david w good

I love this! It's simple both in setting and pose. Elegant in that you have a beautiful model who understands how to "present" and it's in black and white. Wonderful composition! Thank you for sharing it with us.

I like this image. There is a peacefulness to it, a tranquil state that her gaze out the window conveys. The lighting is soft as are her curves. All together, this composes quite a delightful image to view. Thank you for sharing.

Beautiful setting. Nice pose. Lovely model. Overall, this is a decent picture with potential for improvement. The following are my personal preferences and opinions - not rules to live by.

When it comes to nudes in nature, I tend to feel that wardrobe of any kind is a distraction. It's man-made and covers the natural beauty of the model. In this case, you have a model who, by appearance, is 98% nude to begin with. The straps of her thong are very obvious to my eyes and leave unflattering bunches of skin that are augmented by the harsh sun light. Their color is also not complimentary to the model nor ambiguous enough to go unnoticed. I would either go with more fabric if the model desired some level of modesty (be careful of the color choice), or, lose the thong all together.

Lighting can be very tricky in natural settings. I like the back lit use of the sun here. The way her arm frames her face and how it's lit from behind is a wonderful play with light. I can see you metered for the scene as it is well balanced. The highlights on her skin are washing out though. Some reflected light from camera left, or the use of fill flash would have been nice to illuminate the "dark side" of the model just a little more, bringing more balance to the light on her skin. In an open setting such as this, a silhouette shot would be near impossible, so more light, not less, is needed so that the model doesn't look dim in such a brilliant setting.

One trick I have all my models do is to pretend that their feet are held by the earth and their heads are being pulled upwards towards the sky - thus - elongating their bodies and creating tight muscles, taut skin and flattering curves. I feel that this model could have "stretched" upwards just a little more, like a flower reaching for the sun, giving her a more sculpted figure. It might have helped a little with the bunched skin at the thong too.

I think this image is quite good actually. My comments above are again, my opinions on what "might" improve this image and are things that I've come to look for while practicing my craft. I would like to see more of your work and watch as you develop your style and signature look. You have a great start, keep working on it.

Thank you for sharing with us.

David

The lettering is an ancient Scandinavian script (I'm pretty sure). JRR Tolkien based his elvish script in The Lord of the Rings on this language. Each symbol is a goal in life that the model wishes to achieve. As she does, the black line tattoo gets highlighted with a red outline. She only has one done this way but has achieved three goals in total thus far.

Thank you both Mark and Alex for your comments.

I shoot this sort of model to landscape ratio because I feel the "rule of thirds" not only applies to the vertical and horizontal planes of an image but it's depth as well. If the model is set back from the front of the image, the composition tends to have more depth in my opinion. Not every shot has to have your subject "front and center". The model becomes part of the setting rather than an object IN a setting.

To Alex:

I thank you for your comments and would like to counter with my "thoughts" behind this composition.

The idea is to convey loneliness, abandonment and maintain anonymity. The ratio of model to setting helps with all three, keeping her small in a larger world. A wide angle view also helps with this, keeping the distant mountains in view to aid with conveying distance. The obscurity of her face keeps her ambiguous allowing the viewer to inject themselves into the situation rather than saying "This Person has been abandoned". It's more like "Who is this poor child of nature and why is she alone?".

I wanted to create an image like this and not another "model shot" where the model takes center stage. Too often, we as photographers focus too much on the model and forget to include, if not meld her into the setting. Maintaining the model in a smaller portion of the image not only adds depth to the composition, but depth to one's portfolio, because not every shot looks the same.

Thank you very much for taking the time to leave your comments.

There's no going wrong with Liz as your model.

Stunning model and setting. So green!! It plays a good contrast with her fair skin tones.

Lovely!

The letters across her belly are in an ancient Scandinavian (I believe) language (the same one that JRR Tolkien based his elvish runes upon). As she described it to me, each one stands for a goal she wishes to achieve. When she achieves it, the black lined tattoo is then highlighted with a red glowing outline.

She has two or three goals achieved, but has only one tattoo finished at this time.

A sensational example of high-key done right. This is simply a beautiful portrait. Bravo!

I like this one very much. It's revealing without being impersonal or insensitive to the model; has some great natural lighting; the model's pose is unforced and comfortable looking; your use of DOF is skillfully done and; it appears you made great use of not only natural light, but natural reflectors as well. I don't think you used man-made reflectors as the lighting on her upper thigh looks like reflection from the stone below. Well done. That is a technique I've tried to use (remember) in my work too.

Comparing this to your b&w image you asked for critique on, I certainly won't be getting typer's cramp from my long-winded comments.

This one is a beauty.

Everyone has to start somewhere. This is not a horrible picture, however, there are areas to be mindful of that could have made this same shot even better.

My qualifications are that I've been shooting nudes for some time and mostly in harsh outdoor lighting such as you had here. So I hope that my comments will be taken as constructive criticisms.

