Outdoor Photoshoot for a Portland Couple

And a Review of the Sigma 50mm F/1.4 Art Lens

Most of my photoshoots for couples take place either in my studio or in a hotel room.   The Portland weather pretty much forces you to shoot indoors for almost half the year.   But when the weather cooperates, I love doing outdoor photoshoots.   I have a mental lists of parks and other urban locations where you can create images that show a happy, sexy, couple in Portland.

I recently did a shoot with two friends who were willing to pose in exchange for images.  They both do some modeling, so I was hoping they would be easy to pose.  As it turns out, they were both delightful to work with.

Making use of the last dry weekend for the foreseeable future, we shot at two locations, a river front park and around Union Station, the Amtrak hub in Portland.   We started at the park about an hour after dawn on a Sunday morning.  There was some great fog on the river when we arrived, but by the time we walked out to do this shot, it was gone!  Fortunately, the clouds shifted, allowing the pale morning light to illuminate what little fog remained. 

This shot was taken with the famous 50mm F/1.4 Sigma Art lens on my Canon 5D3.  I rented a copy of this new lens from LensRentals.com, because it is new and famous for its sharpness.  Unfortunately, it is also known for erratic autofocus performance and I wanted to see for myself how it would work on my camera doing my kind of photography.

A 50mm 1.4 prime lens has two jobs to perform in this kind of photoshoot.  It needs to make the people as sharp as possible and the background as blurry as possible.  The blurry background is called "bokeh" by photographers and is the subject of spirited discussions.

I've owned the previous version of the Sigma 50mm 1.4 lens for a few years.  It has some erratic focus habits that I've learned to work around.  Here is a shot with that lens.  I call it the Sigma 50 Classic.

Whenever I have a new lens, the first thing I do is perform some tests to see how well the autofocus works.  I also perform Micro Focus Adjustment that calibrates the camera to work with the lens.  With the Sigma 50 Art, I discovered some interesting things.  If I used the center focus point in the viewfinder of my Canon 5D Mark III, the focus was fast and virtually perfect.  Unfortunately, when using the outermost focus points, the lens front-focused horribly.  Points in between the center and the edge had increasing focus error as you moved outward.   I decided to use only the center focus point and see if I could do the planned photoshoot that way.

Here are some more images from the shoot, all done with the Sigma 50 Art lens.  My friends had fun posing, as you can see.  The first image is a good example of how a 50mm 1.4 lens can separate the subjects from the background.  It's almost a 3-D effect.

Using only the central focus point in the viewfinder was working out very well!  I'm using the lens wide open here to give the maximum background blur.

Portland is a very sexy city and it should come as no surprise that my models got a bit frisky!

I decided to cool things off a bit with a change of scenery.  Miles is showing off his new suit, which was actually the original excuse to do this shoot.

Ah, what a happy Portland couple!

Ooops!  There they go again.  Well, what can you do?  It's Portland!

So what do I think of the Sigma 50 Art lens?  Well, I'm pretty frustrated.  The lens is fantastically sharp, well constructed and has a fast autofocus motor.  Unfortunately, the autofocus algorithms for the peripheral focus points are all screwed up.  At the current price of around $900, I'm not at all interested in owning one.  Hopefully, Sigma can fix the firmware one of these days and I will give this lens another look.

Thanks for reading my blog!  If you would like a photoshoot of your own, use the contact form to send me a note.

Pole Dancing Photoshoots

NSFW

They say that Portland is the strip club capitol of America -   For whatever reason, there is a strip club on almost every major street in some parts of the city.  Being a dancer is not an easy life.  The hours are irregular and you may have to move from club to club.   Girls who have advanced pole dancing skills tend to earn more than those who don't so there is an incentive to practice.

I enjoy doing photoshoots for dancers.   It helps that I have a pole in my studio.  It actually has bearings that allow the pole to spin, so you can hang on tight.   Of course the pole can be removed when it isn't needed.   I love trying to catch the girls at just the right moment as they spin around the pole.

Here are some examples that have not been retouched, as I usually do for paying clients:

You can just use the pole as a posing aid if you like.  It helps the model hold poses that are flattering to her figure.

A Portland Pole Dancer of Color

Photographing a model who is actively dancing is a cross between sports photography and artistic figure study.  You can capture some amazing musculature at work.

Portland Pole Dancer Blonde Two

The strobe lights freeze the motion, so I get some very interesting poses. 

Portland Pole Dancer, Brunette One

Portland Pole Dancer Brunette Two Nude NSFW

The model does not necessarily have to be nude.  There are all kinds of costuming options.

Exotic Portland Pole Dancer

If you know of any pole dancers who would like some professional photos, please send them my way!

