Out of the blue, I had an
email from Daisy, a catwalk and commercial model, with nine years’ experience.
Apparently, she loved my work and specifically, art nudes. Given her status and
high-profile client base, more traditional nudes were a non-starter. Career suicide,
in fact.
For a wealth of reasons, I am
very particular about who I will undertake nude commissions with. Though there
is a huge difference between erotica and pornography, gratuitous nudity, or tabloid
“Glamour” work has no draw for me.
Standing 5’11 tall and
weighing 9.5 stone, her lithe, yet extremely feminine figure were perfect for
creating intriguing shapes and close-up body-scapes. Given anonymity was the
overriding theme, I discussed a slightly surreal element. One that Daisy seemed
amused by. Bottom line (and this goes for any trade/profession) never ask
someone to do something they do not feel confident, or comfortable with.
Though fluidity does strike
during shoots, they must always remain within the boundaries agreed. I’ve had
models book me for lingerie/boudoir themes, then feel midway, they’d like to
try topless/implied. I gently decline. People often do things in the heat of
the moment, without considering the longer-term consequences. I may consider this level, as a separate booking, a few weeks later. Once I am confident they have thought it through.
Having established terms of
reference, perimeters and levels, I loaded up my KA with Sony Alpha and A7
bodies, 50 and 30mm lenses. Portable lighting and reflectors, spare batteries
and a full tank of fuel.
Thankfully we were shooting on
a bright day and the building had a good supply of natural light. Never
underestimate the importance of ambient temperature, when undertaking nude,
boudoir or similar genres, either.
The anonymous aspect means
covering the face, either with hair, masks, or similar props. This can leave
the model feeling acutely vulnerable. Especially, if they are unfamiliar with
the photographer/assistant. Therefore, I maintain a running dialogue, saying
where I am, and what to expect next. I also break regularly, so both parties
can review the work.
This reveals what we’ve achieved,
where to go next, what worked and sometimes, what didn’t. We noted a couple of
shots, which were more explicit than either had intended, so these were deleted.
Solid rapport lead to the shoot overrunning slightly, but time is another
boundary that must never be overstepped.
An extremely rewarding shoot with a
delightful woman and a consummately professional model.