Firstly, I am a big fan of high contrast B&W images, this this in my eyes is a bit excessive. There is a large dark area in the middle of the image that divides the shot and as was suggested by another comment, makes the right third of the image seem superfluous. This is accentuated by what appears to be a vignette effect around the edges. To me, this just makes an already over dark image even darker. The eyes struggle to find something to recognize and focus on.

Your model appears to be lovely and a wonderful subject. Two things I would have had her do differently would be change the position of her arms to behind her head so that the sun could illuminate her face and front of her torso. The other would have been to ask her to sit up more so that her breasts would project up and out thus creating a more flattering pose. Not that her pose is unflattering now, just that if she were to posture better, it would be "more" flattering. I always jokingly instruct my models "up and out ladies" and they know what to do. Don't let her over do her posture - don't let it become stiff looking - rather, just straighten the spine and allow for her curves to show more.

As for your technical execution: I would say that the model is too far to the left of the frame. She's in the 1/4 rather than the 1/3 mark. If it weren't for the dark void in the center, this might not have been as big of an issue. But because your picture is divided in half by the shadow, and she is in the center of the left half at best, she is placed too far to the left in general.

B&W imagery is a study of contrasts. It's a study of lighting. It's up to you as the photographer to master those. Add to it that you are shooting in a natural setting with a single light source (the sun) and you become limited in what you can control. This does not mean that you can't craft immaculate images. Positioning of the model, the angle of the sun to the camera and subject, the time of day you shoot - all these come into play. I learned my craft in these settings and in time you will too. Study images by others to see how they pose the model in reference to the sun. Steal their ideas and copy them for yourself. If you want a suggestion of someone to study, look at the works of Bill Lemon - Glamor Photographer - he's been my inspiration and he has several books on the market to help you along.

What is good about your image? Everything! You've tried something new, something challenging from both the technical aspects as well as from the cooperative nature of working with a model. Sure, I've torn apart and shown your shortcomings, but that doesn't mean to stop trying. You're on a good start here and I sense you will improve as you learn, experiment and explore this genre. I hope some of this novel will be of help.

Best of luck - keep shooting!

Warm regards,

David

Well done! Congratulations.

I'm going out on a limb here and express honesty - what a concept.

Of all your digitally manipulated images, this is one of my least favorites. To my eye, it does not live up to the quality of your others. The background is obviously manipulated. Its non-uniform effect seems forced. You "know" it's been created rather than looking more natural.

The model seems not to belong there - she is certainly an overlay. Beautiful though she may be, she appears to be floating in the image - not grounded.

Where you other images, especially the more fanciful ones, are obviously graphically manipulated, they are done so in a way that is accepted by the eye and recognized as "fantasy" or well done digital art. This one, in my humble opinion, just comes across as a bad attempt to used Photoshop to throw the back ground out of focus.

It just doesn't work for me personally.

I do admire your other images very much. Thank you for the opportunity to voice my opinion.

A unique and, in my eye, beautiful perspective. The satin string adds a bit of mystery - as if the string was a book mark in a woman's personal diary. Surprisingly, this simple prop almost makes one forget what is being shown. That, to me, is the power of skillful and brilliantly executed art. Bravo!

This is B&W photography at its finest.

I love the fine detail of her skin, while the lighting renders her identity nearly completely in shadow. The fact that you can just see her left eye adds even more allure to this image.

Beautiful shot, beautiful model, fantastic technique...keep it up.

Well done!

While I do love her expression - quite natural and unforced - her pose (in my personal opinion) is awkward and unflattering. Yes - as mentioned, there is the point of the amputated appendages, however, the pose itself is where I have issues. I always try to put my models in the "best light", both literally and figuratively which includes a pose that evokes emotion, mood and is complimentary to the model's figure. Like a ball room dance partner, we must always "showcase" our models and pose them to accentuate their assets.

I'm not saying this pose doesn't work, or is unacceptable, I'm just saying it's a pose I wouldn't use personally.

Thank you for sharing!

This entire series is amazing - Beautifully crafted and well executed. Bravo!

Delightfully whimsical composition here. Well done!  On a side note - perhaps plant some trees around the base of the "mountain" to give more elements to shift the perspective. Just a suggestion - not a critique. Have fun with your work - that's how you stay sane.

While I'll agree with Mark that there are far more clever ways of utilizing scarves, wraps and other "alternative wardrobe" to create an implied nude, I don't think that this image - in whole - falls into the category of a "poorly done" scarf shot. (not saying that's what Mark meant either).

 I see a simple pose of a simple model, sitting on a simple stool, with a simple backdrop, using a simple scarf to drape her nude body. What catches my eyes the most - the detail that makes this into something more than a simple implied nude - are her pointed toes. The smallest suggestion of grace, of elegance, of "posing" rather than just sitting, makes this image very appealing.

 Add to that the Mona Lisa-like expression (I can sense both an emotionless stare and a bit of a smile simultaneously) and you have a beautifully crafted image, or, a wonderfully lucky moment captured "on film".

 Having the model slightly off centered also adds to the "technical appeal" of the image.

 Overall - this is a beautiful shot: well set up, nicely captured and, beautifully processed. One of my favorites for sure.