articles/Fashion/rollingwiththebigdog12-page1

Rolling with the BIG Dog Part 12 - part 1 of 1 2 3 4

by Damian McGillicuddy Published 01/10/2011

Rolling with the Big Dog 130711

It's that time of the month again, it comes round soooo quick! So here I am sitting at the keyboard 'tripeing ' away. I should explain that's not a typo, in the glorious north if you're talking rubbish we refer to it as talking tripe...so 'tripeing ' must be its keyboard equivalent!

Anyway onwards, I don't suit humour ;0) When our magnificent editor called me with his usual pleasant, "McGillicuddy WHERE'S your copy" call he happened to mention that the issue after this one has a fine art theme and could I do something vaguely related to that! Now I must have been having a 'monocle and jodhpur ' moment because my immediate retort was a simple, "my dear editor - everything I shoot is considered fine art"!!! Let's hope this article lives up to its pre-billing then.

There are many genres of 'fine art ' photography, I actually do believe that everything we shoot as professionals should strive for such lofty status, however, the one I instantly gravitate to is loosely encompassed into the camp of art nude and erotica.

I, like many other top professionals, believe that the discipline of shooting a nude well holds many of the keys to developing your craft as a photographer. Excuse the pun but everything is exposed and in the open... technique-wise ;0) There is just nowhere to hide poor camera craft, weak posing and inadequate lighting skills. So for me the discipline of shooting the nude is akin to a round of golf, I'm always striving to better my last performance, so for photographic and artistic development I don't think it can be beaten, even if you don't aspire to shoot nudes, glamour or erotica commercially.

Now its this style of photography with which I have made my name, so I like to think I know a little about it; it still amazes me that I have a hardcore of followers who collect my work as art for art's sake. So once more you fall lucky as I think the best way to cover this topic is to share a handful of images I like along with the highly sought after, 'how it was done ' details.

I've found that over the years shooting nudes for me has fallen loosely into two camps: the 'shape and form 'driven nude and the more 'narrative rich ' often slightly darker in mood, edgier 'stuff '. Let's have a look at both eh!

I will start with one of my favourite images of one of my favourite models, an image that is all about, shape, form, texture and sculptural light.

How was it done?

Location:
The McGillicuddy camera room
Subject:
Ulorin Vex


What was in the bag:
Nikon D3 fitted with Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8
1x Elinchrom ranger quadra
1x Elinchrom BXRi
Elinchrom Universal Skyport
DMLS BIG softie
Sekonic L-758D light meter
Camera settings:
Image captured in RAWISO 200, f4.5 @ 1/200 seclens set at approx. 60mm RAW file processed through Aperture 3.1

• Rolling with the BIG Dog Part 12 page 1
  
• Rolling with the BIG Dog Part 12 page 2
  
• Rolling with the BIG Dog Part 12 page 3
  
• Rolling with the BIG Dog Part 12 page 4
  

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