Some times all you need is a personal project to help you recharge your battery.  As a professional photographer when was the last time you just shot for the fun of it ?   No client, no issues on billing – just your camera, an idea and a chance to give your creative juices their freedom!

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I was in Seattle this past week and, as happens every time I am with my friend Corinne, was inspired to do a personal project.  Corinne and I sweet-talked her husband Stevn to help drag a gorgeous iron door from her studio to a wooded park eight miles away.   As I was walking out of the studio, I noticed three gorgeous old suitcases in the corner and grabbed them “just in case.”  I placed the iron door amongst the trees and propped it up with a couple of heavy sticks. 

The light was particularly nice, late in the day, and low in the sky.  I placed my model in between myself and the light source and metered on her face.  A silver reflector was used to sweep the light back into her face, thus separating her from the background.   As the sun set, I took our model to an adjoining field for a few nudes of her in the open grass.  As you can see I placed her on her side with her hips slightly rolled towards the camera, knees bent and arms bent as well.  

A quick tip: If there is a joint, bend it. 

Notice that the face is turned into the direction of the light.  By placing the subject about 45 degrees from the light source we avoid flat lighting the subject.  It is important to create shadow areas, which give the subject more shape. 

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A few of the images were manipulated in Photoshop using texture screens.  Texture screens used on appropriate images can create beautiful fine art pieces.  I’ve also added my own Photoshop actions (Cantrell Couture Actions) to give the images a bit of personality and depth.  I’ve added several new ones to my collection, available on my website. 

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I will be demonstrating many of the techniques used to create these and other images at Skip’s Summer School August 16-19th in Las Vegas NV.  For full details and to register, go to www.mei500.com

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