Yesterday I had a very long but super fun shoot that went through like 4 wardrobe changes and like 6 different locations.

It was a tremendous experience and the model was utterly fantastic. She was the nicest person and just full of great poses and looks. I loved her variety of facial expression that just went from happy to seductive in .001 seconds flat.

Here is a smattering of the 112 unedited shots for you guys. I'm pooped, it's almost 5am and need some rest for work, but it was well worth the pain.

All the images are here: Photography 2.0 - Uconventional - Unrestriced - Unreal- powered by SmugMug

[Photo Tramp]

Well done Chris. absolutely right she is a beautiful model. Now you know why it is right to get out there and in business for your self. Congrats and again Well done.

[distorted_vision]

fantastic shots chris.. very nice!! number 2,4 and 7 are my favs.. awesome work!!!

[dermc]

They look amazing Chris. My favorite are 2, 3 , and 5.
derm

[Pentaxtic]

Wow! Really good stuff! Nice light on the face. I really like this series.

[d.bradley]

Great stuf, I mean really top notch.

Are you up for a little bit constructive criticism? And it's not from this series specifically (as you don't have many of the shots in question).

As a film director and cinematographer, I get a feeling when there's something about a character that looks forced. Your models look very natural and at ease, with only one tiny exception...the hands. 95% of the shots the hands are fine, but mostly on the wall shots where the models have their hands against the wall, there is a disconnect between the expression and their actions.

Example 1 (and this is a poor example because the shot almost works):


KT here looks longingly into the distance, while her we get the very tactile sensation from her hand on the rough brick wall...but what does that mean? When you introduce interactions and environments like this, keep in mind that these shots are telling a story, and people will be trying to derive meaning from them. If I were to do this shot differently, I might have her farther away from the wall as if she were walking along it brushing it with her hand, or at maybe pushing away from it. On this shot, it's a subtle thing, but some others from previous series' it has been more prevalent.

Your Tamara series gets it right a lot of the time...some shots using the wall and her hands to show that she's trapped, a demsel in distress, or that she's about to lunge at you. Other shots you can tell that she doesn't know what to do with her hands, or that again, the expression doesn't match the action. I wonder what some of these shots would look like without the model looking directly at the camera? That is one way to imply that there is more going on in the scene than just a photo shoot, if you catch my drift.

Your lighting and sets are incredibly dramatic, and most of your shots work as pure photogtaphy, but I'd love to see you run with the emotion and the story behind the scene. I'm not saying you need to get into "acting" or fantasy or anything like that, but when the actions, the pose, the lighting, the environment, the angle and the expression of the model all combine as either an aesthetic, a story, or both.

So yah...I'm no pro, take the words with a grain of salt.

Keep up the great work, props on the new company, I look forward to the next series.

[little laker]

Every time that I see your work I'm more and more impressed Chris, and these shots are stunning

And being another exotic model really got me looking.

Reading d.bradley's post however really makes sense to me. I wouldn't be surprised if incorporating the odd little thing like that would bring your work to the next level. Which I imagine is pretty well the top

[maxwell1295]

Great pics! I just love your use of lighting. You're going to make me run out and order some Cactus V2's so I can experiment a little. If can come even close to to what you're doing, I'll be happy.

Also, great reply by d.bradley. That is what constructive criticism is all about! Some knowledge there that will be useful to all...

Nice work Chris, I like the way you take off kilter shots, I find them so much more interesting than straight up and downs. It helps convey the hard work that a photographer has to put in.
Gary

[codiac2600]

Well done Chris. absolutely right she is a beautiful model. Now you know why it is right to get out there and in business for your self. Congrats and again Well done.

Thank you very much

fantastic shots chris.. very nice!! number 2,4 and 7 are my favs.. awesome work!!!

Thanks DV!

They look amazing Chris. My favorite are 2, 3 , and 5.
derm

Thank you!

Wow! Really good stuff! Nice light on the face. I really like this series.

Thank you

Great stuf, I mean really top notch.

Are you up for a little bit constructive criticism? And it's not from this series specifically (as you don't have many of the shots in question).

As a film director and cinematographer, I get a feeling when there's something about a character that looks forced. Your models look very natural and at ease, with only one tiny exception...the hands. 95% of the shots the hands are fine, but mostly on the wall shots where the models have their hands against the wall, there is a disconnect between the expression and their actions.

