Taking Pictures of Models

I got interested in model photography about the same time all my friends got tired of me taking their pictures every time we got together. I’ve taken about thirty-five thousand photos to date, so I no longer notice the flash going off, but it clearly bothers everyone else.

I wanted to find someone to work with who wouldn’t mind all the photography, who might even enjoy it, and who might even want to help create interesting images. Eventually I discovered that there’s a robust community of models and photographers on the web.

It’s been a funny experience.

At my first real shoot I joined three other photographers and only two models. The more experienced photographers didn’t like having to share the models but I thought it was great because I got to watch them work (and snipe a few of their shots). I learned a few things at that shoot.

First, I was very gratified to learn that from a technical point of view I had shown up with the same basic gear as the more experienced guys: Digital camera body, zoom lens, flash with a softener, and a reflector.

Second, I realized that I knew next to nothing about directing a model. I still don’t, and the only way to learn is by doing.

The third thing I learned is that at my age it’s a little strange to have a young woman posing for me. The shots of Theresa at the top of this post are the very first shots I took of a model who knew what she was doing. I can still remember how shocking it was to have this normal young lady suddenly look me straight in the eye and turn on that seductive look like flipping a switch. It took a few dozen photos for me to get used to it.

(Technically, that wasn’t my first shoot. I had set up a practice shoot with a model named Debbie about a year before. She didn’t know a lot about posing, and I didn’t know anything about doing a shoot. Debbie had brought her mom along, and after a while I got the strange feeling that mom was checking me out like I was trying to date her daughter. I was using a cheap camera and I didn’t know what I was doing. I don’t really count it as a model shoot, and I’m not happy about any of the pictures.)

Anyway, last weekend I took about 300 pictures at a friend’s wedding, and I really had a lot of fun doing it. I want to do some more model photography sometime soon, and to that end I’m going to a meet-and-greet for Chicago-area models and photographers on Saturday. Ideally, I’d like to find a model who lives in my neighborhood and has free time during the day, so if I get a few hours free myself I can call her up and say “Hey, let’s go take some pictures!”

I have a few ideas, so maybe I’ll have some more model photograhy up on Windypundit in the near future. Got to keep that pagerank up, don’t you know.