Rainy Season in the Pacific Northwest

Panther Creek Falls Video

As a young photographer growing up in the Portland area, I was fascinated by waterfalls.  Learning to photograph them well was my primary goal for many years.  One of the first things you learn is to avoid sunny days.  Bright sunlight creates way too much contrast for film or digital cameras to deal with. 

The second thing you learn is that waterfalls have certain seasons where they look their best.  Some look best during times of high water flow and some look best in the Summer when less water is flowing.

The video below shows Panther Creek Falls in the Southwest part of Washington State, near Mt. Adams.  It was shot last May at maximum water flow.    Two creeks tumble over the cliff at this spot, making this falls somewhat unusual. 

Shooting video is a great way to capture a waterfall, especially on a nice cloudy day.    Unfortunately, video has its own problem for the avid waterfall photographer -  you can't turn the camera vertically!    You have to use a different technique to show the whole waterfall from up close, or if the terrain allows, you can back up far enough to fit it into the horizontal frame.  What I did here is to move the camera position, starting with the stream above the falls and working my way down.

The video runs less than two minutes.  It was shot with my Canon 5D Mark III and a 28mm F/1.8 lens.  Check it out and see what you think!

Photographing a Girl and Her Camaro

NSFW

I love photographing people with their vehicles.  Our vehicles are a big part of our lives, almost like family members.  So when a friend asked me to photograph her posing with her new (to her) Camaro, I was immediately interested.  

She wanted some sexy pix for adult dating sites and was willing to let me use the photos in return for a free photoshoot.  That's called a trade shoot, by the way.  In the old days, it was called "Trade For Prints" or TFP since the model would receive prints in exchange for her modeling services.  For a while, it was called "Trade for CD" but that is old fashioned now as well.   I just call it a trade shoot and I email the edited photos to the friend who has posed for me.  That way they can easily send the images on to where they are needed with the click of a mouse or touch on their screen.

Deciding where to do a vehicle shoot is tricky.  You don't want to block traffic or trespass on sensitive property.   If you want to include some nudity, you need privacy.  In this case we used a parking lot behind a vacant office building.  I always prefer to work in the shade if possible, especially on sunny days when the direct light is harsh and unflattering.

Camaro 1

I used a single Alien Bees unit with a battery pack and a simple reflector mounted on a light stand to add some fill light.

Camaro 2Red panty peek.

When the model leans against the shiny car, you are going to get big smudges.  Fortunately I happened to have a microfiber towel handy!

Camaro 3Red bra and panties, black heels to match the Camaro

If you want to attract a good man, try letting the air out of your tire!

Camaro 4Damsel in distress or cougar on the prowl?

The photo below is an example of what I call a "Faux Selfie."  It's my shameless attempt to take advantage of the selfie craze.  I'm still working on this technique.  Hopefully the selfie craze won't end before I get it perfected.

Camaro 5Nude selfie in the camaro.

If you pretend to have engine trouble, perhaps a handsome man will offer to help.

Camaro 6Sexy babe gets under the hood.

You may have noticed that the lovely model is a bit older than the girls who typically pose for the images in this blog.  Actually, she is pretty typical of my average paying client.  I believe the term "Cougar" applies here, so it may seem a bit odd that she drives a Camaro!

Should I Choose a Male or Female Photographer?

When a woman begins to contemplate a sexy solo photoshoot, one of the first decisions she makes is the gender of her photographer.   This is a very important question and it has two parts.

The first part concerns the comfort of the woman posing.  Some women get very nervous being nude in front of a man, even if the purpose  for that nudity is understandable and acceptable.  Other women are more nervous being nude in front of a woman.  They feel that women are more critical and may be thinking unkind thoughts that they don't reveal.

The most important aspect of a successful boudoir or erotic photoshoot is being comfortable with your photographer, so this question can't be dismissed.  You should give it some thought and imagine what is best for you. 

The second part of this question is if a male or a female photographer is more likely to get you the kind of images you want.  This concept also applies to erotic couple's photoshoots.  If you browse several photographers' web sites, you can see that a photographer's style is influenced by their gender.  Here at Beyond Boudoir Photo, it's pretty obvious that I'm a male photographer.

Female photographers tend to gravitate toward standard commercial boudoir photography.  This style is mostly about the photoshoot experience.  The client is pampered, made up, and dressed in expensive looking lingerie.  It's much like spending the afternoon at a spa.  If the photographer is good at her job, the resulting images are a woman's fantasy of how she wants to see herself.  The goal is to make her look like a celebrity.  The photos are pretty tame and can easily be shared with friends and relatives.