Example 1 (and this is a poor example because the shot almost works):


KT here looks longingly into the distance, while her we get the very tactile sensation from her hand on the rough brick wall...but what does that mean? When you introduce interactions and environments like this, keep in mind that these shots are telling a story, and people will be trying to derive meaning from them. If I were to do this shot differently, I might have her farther away from the wall as if she were walking along it brushing it with her hand, or at maybe pushing away from it. On this shot, it's a subtle thing, but some others from previous series' it has been more prevalent.

Your Tamara series gets it right a lot of the time...some shots using the wall and her hands to show that she's trapped, a demsel in distress, or that she's about to lunge at you. Other shots you can tell that she doesn't know what to do with her hands, or that again, the expression doesn't match the action. I wonder what some of these shots would look like without the model looking directly at the camera? That is one way to imply that there is more going on in the scene than just a photo shoot, if you catch my drift.

Your lighting and sets are incredibly dramatic, and most of your shots work as pure photogtaphy, but I'd love to see you run with the emotion and the story behind the scene. I'm not saying you need to get into "acting" or fantasy or anything like that, but when the actions, the pose, the lighting, the environment, the angle and the expression of the model all combine as either an aesthetic, a story, or both.

So yah...I'm no pro, take the words with a grain of salt.

Keep up the great work, props on the new company, I look forward to the next series.

Thanks D.

Now that you point these things out its easier to see. I truly need to develop a better eye for the moment and work it more like a scene than a shoot. I think that last piece in my venture to improve is to build on my eye for making the look match the mood as well as adding some added depth.

Thanks for the honesty

[codiac2600]

Every time that I see your work I'm more and more impressed Chris, and these shots are stunning

And being another exotic model really got me looking.

Reading d.bradley's post however really makes sense to me. I wouldn't be surprised if incorporating the odd little thing like that would bring your work to the next level. Which I imagine is pretty well the top

Thanks Stu and they know you like exotic type so they come to me

Great pics! I just love your use of lighting. You're going to make me run out and order some Cactus V2's so I can experiment a little. If can come even close to to what you're doing, I'll be happy.

Also, great reply by d.bradley. That is what constructive criticism is all about! Some knowledge there that will be useful to all...

Thank you and you definitely should. It's a fun thing to experiment and grow with and it never hurts to play more.

Nice work Chris, I like the way you take off kilter shots, I find them so much more interesting than straight up and downs. It helps convey the hard work that a photographer has to put in.
Gary

Thanks and it's just part of my lazy style, can't hold the dang camera straight after a long days work lol!

[Ash]

Chris,

Another winner of a series. #4 and 7 are my favs, but they're all stunning - she'll be one very happy client.

d.bradleys point reinforces that there are so many technical aspects to making portraits work that it seems like a formidable task, but I guess it makes a photographer a cut above the rest.

I do believe though that Chris you've shown you can rise to that challenge and produce that kind of stellar performance together with a unique flare to your portraits with your camera. Well done, and thanks again for sharing!

[hamidlmt]

These are great shots!! I really like the fourth shot with the flowers in the background in your original post. I'll look through the rest on your site later and will provide a bit more feedback.

You're getting the night time strobist technique down pat!

[roentarre]

Just so classic. She was given sophisticated mysterious look by your lighting.

[codiac2600]

Chris,

Another winner of a series. #4 and 7 are my favs, but they're all stunning - she'll be one very happy client.

d.bradleys point reinforces that there are so many technical aspects to making portraits work that it seems like a formidable task, but I guess it makes a photographer a cut above the rest.

I do believe though that Chris you've shown you can rise to that challenge and produce that kind of stellar performance together with a unique flare to your portraits with your camera. Well done, and thanks again for sharing!

Thank you Ash and I can't wait to sit down and grab a good cinema book.

These are great shots!! I really like the fourth shot with the flowers in the background in your original post. I'll look through the rest on your site later and will provide a bit more feedback.

You're getting the night time strobist technique down pat!

Thanks Hamid and my website has a ton of variety in it so you know!

Just so classic. She was given sophisticated mysterious look by your lighting.

Thanks James and that was exactly what we were going for.