Trisha, her violin, and more ...
 

This is my buddy Trisha.

I like the idea of props, it gives an opportunity to make interesting compositions. I was mainly interested in photographing Trisha with her violin but she was such a willing and capable model I dragged her around the house taking all manner of pictures.

All of these were taken with my Nikon film camera with Kodak Portra 400 asa pro film. The shoot started about 9:00 am. Some of these shots were aided by a foam board reflector propped up just out of sight, others were aided by ordinary indoor can lighting. I did use spot metering on many shots. Out of forty shots I got what I consider 10 pretty good ones. This is a high ratio for me and speaks well of Trisha's ability as a model.

Trisha #2

Trisha #3

Trisha #4

Trisha #5

Next it was to the backyard. The sun was low and to her back and our right. I would be hard pressed to pick one of these two poses.

Trisha #1 outdoor

Trisha outdoor #2

This is where I started to get frightened and called an end to the photo session.

By the way, I bought the sweater and dress the day before at a discount store. I knew that I wanted a rather formal look with a light colored blouse to lay the dark violin over. I didn't want to leave to chance what she might bring with her.

Dress?
 

Where were the shots with the dress? Maybe I don't know where to look since this is only my 2nd posting. Hmm...

You mean she let you photograph her in the bedroom even though you bought the clothes from a thrift store?? lol! Very sensitive choice on the color and texture. Most of all, lovely photos! I knew I had to keep an eye out for your photography when I saw your icon/avatar.

My favorite is the table and the one seated in the chair, they both seem to tell a story and the lighting is beautiful. I'd love to see the ones in the dresses, too, because seeing her in a sporty sweater makes me want to see the rest of her outfit. I don't know, I guess I want to know if she's wearing boots or pumps, etc. Maybe it's just a girl thing!

~Erika~

Dear Mike:

I thought I had a monopoly on beautiful fiddle players?!

I would go for #5. The light fall, subtle colors and wallpaper design create a very tranquil and elegant atmosphere reminiscent of Ingres. Her glance to the side is nicely counter balanced by the bow.

It gets a little busy by the violin pegs--it

Regarding #5, couple of things to be mindful of. The far side of the mouth forms an exact tangent with the side of the face, and you

Erica,

She was wearing the dress all the time (really). I'll include a shot which shows more of it, although it was not one of my most preferred poses.

I didn't tell her that I bought the clothes at Ace Hardware. But the shoes ... Bruno Magli boots, beautiful, soft suede up to just above the calf with a three quarter slender heal. Seven hundred and forty dollars, not a pair, each! And of course a parting gift, it's a real shame they're just out of frame.

Scott,

It was your beautiful portrait that inspired my thinking. I was going to make an attempt to replicate your composition as a sort of "after Scott" gesture but time got away from me.

I confess to having the same sensibility as Steven regarding the off centered composition of #5. I rather like the tension and the odd balance.

Your remarks regarding the "too busy" nature of the chair arm and the scroll of the violin were my concerns also. I tried a chair without arms but she seemed to be more at ease resting her elbows on the arms. Anyway, I thought I would have a shot at zapping them away latter as the following indicates. This shows a much more interesting pattern with the head of the violin. The arms still look believable to me, what do you think?

Steven,

Your points regarding the face are good ones. I have another face reference for this composition which might serve better. This would make a nice portrait on it's own don't you think?

Hi Mike,
These are great, as are all of your photos I've seen.

I cast my vote for Shot #4. I can't comment on the composition as I have no expertise but I do know what I like about this one. My son is a professional musician so I am drawn in by the poses with the instrument included, sensing a relationship between violin and violinist. In Pic #4, her face is towards the violin as if she has just looked up from the instrument. She seems to be communicating a confidance to the viewer. She appears "in sync" with her violin. I also like the way her hand is portrayed and could visualize that nicely in a painting.

Along the same rationale I am not drawn to #5 because she is looking out of the composition and it feels to me that she is "unplugged" from the instrument, or even disenfranchised. I am familiar with the strong love/hate relationship between my son and his trombones. I think it would be a great dynamics to portray in a painting.

She is a beautiful model. Undoubtedly you will get some great portraits from these. Good luck. I look forward to seeing your work.
-Patty

Mike!

I like number four the best, if you get rid of the chairs wings. If you block those out, you have a nice simple pose. I love the violin and her hands refecting in the finish of the table. The background is simple and keeps your focus on the subject. Just my opinion, take it or leave it...

Lynn

Dear Mike:

I

Scott,

Just for comparison sake, here is the wider composition as you described it.

Mike:

I would never do a portrait wider than it is long. What I had in mind was this: the bow would divide the right edge of the picture into the so called Golden Section where the longer section is 161.8% of the smaller. You could do this on the other side as well with the height of the chair back.

I would also create a shadow on her left to counter balance the fact that she's positioned so forward and establish the space behind her.

Also I would use the profile with her hair pinned up. I tried but couldn't cut and paste it in the Paint Shop program I have.

Scott, it sounds like you've been reading "The DaVinci Code" lately.

Patricia,

Those are interesting points about how pose 4 and 5 show a different emotional relationship with the instrument.