Male photographers are more likely to bring out a woman's sexuality in a way that a man would appreciate.  This can mean more nudity and more suggestive poses.   Lingerie and makeup are useful, but they usually play a secondary role.   I like to describe the difference in styles as "lingerie catalog vs. men's magazine."  Also, some women seek out a male photographer because they feel they will get sexier images if they can flirt a little with the photographer and flirting with a woman doesn't work for them.

Let's say you want hot photos to excite your man, but you aren't comfortable posing nude with a male photographer you hardly know.  A great solution is to bring along a trusted girlfriend, that way you get the best of both options!

One thing to watch out for:  Many male photographers actually shoot art nudes rather than boudoir or erotic portraits.  A typical example will have a nude model posed in some unlikely place, an abandoned building, in a forest or even on a deserted city street.  The models are often not looking at the camera and are not in seductive poses.   While these can be very artistic and demonstrate the photographer's skill, they may not evoke sexual feelings in the viewer.

Obviously I have oversimplified this rather complex situation.  There is nothing to keep male photographers from shooting the commercial boudoir style images that are typically done by female photographers and in fact many do, since there is more money to be made in that genre.   Most men who do this have female partners and assistants who help create the pampered experience that goes with this style.

Now here's a tougher question:  Can female photographers shoot the more sexual images typically created by male photographers?  On a technical level, of course they can.  But from what I've seen, very few are comfortable or experienced with this style.  It's an interesting example of the complex psychology involved in erotic photography.

House Call Photoshoot with Catalina CruiseA photo from a shoot done in the model's home. Posted here with permission.

Erotic Photoshoot in a Portland Apartment

NSFW

One of the questions I'm often asked is if I will do an erotic photoshoot for someone in their own home or apartment.  Of course, the answer is yes, but since the photos I take for clients are private, they can't be used here on my site.  Photographers need examples of their work.  That's why I recently paid a lovely Portland model for the privilege of doing a photoshoot in her apartment.

I did bring my studio lights with me, they are reasonably portable, but if possible I like to do this kind of shoot with available light.  It helps preserve the atmosphere, I feel.   In this case we had plenty of daylight coming in the windows.  The first three shots were in the living room, which is on the north side of the apartment.

I did the entire shoot with three prime lenses, because I like the background blur I get from shooting at large apertures and the extra light is handy when shooting indoors.  The camera was my trusty Canon 5D3.

The photo below was taken with a 50mm Sigma classic (not the Art lens) at F/2.8, ISO 400, 1/60:

Canon 85mm F/1.8 at F/2.5, 1/60, ISO 400:

Yes, the next photo is intentionally tilted.  I picked up that style from Scott Church, a photographer who is known for his workshops and prolific nude work.   Sigma 50 1.4 at F/2.0, 1/125, ISO 400:

The bedroom is almost always a great place for intimate photos.  This image was created with a Canon 35mm F/2 IS lens, which I was renting from LensRentals.com to see if it belonged in my camera bag.   I was shooting wide open to see how much background blur I'd get with this lens.  I think it looks pretty good, but remember that this is very close range work, roughly three feet from the model's face.  My back was against the bedroom wall, so the 50mm lens would not have worked.   I was pretty happy with the sharpness of this lens; the model's eyes are extremely sharp, although you can't tell on an image this size.  

Blue BoudoirIn her boudoir - from an erotic apartment photoshoot.

The kitchen is a good place to get some fun, playful images.  I used the Canon 35 F/2 IS wide open here to create some background blur.   It worked pretty well in the first image, because I was only about 4-5 feet from the model.  The windows are on the South side of the building with direct sun on the white blinds, so I deliberately let them be completely washed out.

The next photo looks like a great example of selective blur with a wide aperture lens, but looks can be deceiving.  I was shooting about ten feet from the model, and there was actually very little background or foreground blur.  I used photoshop to fake the blurry areas.  Sometimes, Gaussian Blur is your friend!

Canon 35mm F/2 IS wide open at 1/60, ISO 400:

Same lens and settings as the photo above.  Rather than creating fake blur to reduce the visual clutter, I cropped this one down to about 25% of original image area. 

Arguably, the most intimate photos are taken in the bathroom.  Space is usually very tight, so a wide lens like the 35mm is needed.  I shot this one at F/3.2 in order to increase the depth of field a bit, but not too much. Do you notice that your eye bounces back and forth between the blurry real image and the sharp reflected image?

One more with the 35mm lens at F/2.5, 1/100, ISO 400:

That's all for this photoshoot.  If you would like to have me do a photoshoot for you, please check my rates, read the FAQ and use the contact form to drop me a note.   Thanks for reading!