Chris- Underwear Shoot

[DanOstergren]

Shot these the other day. This shoot marks the second time a male model has hired me from a referral from their agent to photograph them in their underwear, and it feels really good that I'm starting to get paid more frequently to photograph beautiful men like this guy rather than testing for free. I'm crossing my fingers that this could lead the agents to refer me to bigger clients, perhaps a men's underwear campaign?

Shot in natural light from a window with overcast skies, with a silver reflector.

 

[DanOstergren]

Added another photo

 

[Destin]

Great shots as usual Dan. A few things I noticed though:

#1.) I like this photo the best. The only issue I have with it is that the underwear being brightest, draw my eye to the bottom left of the frame immediately and then I find them leaving the frame (following the heavy dark lines of the model's legs) and randomly wandering back over to eventually view the rest of the image. Other than that though, the light is incredible, as is the posing.

#2.) I don't actually have any real feedback for this image. It's technically a great shot and shows the model well, but for some reason the bathtub location just doesn't do it for me. Completely personal preference here, and I'm sure others will love it.

Just my two cents as usual, not worth much. You're a much better portrait photographer than I am, so don't sweat my feedback too much lol.

I could definitely see you landing a men's underwear catalog shoot or something with images like this. That would be incredible! Good luck!

 

[texxter]

... it feels really good that I'm starting to get paid more frequently to photograph beautiful men like this guy rather than testing for free.

Good for you! Nothing wrong with getting paid for doing what you love!

It's fantastic that you chose to use natural light for these images - not only do they look natural, but it also makes it possible to focus more on the interaction with the talent and less on the lighting equipment and setup...

About the images, I prefer the first one for a couple of reasons. The black and white seems to go well with the dramatic lighting; also, the pose and setting seem more natural. My preference would be for the model to not have eye contact with the camera, so as to make the image be more of a candid moment.

I have a bit of trouble with the second image, if you don't mind my being frank. First, someone with underwear on in a tub with no water feels immediately contrived and posed. Hard for me to pay attention to the underwear when my brain is trying to figure out why this guy is doing that Second, shooting straight up his genitals and having a rather inviting expression on the model's face moves the image a bit away from fashion and more into male glamour.

For a fashion shoot it makes sense to decide upfront whether you want to pretend to not be there, or have a direct engagement with the talent. I personally prefer fashion images that pretend to be candid shots, so as to allow the viewer to be a voyeur of someone else's good looking clothes. As soon as there is eye connection between the viewer and the model the focus can quickly shift from observing the clothes to engaging emotionally with the model. Which may or may not work for the clothing designer. Just a thought.

 

[Amocholes]

I like the tones in the 2nd one but the underwear in the bathtub just seems out of place. If it's cropped from just above the waistband, it seems to be a much more appealing image.

 

[DanOstergren]

... it feels really good that I'm starting to get paid more frequently to photograph beautiful men like this guy rather than testing for free.

Good for you! Nothing wrong with getting paid for doing what you love!

It's fantastic that you chose to use natural light for these images - not only do they look natural, but it also makes it possible to focus more on the interaction with the talent and less on the lighting equipment and setup...

About the images, I prefer the first one for a couple of reasons. The black and white seems to go well with the dramatic lighting; also, the pose and setting seem more natural. My preference would be for the model to not have eye contact with the camera, so as to make the image be more of a candid moment.

I have a bit of trouble with the second image, if you don't mind my being frank. First, someone with underwear on in a tub with no water feels immediately contrived and posed. Hard for me to pay attention to the underwear when my brain is trying to figure out why this guy is doing that Second, shooting straight up his genitals and having a rather inviting expression on the model's face moves the image a bit away from fashion and more into male glamour.

For a fashion shoot it makes sense to decide upfront whether you want to pretend to not be there, or have a direct engagement with the talent. I personally prefer fashion images that pretend to be candid shots, so as to allow the viewer to be a voyeur of someone else's good looking clothes. As soon as there is eye connection between the viewer and the model the focus can quickly shift from observing the clothes to engaging emotionally with the model. Which may or may not work for the clothing designer. Just a thought.

Thank you for the critiques.


Sent from my iPhone using ThePhotoForum.com mobile app

 

[DanOstergren]

... it feels really good that I'm starting to get paid more frequently to photograph beautiful men like this guy rather than testing for free.

Good for you! Nothing wrong with getting paid for doing what you love!

It's fantastic that you chose to use natural light for these images - not only do they look natural, but it also makes it possible to focus more on the interaction with the talent and less on the lighting equipment and setup...

About the images, I prefer the first one for a couple of reasons. The black and white seems to go well with the dramatic lighting; also, the pose and setting seem more natural. My preference would be for the model to not have eye contact with the camera, so as to make the image be more of a candid moment.

I have a bit of trouble with the second image, if you don't mind my being frank. First, someone with underwear on in a tub with no water feels immediately contrived and posed. Hard for me to pay attention to the underwear when my brain is trying to figure out why this guy is doing that Second, shooting straight up his genitals and having a rather inviting expression on the model's face moves the image a bit away from fashion and more into male glamour.

For a fashion shoot it makes sense to decide upfront whether you want to pretend to not be there, or have a direct engagement with the talent. I personally prefer fashion images that pretend to be candid shots, so as to allow the viewer to be a voyeur of someone else's good looking clothes. As soon as there is eye connection between the viewer and the model the focus can quickly shift from observing the clothes to engaging emotionally with the model. Which may or may not work for the clothing designer. Just a thought.

Thank you for the critiques.


Sent from my iPhone using ThePhotoForum.com mobile app

 

[DanOstergren]

Great shots as usual Dan. A few things I noticed though:

#1.) I like this photo the best. The only issue I have with it is that the underwear being brightest, draw my eye to the bottom left of the frame immediately and then I find them leaving the frame (following the heavy dark lines of the model's legs) and randomly wandering back over to eventually view the rest of the image. Other than that though, the light is incredible, as is the posing.

#2.) I don't actually have any real feedback for this image. It's technically a great shot and shows the model well, but for some reason the bathtub location just doesn't do it for me. Completely personal preference here, and I'm sure others will love it.

Just my two cents as usual, not worth much. You're a much better portrait photographer than I am, so don't sweat my feedback too much lol.

I could definitely see you landing a men's underwear catalog shoot or something with images like this. That would be incredible! Good luck!

Thank you, and I appreciate the feedback.


Sent from my iPhone using ThePhotoForum.com mobile app

 

[DanOstergren]

I like the tones in the 2nd one but the underwear in the bathtub just seems out of place. If it's cropped from just above the waistband, it seems to be a much more appealing image.

Thank you.


Sent from my iPhone using ThePhotoForum.com mobile app