Isabella Sessions 3 from Sol Lang on Vimeo.

Isabella Sessions 3

A compilation of film clips from a shooting session with Isabella.

Arianna, Simply Beautiful

Arianna, Simply Beautiful, a photo by Sol Lang on Flickr.

I need to share a little secret. A small neurosis that sometimes overwhelms me before a session with a model. This time was no exception.

One would clearly see, by the line-up of models I photograph, that my selection of subjects is made with a great deal of care. It is not every day that a model would walk through the door that would posses the exquisiteness that I require all my models to have. This would be both in external physical beauty as well as the more subtly visible spiritual, inner beauty. I have yet to photograph a model that did not posses one or the other, but mostly both, by the time I have photographed and processed the images of them.

But back to my neurosis. I select my models from various sources. On-line casting sites, agencies, recommendations, applications. I always have the opportunity to evaluate them physically from their portfolios, if that exists, or at the very least from a series of photographs that they can provide for my inspection. Once I make my decision to photograph a subject, I go through with the session. This would mean that the model would have already been scrutinized by me and my aesthetic preferences. Still the day before the session. Sometimes in the middle of the night, I would wake up with anxiety, wondering wether of not I made a right decision choosing the model I am about to photograph. Seems a bit crazy, but it is so.

And so it was the night before my shoot with Arianna. The neurosis started. I started fearing that I would find flaws that I hand’t noticed in the portfolio. What if the shots in the portfolio were so heavily retouched and I will have a horrible surprise tomorrow when she arrives. I have actually heard such horror stories from other photographers who were faced with models who showed old images of themselves tha weret hardly representative of their present state. Oh God! Please let it not be that!

But, no. How could it be. Arianna did an Italian Playboy appearance in the September 2011 issue and is about to do the cover of the December 2012 issue. Stop fretting. Get back to sleep. It will be a wonderful session with a stupendous model that will provide countless photographs. Much more than I will have time to process. And not to forget the tons of video footage that will produce a neat little visual story by the time I am finished editing it.

So I calmed myself down and went back to sleep. Must gather my strength for this physically demanding photo session.

I am happy to report that the next day, with all the malfunctions previously stated (see other posts), the session was a success. Arianna was beyond my expectations. Possessing stunning, breathtaking beauty, she posed to my heart’s content.

I will be adding images from these sessions as I process them. Come back often to see how this set will evolve and grow.

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There will be several videos showing behind the scenes of the Arianna sessions.

This image can be purchased as a signed, limited edition print, by contacting me either here on Flickr or by email sol@sollang.com

A Room with a View

I was faced with many challenges in achieving this shooting session with Arianna. The first challenge was to find a model that would meet my critical aesthetic requirements, which Arianna easily met and indeed surpassed. Yes, I have been told many times that I am tough on aesthetics. I don’t really think that I am. I have my preferences and as it happens, my preferences do tend to please most viewers of my glamor photographic work. But at the same time my range of preferences is rather wide. Anyone looking at my work would see that. But getting back to my challenges of shooting Ariana… We (my wife Mary and I) had just driven in to Rapallo, Italy from Chamonix, France, arriving one hour before the agreed upon time to start the session. We had to check into our hotel, unpack and set-up our equipment, do some test shots and be ready for Ariana’s arrival. It all had to be fast, flawless like clock-work. This was not what I am used to. My work is rarely on-location. I do most of my work in a more leisurely fashion, in my home studio, where I have all my lighting equipment and, apparently, unlimited shooting locations around the house. In Rapallo, at the hotel, I was limited to our room and the requested balcony facing the Mediterranean with Portofino to one side and the Rapallo Marina on the other. A pretty nice setting. The only lighting equipment I brought was a single strobe head mounted on a stand with a reflector umbrella. After setting-up, I tested the strobe and it worked just fine, but then I heard a “pop” sound that came from the head and, just as I thought, it was no longer functioning.   Arianna, who came from Milan, arrived twenty minutes early. Very unusual for a model. Most of my models call an hour late asking for directions. This was a refreshing change. I could see that great things were going to come of it. And so the session began.

I will be adding images from these sessions as I process them. Come back often to see how this set will evolve and grow.

View this image large

There will be several videos showing behind the scenes of the Arianna sessions.

This image can be purchased as a signed, limited edition print, by contacting me either here on Flickr or by email sol@sollang.com

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She Sits Like a Queen on Her Throne...

She Sits Like a Queen on Her Throne..., a photo by Sol Lang on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
She Sits Like a Queen on Her Throne...

...and yet, outwardly, there seems to be no connection between this sultry redhead and world issues such as politics, religion, the environment or other social concerns. But wait! Upon some closer scrutiny, a message does seem to appear. It is the same message that is always suppressed when anything smacks of sexuality, even if only slightly. Why then would that be? Politicians stay away from the subject because like religion or abortion, it is much too controversial and can easily split a voting public right down the middle. Freedom of choice, to-date, has not been too good for elections. So, too has sexuality. It is deemed to be private. Secret. Even in the most “normal” sense, it is a taboo subject. In some circles of our society, it is considered deviant even to just discuss it. It is, especially, considered a taboo subject when compared with what are considered more “higher-brow” concerns such as politics, religion, literature, the environment, medicine or world finance. And yet sexuality affects us all. Psychologists tell us that to suppress it or pretend it isn’t there can be hazardous to individuals and society alike. So we would rather wonder, why do we have so many sexually driven crimes and why, even-though they are reprehensible, do they get so much attention in the media? Why do they inspire and provoke the imagination of a vast audience?

The large version is a must see.

You can own a signed, limited edition, framed print of "She Sits Like a Queen on Her Throne..." by contacting the artist sol@sollang.com

A good day for contemplation

A good day for contemplation, a photo by Sol Lang on Flickr.

As I look out my window and see the snow laden branches sagging from the weight of the snow, I think to myself “What a beautiful scene!” It is a good day to stay home from work, snuggle up by a warm fireplace, read a book and relax. But I am an artist. There is no time off for art. I think “art” all the time. Every observation is material for artistic expression. So what does all this have to do with the photograph I present here of Milena? Perhaps nothing, unless I compare the cold world outside with the warmth that is obviously expressed in this image. Why can this unfortunate world have such contrasts? Can our human condition possibly be expressed in a single work of art? It is not likely. But looking at this image, in the context of this day and my place and time within this universe, I am compelled to see beyond the beauty of Milena, as she reclines comfortably and provocatively on a couch with the warm glow cast upon her skin from the lamp behind her. I am forced to think of a world of contrasts, where somewhere there is a homeless person, sleeping outdoors, trying to keep warm by covering himself with a blanket of corrugated boxes covered and soaked by the wet snow. Suddenly I am overwhelmed with a feeling of sadness. Not just for the homeless person, but for all the misfortunes that exist in this world. Art can do that. It can trigger thoughts, not only in a direct, literal sense, but also an indirect implied sense. Contrasts at work.

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Visit my web site.

This session was not recorded in film, but you can view some of my other sessions on my site.

Reflections (explicit) on Vimeo by Sol Lang

Reflections (explicit) on Vimeo by Sol Lang, a photo by Sol Lang on Flickr.

Featuring Kerri Taylor, taken during a photo shoot with Sol Lang.

Watch this video on Vimeo. Video created by Sol Lang.