himanshu.verma@shotstories.net

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Look of the locks

   We`ve shot Beauty lately, or Beauties rather, but this time the beauty shoot had us look at the assingment like we do at a product shoot. We`ve shot Products before, with the elements of the human anatomy as props, and we`ve shot Beauty before, with the human form as a wonderful canvas for our photo illustrations.
This time however, things got a little tricky. The theme was Hairdo and Makeup at the Mojo Salon.
Tricky, cause I had a tough time reconciling to the fact, that a pretty face was not to be part of the picture.


But we were determined to get Shot Stories to have a human face and a pretty one at that.
 And Ekta, on the left is our Prop/Canvas for the tufts and locks fashioned for a bridal look.This one time Ekta had to have her back to the Light, firstly to highlight the theme/subject, which is hair in this story and secondly, with less light on her face, You are more likely to pay more attention to the hairdo.

The faces got prettier with Sakshi joining us for the shoot, and things got trickier, trying to forget the face and focus on the hair.


















We seated Sakshi between two opposing Flash heads, with asymmetrical power settings to get just a trickle of light on  her face and a torrent of illumination down the back of her head.
Are we getting a little technical here? Relax! You can just take a good look at a picture and learn... Learn what makes the picture click. At first glance, you`d be looking at her  hairdo, if You were looking for one, but otherwise, it`s her face that would strike You first, before Your eyes scan the rest of the frame. Agree?

My fault! Sakshi can`t probably help her attractiveness. Right?





With Akriti on the left we are determined to regain focus, and one look at the picture, You know we are talking tresses. This pic can`t be about anything else but Hair makeup.


But there has to be a better way of picturing locks, than just shooting heads, head on.








Check out Sakshi on the right and Akriti below, in a different look and setting. What do You think, do the pictures work as well as the one above?
Now if You`re still fixated on the faces... we can`t help it!





This shoot was`nt about hair alone, rather it was about the complete bridal hair and makeup. I wonder why we worked so hard on the hairdo of the bride, cause a bride with the head uncovered is a rarity.. Sigh!
And here are our brides in full wedding regalia.


































What makes working with all the three pros such a cakewalk is not just their extraordinary physical traits but also an ability to convey mood and emotion. Makes my life so much simpler.
It may seem unfair of us to employ extraordinary women to showcase products and services meant for the average Indian woman, but the fact is that this manner of model selection is not entirely a matter of choice.
 A model is supposed to have a somewhat exaggerated frame with a better than average height, longer arms, broader shoulders, bigger eyes, palms, cheeks etc..
On a person with a smaller frame I as a photographer would have to struggle trying to fit all the details and You would find the frame crammed and cluttered on a smaller canvas... remember the canvas?


Photography is all about the play of lights and shadows, and so a chiseled look helps a lot. Check out Sakshi`s shoulder bone.



Check out the entire Action with the video below



  Thanks,

 Editor                                                            Models
          Dr. Supriya Himanshu                                
Akriti (Elite Model Agency)
 Photographer                                                           
Ekta (Elite Model Agency)
          Himanshu Verma                                         
Sakshi (World Connection Production)                     Dresses                                                        Styling
           Bhumika Grover                                       Sumukhi Saini, the Mojo Salon