Most times I will have about an 80% complete idea of what I want to accomplish and then I just try and feed off of what I'm getting back from the subject to complete the vision. If you have a good chemistry with the subject their input, body language, can be a very big part of the process. I try and encourage the subject to move, within the small confines that I have set up, and then just say hold on ... lets put your head back in that position and try that.

Lynn,

I like it when I can get people dissenting about which one of my poses is their favorite. I too feel a strong pull to number four. Numbers 4 and 5 were both natural light only. The others were only possible with help from over head lighting and have a different feel. We began shooting about 9:00 am and I didn't have a whole lot of ambient light in the house.

Scott,

Thanks for the input, I will study your comments as I work towards a final image. And, I look forward to seeing your next fiddle project. With what we have so far we're on our way to a stringed section. I'd like to have a portfolio like that, "here are my strings, and of course the obligatory woodwinds."

Apropos the matter of composition in #5, and merely as a point of interest and not persuasion, it appears, Mike, that you

Steven,

And sadly, this Vermeer still languishes at a Flemish garage sale (do they have garages in Flem?).

I think these matters can be very tricky and I don't have any formula for what might work and what might just be considered bad design. Personally, I rather like the off center design for #5, and to me it has everything to do with the full extended bow on our right. Scott's advice is sound and I would advise anyone listening to give it a lot of weight, but sometimes you just want to throw something different against the wall and see if it sticks. Many of my designs are now sticking to the walls of my garage.

In looking back over my images I found this one. The hair is up which I like, and, notice the single digit on her left hand. A bit of transcontinental telepathy no doubt. This one doesn't finish as well on the bottom but that part would be much easier to manage.

This is the raw footage of number 4 which shows much more of the reflection. My own thinking is that you would show just enough up from the bottom to allow the light of the sweater to fully define the violin with a little more for the rabbit and then quit.

Gorgeous photos, Mike. I see some more prize winners for you!

I also like the off-center composition and here's how you could give a bit more balance to it if you so choose. The light area to the right of her hair helps move the viewer's focus to the right. Her hair, being up in that style, also helps point the viewer in that direction too.

I'd crop the one with the reflection somewhere between what you first showed and the full frame image. Maybe something like this cropping?

I also deleted the tiny shapes of the chair that were showing behind her. I thought they were a bit confusing.

Michele,

Thanks, the background would be an important part of the design and I like your suggestion.

Arriving at a composition is a rather organic matter for me. After chucking what didn't work I sit down with my cropping guide and lay it over my 4x6 prints. I move it around until something looks right. Number five was that way, giving only a slight thought (or no thought) to its left-leaning balance.

Regarding #4, I think you are on the money, my previous post was a bit too tight at the bottom. The crime would be to pinch it off too short.

Head room
 

I like the head room in the original size of the #4 image. Michele got rid of the part of the chair I found to be messing up the composition and it looks so much better.

"Don't box me in"! :sunnysmil

Mike,

Another fine batch of photos. I love the above one in a horizontal format off center with her hair up. Beautiful.

Thanks Lynn and Stanka.

I do try hard and I do enjoy it.

Nip from a gadfly

... or grain of sand required by the oyster.

Stepping out of the compositional focus for just a moment --- from the care and feeding that I've seen violinists (makers and players) provide for their instruments, it strikes me as unlikely that one would be placed directly onto a hard (shown by reflected light) surface -- as opposed to, say, onto a thick runner, padded board or polishing cloth, or set into its padded case.

I don't know why that grabs my attention and I intend to bring it up in my next therapy session. It may have something to do with the fact that I once laid my guitar down on the couch, turned around, "forgot" (Jose Cuervo, you are no friend of mine) and indelicately sat on the guitar. Fortunately I also do guitar repair. I also own my grandfather's violin, and though it's been played more often at barn dances than concertos, I don't believe I'd set it down like this on a table top.

But then, as Dennis Miller says, I could be wrong.

Funny you should mention that. My photo shoot with Trisha was delayed by a couple of weeks because the violin was broke! Trisha's brother, who also plays the violin, while having the instrument out on loan committed the foul deed.

My understanding of these matters comes from a bit of a distance. My instrument gets tossed into my front pocket with loose change and breath mints (can't remember seeing the harmonica played at the symphony).

I figure anybody that would loan their violin to their brother wouldn't mind setting it down on my fancy eatin table.

If Jose does seal up one of the reeds in one of those pocket instruments, Mike, what do you recommend? More Jose? Or fewer nachos whilst performing?

Talk about the blues . . .

With the demise of the blue agave, and my low tolerance for dehydration ... I'll have another half order of nachos please.

I'd like to thank everyone for the help and ask just one more question ... how do you get all that hair into one small bun?

A second chance with Trisha
 

I was able to get Trisha back this morning and try and resolve a few items regarding one of our compositions.

Specifically, I wanted to remove the chair arms so that the scroll of the violin would read seperately without interference. I tried to twist her hips slightly so they wouldn't be so straight on. I wanted to get more information from her eyes in profile, as well as getting a good three quarter look. And, get some good detail of her hands.

These next few photos try and get these things done.

Same composition with a three quarter view. I would like to have had some reflected light into the shadow side but ...

Left hand detail ...

Right hand detail ...