Sometime in the coming months, #corsetmonday will be ending and I’ve been thinking about starting a new series based on models wearing see-through clothing. The first installment is presented here as a preview. If this is something you’d like to see in the future, please click the CONTACT button and let me know. If you see another image from this shoot on Instagram*, the number of likes might give me an idea of whether anyone would like to see this series launched.
Today’s Post by Joe Farace
Lingerie is a category of women’s clothing that includes undergarments, sleepwear and lightweight robes, like what Madison’s wearing at right. The word implies that the garments are alluring and fashionable. Lingerie can be made of lightweight, stretchy, smooth, sheer or decorative fabrics such as silk, satin, Lycra, charmeuse, chiffon, or lace.
See-through clothing is any garment that’s made with lace, mesh or sheer fabric that allows the wearer’s body or undergarments to be seen through its fabric. See-through or sheer fabric, particularly in skin tone colors, is sometimes called illusion, as in ‘illusion bodice’ due to giving the impression of exposed flesh. This concept is not new. See-through fabrics were fashionable in Europe during the eighteenth century and continue to be available for a wide range of clothing styles. This use of see-through fabrics as a common element in designer clothing resulted in the “sheer fashion trend” that’s been predominant in fashion circles since 2008.
How I Made this Shot: I only got to photograph the Australian model known as Madison only once. She was a referral from another model, Zoe, who I had photographed three times and who was featured in one of the early installments of #corsetmonday. This image of Madison was part of several wardrobe changes she made when I photographed for her promotional portfolio. You may not be able to tell it from this image but she was sweet and lovely to work with but very shy.
I photographed Madison on the loft outside my home office in my former home. The pseudo high key look was created by light coming from the large North-facing window that’s behind her and is wiping out the entire background. The camera used was a Canon EOS D60—not a 60D—and an EF 50mm f/1.8 lens, proving you can make glamour images with any kind of camera and lens. A Canon EX420 speedlite was used as fill with a Stofen Omni-Bounce diffuser mounted to soften the light. Exposure was 1/60 sec at f/3.5 and ISO 400 with a plus one-third stop exposure compensation to make up for the back lighting fooling the meter.
*because of Instagram’s inconsistent and incoherent censorship, the image posted there will be a (full frame) head shot of Madison.
If you’re interested in learning how I shoot available light glamour and boudoir portraits, please pick up a copy of Available Light Glamour Photography which is available new from Amazon.com for $29.95 or used starting around twenty-two bucks, as I write this. The Kindle version is $28.45 for those preferring a digital format.