For those of you who have followed me on Xanga, I use to run a site called Bodyshots. I’ve taken it down for a few years but now it’s back up and waiting for your submissions again!

body.knsaber.com

I’ve worked with Tanya Dakin many times over the past few years and I still think about how grateful I was when she allowed me to photograph her during my early stages of modeling photography. A woman with her experience, maturity, confidence, and unaging looks would be any photographer’s dream. She is also 37 years of age, and a mix of Chinese, Greek, and Italian. There is an aura of self-confidence you feel around older women in their late 20’s to 30’s unlike that of young 18-22 year old “aspiring models.” I much rather work with the older crowd.

Even though we planned the last photoshoot date well in advance, we had no idea what we were going to shoot until I show up at her apartment.  That’s how I usually work. We browse through her underwear drawer, and scout for spots around the apartment. The lighting is 100% natural. We even made sure we included some personal photos together. I think between Tanya and I, we are always obligated to create one triptych from each photo session.

The first set is very “stock” looking with the vivid colors of blue and red, and what better way to show off her lean and slender torso with a side view. The reason why I don’t like underwear is because it cuts a line across the continuous form from torso to legs. It should be uninterrupted whenever possible.

The second macabre scene was inspired by one of my favorite games, American McGee’s Alice, with a little hint of Psycho. This angry little girl has no problem slashing your throat while you sleep.

The last triptych shows how I react to girls.

You can visit Tanya’s blog here.

I helped Yen Hoang start her first fashion portfolio to send to New York agencies. The photos are unstylized which is not the norm for me, but that’s the point of a portfolio, to showcase the model, not the photographer. The shots are straight forward with minimal editing.  The photo shoot wouldn’t have been possible without the last minute efforts of makeup artist Jennifer Kang and Aya Fukuda.

Once in a while I will photograph women in some sort of clothing, although I admit it doesn’t automatically make it qualify as a fashion shoot. This alleyway is in the back of Hoboken under an overpass ramp leading up to Union City. Apparently having a car parked in a small alleyway, with lighting equipment on the sidewalk and a barely clothed woman does not draw attention to the police when they drive by. Back lighting is obviously bi-xenon headlights with an Alien Bee as the front key light, bare bulb no umbrella. I seem to be putting out a lot of car related series of photos lately.

Had I known there was such a gorgeous actress in the Toronto area, I would’ve gotten a nicer hotel.  My favorite style is backlit windows, though this is also the hardest to shoot. Nearly half of my shots are mis focused because while you look towards the model, she is basically a sillouhette and it is very difficult to focus. The only way to get enough light is to use a prime at f/1.8 which furthur increases the difficulty of getting a correct focus. After you’ve tackled the lighting issues, now you just have to get the model to flirt with the camera. =) The few shots that do come out makes it totally worth the trouble.  I feel quite privileged someone of her looks, talent, and maturity offered her time to model for my intime work.