Being able to shoot and view multiple images of the same subject makes taking great shots a thrill, and frankly, not that hard. It also fills your camera or phone with images that are not quite perfect. So, how do I choose from the hundreds of images that I take during a sensual photo shoot? I cull them.
My Clients hire me because they like my style of sensual photography. During the photo shoot, they ask for my eye, vision, and opinions about poses and lighting. They tell me what areas of their bodies that they want to show and not show, and I respect their sensitivities. Most importantly they trust me to bring out and capture in my camera the sensual, beguiling, seductive parts of themselves that they rarely, if ever, get to see. And that is why I shoot so many images during a sensual photo session. I need to catch the moments where light, pose, angle and emotion come together to create the sultry images we're working towards. Culling through the images after the shoot is the way I find those perfect raw shots that I can massage to expose the sexy gems within.
Take a look at this raw image straight from the camera.
The pose is great, the lighting is solid, the angle is good and emotion is provocative. There is a gem hidden in this image, can you see it? We just need to do a little digging to unleash it.
Let your eye wander around the image and notice where it is drawn. What is grabbing your attention?
I see the vintage window, the blue panties, and a classic black patent leather stiletto at the end of a curving leg. What I don't 'see' is the woman. We want to see the woman.
My first question is, what is the color adding to this sultry image? In my opinion, nothing. All that color is distracting my eye from the woman.
That's why this image screams Black and White!
Black and White photography has its own seductive quality. It can make a provocative image classic with, thanks to digital cameras, just the click of a button. It does this by bringing out the contrast between the shadows and light. And those contrasts work perfectly on the long curves of the female form.
Now that gorgeous woman is the focus of the image. The distractions are gone and your eye can move along the line that starts with the rise of her glutes and flows down to the tip of her pointed toe and stiletto heel. Steamy is an understatement.
I did one more thing to really make this gem of an image sparkle. I added a few small luminous touches of light to the skin along that leg to enhance the shadow/light contrasts that were already there. These small spots of light help to draw your eye down her leg. This is not retouching, I didn't change her skin or the shape of her leg. I only sharpened the contrast of light and shadows. So both versions of this photo are Un-Retouched.
"Wow! That's me?... I'm Hot!"
For now, know that for most of my clients, coming back to view their images is more nerve racking than the actual photo session. That is the biggest reason I really take my time culling each image and pulling out the gems. I want to hear my client say, "Wow! That's me?... I'm Hot!" to each un-retouched image I show her. So that she will feel thrilled about her body and herself when she chooses the images for her Sensual Photo Book. I want her to know deep down that she is ravishing and flawless. I want her to be proud of who she the next time she shows off her sexual, playful, naughty self. And I especially want her to be excited to share her images and experience over and over again.
One more important step in the culling process is cropping the image. Cropping can make a questionable image jaw-dropping with just a few nips and cuts.
We'll cover that the next time we meet Behind the Lens,
T
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