Mike's Photoblog

Glorious Ladies of San Clemente

I've been working on a little side project entitled The Glorious Ladies of San Clemente. The only qualification for inclusion in the project is that the woman be:

1. glorious,
2. a current or former resident of SC,
3. unfortunate enough to know me.

My modus operandi for each portrait session is to shoot one roll of medium format film - ten frames - using available light with a reflector or a simple one light set up.   So going in, my model/victim knows that she's only going to have to suffer through ten shots, and she won't have to deal with a photo-geek who's more interested in tinkering with his gear than bringing out her gloriousness.   In addition, I keep my ancient mechanical camera on a tripod, which allows me to interact with my Glorious Ladies in a more natural way.   I can actually get out from behind the camera and speak with m'lady face to face.

I find this approach forces me to work more slowly and methodically than I would with my digital kit.  It's really a lot of fun, and I'm always a little stunned by the results.

Anyway, here are a few frames from my latest victim.  Click on any photo below for a larger view.