A little experiment is in play. I invited Jaela to help out.

 

The question I’m hoping to answer is whether I’d enjoy and excell at child portraiture. It may not be a fair test, since I’ve worked with her before.

 

I’ve long avoided adult portraiture except for a brief period ten years ago when I did live face sketches with some success.

 

My process is being honed.

 

This description of the photo shoot is necessarily brief because I wrote most of the blog post only to see it vaporize when I clicked on the wrong button.

 

 Before I attempt to design the art, we do some short series of photos in themed batches, each with their own purpose. The hoped for end result is to find the best most complimentary studio setting (in this case) to bring out the glory of the individual being painted.

 

For a commissioned portrait, the photographer and the subject won’t ordinarily know each other and yet here they are interacting. It has to work.

 

I highly recommend that the subject be allowed to bring along a friend or relative with whom there is the best possible personal rapport. Some do just fine going it alone, others even excell alone, but many have hidden stores of glee that are unlocked by the presence of that person they trust and love. Pictures love that energy.

 

So first session was on the shop stool. The idea was to transition from the rest of the events of the day and into the mindset of a photo shoot. It also gives a sense about whether there is a better “side” to the person visually.

 

Next, we went outside to the

Lotus, where I wanted to see if she’d be a good fit for the character I’m developing for my cartoons for the Lotus Europa site. We did some shots near the body, which is separated from it’s poor chassis. Then we went out to the chassis. I have decided that skirt with slits, skirts that restrict movement, and skirts that hide legs are not good for model shoots. They may be fine for portraiture. Two different worlds.

 

This is not a grease monkey. She’s all girl in the classic sense and wasn’t personally  inclined to fawn over a machine, though she played along as best she could, trooper that she is.

 

So we went next to the trampoline where I had a bright idea for a pose underneath it seated on the grass which didn’t work particularly well. Live and learn.

 

We went back in the photo studio and did a makeup set in front of the cheval mirror.

It was the first chance for my new backdrop to have it’s day.

For all the photo shoots with Jaela, her “chemistry companion” has been her mom. So we took some photos of them together. Pam was self concious, since she hadn’t prepered for a cameo, but it worked well.

 

Then we did the couch and book sequence, for which I provided the tome called “Mad Magazine’s Bathroom Companion: The Mother Load”. Boy humor.

 

Finally we wrapped up with the head shots and she was adorable. After going through the photos, I now see how to coax more charm out of her expressions.