First Shoot with Arya

Arya in Knit

 I had my first shoot with Arya yesterday. I've not had any shoots for the last three weeks, and I'll soon be wrapping up for the year and starting my seasonal editing. I mean, when it's wet and cold outside, it's much better to be editing than during the warm, dry months when I'd prefer to be shooting.

Anyway, I had previously contacted the first week of August, but we weren't able to schedule anything until this past week. Since the weather has turned for the season, by necessity our shoot was in my home studio. 

Spangles and Skin

For our first shoot, I chose to go with my On Black project which requires a simply three light setup (key, fill, and rim) and a black, light absorbing backdrop. 

For this project, I use various types of jewelry and body chains. I like the contrast of textures––shiny metal and jewels against the skin made to really pop by the light. In most cases, I use also use a table or ottoman on which the model can pose. This requires the model to use compact poses, but one look at Arya and I knew that wouldn't work. 

Arya is a lovely girl with long legs and arms and a torso to match. Given her height and frame, even with compact poses, keeping all of her and the background in frame would be tough without using a short focal length. A wide angle lens distorts the face when used close to the model, so I chose instead to use standing poses. 

Punk Metal Masks

Arya brought an escort with her, primarily because she doesn't drive. He mainly kept to himself and browsed his phone while we shot. Arya posed well and we kept up a nice conversation as we worked. I enjoyed working with her and we definitely got some good shots. She was the first model to pose with my new cyber-punk metal masks and made them look good.