Ever since my shooting Wenyan at NYC, I was so fascinated in the new field of hunting extreme light to give my photos extra depth in three dimension. Side lighting creates textures, the interplay of light and shadow builds the dimension, and the mood capture comes from my feeling towards my subject. Light determines everything in my vision, and I am searching for a way to maneuver it.
I caught up with Rachel, a professional alternative model in Albany, and after a few conversations, we got the deal to shoot in an abandoned building previously owned by Burden Iron Works. I shot Allison in another building before, and this time I pushed it to another limit -- I also utilized the light and shadow to create topless portraits. This is not my first time to shoot nudity of my subject, but it is the first time I set up the shots outdoor. It's so sensitive that I have to think about it really carefully. I know I can do it, as after years of inspiration by Playboy, I have realized that in order to shoot any nude projects, you need to be a "photographer" instead of a "man". A photographer can only see the light, not the body, not the sex. Then you know what you are looking for, and what you are after. Rachel is so lovely and friendly to work with, no matter how awkward sometimes the pose or surrounding is, she kept smiling and trying to meet my needs. I can see that's how she could be a professional model compared to others I've ever worked with, and really enjoyed the time we spent together.
Here are a few frames from this session, mostly shot under extreme natural sunlight as well as a little bit of added video light. The experimentation is always full of challenges and surprises, and though some frames really can break the rules of normal portrait photography and my previous styles, after all I dig out lots of potentials through these images and more creative visions will be established to be applied in my future wedding and event photography.
As usual, relax and enjoy ~~~
