We finally have our first Video Tutorial uploaded which you can view by clicking the above link or by clicking here. The video is entitled “Shooting with Pro Models” and I have to say, Heather is a pro! That’s all there is to it. She’s been modeling for over 4 years and she’s still quite young. I met her when she first signed to Photogenics in LA in 2004. We did a ton of testing together as well as jobs. I hired her as often as I could for some of my edgier fashion gigs. She has an androgynous look to her which I really love. She took a break over the last couple of years for a few reasons, but mainly because she had a baby! Now that her kid is about a year old, Heather has decided to head back into the modeling industry again. The only problem is that her book needs to be updated. Her portfolio is mainly pictures from over 2 years ago and she needs some current pictures in there to show prospective clients how she looks today!
We decided to shoot in the house that Heather is currently renting in the Hollywood Hills because it has great natural light and incredible ambience. I fell in love with the bathroom when I first saw it. I know that sounds strange, but I’ve had this shot in my head for years and when I saw her bathroom, I found the location for my idea. So I decided to create the idea floating inside my brain and put it on film, finally! Heather and I went together to People’s Revolution to pull some clothes. The guys there let us pull from racks and racks of clothing from lines they represent. One of the perks from being in the industry and knowing the right people is getting these little “ins” where you have access to top gear!
Amy Chance from Celestine Agency did the make up for this shoot. I decided to shoot Heather in a lot of lingerie and sex her up! I think she naturally exudes a lot of sensuality and I wanted to play with that and eventually capture it for this shoot.
The thing with Heather is that she knows how to MOVE!!! She’s been in front of the camera a lot! You’ll see in the video tutorial that I don’t direct her much and that’s because I really don’t have to. She responds to the sound of my shutter going off and will move into another pose or throw me a different angle of her face. Shooting with pros sort of flows like that. Especially if you’ve shot with the same girl a few times. They get a feel for how you shoot and you get to know their better angles and their best poses.
I shot mostly wide angle, 28mm to be exact, on my Nikon DX2S. I wanted to capture part of the environment we were shooting in, so I decided to shoot wide. For some of the close ups I switched to a 85mm lens.
I used Dynalite strobes on this shoot for no other particular reason but that they are less expensive and do the job on a small lighting set up. I really wanted to take advantage of the great natural light this house provided and only use a bit of fill to enhance the lighting. You’ll see some of the shoot in the tutorial section. It’s the first of many videos to come. I hope you like it and please give me your feedback so we can make each tutorial better and more beneficial to you all.
All Images ©2008 Melissa Rodwell Photography LLC.
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Fascinating! Great to read the text after watching the video…puts it all togehter. Love the bathroom setting and what you did with the light. Amazing to see the actual setting in the video and see how it is transformed and stylized in the final product – love the way the chrome pops out…your eye/vision is truly interesting!
The 3rd photo with the subtle glint of her braces is my favorite – very sexy.
Thanks for sharing the nitty, gritty behind the finished product. Love the opportunity to see you work!
The 3rd shot is my favorite too! Thanks for the comment, John!
i favorited your last low-key shot. Such a contrast from the 1st three (i love them too)
Congratulations! The video is both informative and impressive. I appreciate the opportunity to witness how you managed the shoot; and, how you were able to inject your personality and creativity into the finished works.
Seeing the above photographs, after watching the video, is both interesting and helpful. Personally, I am unable to select a “favorite” from among them; they each have so many positively elegant and contrasting elements… They are each outstanding!
Thank you for your efforts; your technical abilities; and, your creativity. You are exceptionally talented and gifted with the legendary, Über Eye! brock¹º¹
Wow, such great comments from everyone! Thanks for the “Uber Eye” compliment, Brock. That one made me smile!
Really nice stuff ! Can’t wait for the next one
great video and story to go along with it. I also posted a message in the flickr group when I didnt see anything there about this video (or maybe I overlooked it). Really looking forward to more tutorials. I really loved the simple setup you used for lighting and the behind-the-scenes look into a photo shoot.
I love these shots. So beautiful, sexy, and provocative. Dammit, why couldn’t I have been given long thin, spidery legs. So sexy!
Meow
wow for 1/8th second this is fantastically sharp!
compounded with the post processing, you got an amazingly clear shot
were you using an IS lens or do you just have awesome hands?
Hi Melissa!
Got a small question for you. After viewing your work, here on the blog and on flickr, i realize that you tend to favor compositions with dramatic vertical perspective generally coming from the center or one of the sides of the photo. The question is: Where do you place your focus? When shooting a full body photo from low position, do you focus on the low part of the body or go for the chest-face area, working your picture with DOF to make sure the whole comp is sharp?
Yes, fashion is usually shot from a vertical perspective and I prefer dramatic angles. I usually always focus on the face, though and let my DOF carry the focus.
elegant image!!! good stylism
Hello Melissa, i love your work, i would like to ask you a question regarding equipments. What’s a good lens to buy for portraits and full length, at the moment i am using a very noisy 55-200mm lens.
Hey Pauline. I just sent you an email. Hopefully that’s your email address. If not, just send me a message on here and I’ll write you back. I have a few pointers that might help you out!
[...] not to blatantly rip off. Over the last few weeks I have been very inspired by these pictures (http://fashionphotographyblog.com/2008/10/our-first-tutoria/ by Melissa Rodwell. Hint: She runs a fashion photography blog which is gold dust as far as I am [...]
Beautifulworkthevideoisreallyfantastic !
- May I ask you only a question ?
Who’s the bands playing the music in the background..
(think the first one is The Dandy warhols (is it?) but I have no idea for the second !?)
Heather & your work are just too cool
Thanks for your comment Melissa!
Love your photography!
Hot models!!
Heather,you’re a lot prettier in this pics!!!..Really nice!!..
=D
These pictures are absolutely amazing.
I absolutely love the high keyish feel and mood of the 3rd image with her ciggy.
It seems to “come to you” when u look at it longer (i hope its not my eyes or my mind doing a moon orbit), but i can “see” this very clearly in a dream.
Fantastic.
I didn’t quite like the 2nd picture with the leg bent, but well, its all about subjectivity and whatever works
Any particular reason why the last picture is of a complete different treatment as compared to the other 2?
Great stuff! Love the video. Thanks for sharing
I really liked the way they came off
Great video ! I really appreciate it! Thanks.