# NSFW-ish - Pregnant Model PP for C&C



## oldmacman (Sep 2, 2011)

Well, I took some of the suggestions from yesterday and tried my hand at PPing a few of the images from the mat... er, pregnancy portraits. I was going for a softer, less dark mood. Dark is my my personality and I tend to lean that way in photos. Let me know what you think.


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## subscuck (Sep 2, 2011)

Honestly, I much prefer the color and straight B&W conversions from yesterday. That's not to say these are bad, they just don't do as much for me.


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## H4X1MA (Sep 2, 2011)

This may be my noob side, or my dark side, as well but the first thing I thought of when I saw these was death. Especially #2, she almost looks like a ghost. I think the expression on her face of also one of sorrow, not joy as you would expect from a new mother. the expression in #3 reminds of an expression of depression, or maybe just really deep thought, disconnected.


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## oldmacman (Sep 2, 2011)

subscuck said:


> Honestly, I much prefer the color and straight B&W conversions from yesterday. That's not to say these are bad, they just don't do as much for me.



Yeah, fair enough. It's not in my comfort zone either, but it doesn't hurt to experiment. FWIW, my wife likes these processed ones more than the darker images from the first post. This is not my wife BTW. I'm too old to be thinking about another child in the brood.


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## oldmacman (Sep 2, 2011)

H4X1MA said:


> This may be my noob side, or my dark side, as well but the first thing I thought of when I saw these was death. Especially #2, she almost looks like a ghost. I think the expression on her face of also one of sorrow, not joy as you would expect from a new mother. the expression in #3 reminds of an expression of depression, or maybe just really deep thought, disconnected.



Thanks for your input. I appreciate your thoughts.


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## subscuck (Sep 2, 2011)

I think a lot of people would say that the "glamour glow" look is overdone. Kinda like selective color. But in both cases, if it's done well, it works well. My thoughts on glamour glow, or soft focus if you prefer: When there is evidence of a strong light source, I feel it works best. I also feel it works best with B&W, but that's probably a personal preference thing. With that in mind, #'s 1 and 3 work the best as there is evidence of a strong light source on her right side. Having seen your shots posted yesterday, though, really biases me towards them, I simply prefer them over these. I would like to add, the shots you've posted yesterday and today are certainly a huge cut above the normal ma, er, uh, I mean, pregnancy shots, we normally see. So, well done, you. :thumbup:


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## GeorgieGirl (Sep 2, 2011)

As a woman with children and having been there and done that... why do moms to be do this? I get that Demi started it for a cover and attention and what ever but...why? Any insight by photogs on why ladies like doing these kinds of shoots?

Agree the black and white is not a good idea.


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## oldmacman (Sep 2, 2011)

GeorgieGirl said:


> As a woman with children and having been there and done that... why do moms to be do this? I get that Demi started it for a cover and attention and what ever but...why? Any insight by photogs on why ladies like doing these kinds of shoots?
> 
> Agree the black and white is not a good idea.



Well, if my wife's perspective is any insight, I think it's the fascination with the changes in your body and how you change emotionally as well as physically. We have shots of my wife to help remember how far the body goes to bring new life into the world; they help to remind her how she was feeling and the excitement of bringing new life into the world. Part of it is a sacrifice I suppose. For some people, it's a once in a lifetime thing and we want to remember those moments. Why do we record anything that we do? I happen to think this young woman is absolutely striking in her beauty. Who wouldn't want to a memory of that. Maybe it was instinctive, but I remember when my wife felt her most pregnant, she was never more beautiful to me and I treasured the 9 month sacrifice she made (5 times btw).

Not sure what you mean by, "Agree the black and white is not a good idea."


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## tirediron (Sep 2, 2011)

Well done.  I very much like the results here.


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## oldmacman (Sep 2, 2011)

tirediron said:


> Well done.  I very much like the results here.



Thanks for checking back in.


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## subscuck (Sep 2, 2011)

GeorgieGirl said:


> As a woman with children and having been there and done that... why do moms to be do this? I get that Demi started it for a cover and attention and what ever but...why? Any insight by photogs on why ladies like doing these kinds of shoots?
> 
> Agree the black and white is not a good idea.



I would guess that not all women subscribe to the puritanical American belief that nudity is shameful and the only time you should be nude is when you bathe. Some women are very comfortable with the notion that the human form is beautiful.


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## GeorgieGirl (Sep 2, 2011)

I have photos of my first while quite pregnant. They were not by others. I know how I felt in my skin so I don't need a man to tell me how I felt. I did ask for insight in how photographers felt if they knew why posing was important to the subject. 

So did you answer like a photog or did you answer like a father or did up you answer like a man? 

Did you answer why pregnant women pose while pregnant?

To the question if b&w, I don't think the new set of b&w set the tone. FWIW


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## oldmacman (Sep 2, 2011)

GeorgieGirl said:


> I have photos of my first while quite pregnant. They were not by others. I know how I felt in my skin so I don't need a man to tell me how I felt. I did ask for insight in how photographers felt if they knew why posing was important to the subject.
> 
> So did you answer like a photog or did you answer like a father or did up you answer like a man?
> 
> ...



Your tone seems angry, so I will try not to stir the pot on what seems to be a sensitive issue.

I am all three things: a man, a father and a photographer. I think all three perspectives have a hand in how my response was formulated.


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## manaheim (Sep 3, 2011)

Wooooooooooooooooooo!  

Bring out the snark, baby!  It's time to get the whoop on.


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## Arch (Sep 3, 2011)

GeorgieGirl said:


> I have photos of my first while quite pregnant. They were not by others. I know how I felt in my skin so I don't need a man to tell me how I felt. I did ask for insight in how photographers felt if they knew why posing was important to the subject.
> 
> So did you answer like a photog or did you answer like a father or did up you answer like a man?
> 
> ...



Please keep your attitude in check, the OP did his best to answer your question, your response seems overly aggessive and really, how is he suppose to know the answer to your vague question.

To the OP, i quite like these, they have a kind of ethereal effect, it may be worth seeing if the model likes this look.


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## GeorgieGirl (Sep 3, 2011)

Lets start again to clarify with apologies. Apparently my questions came across as harsh demands. It was not intended to:

A picture is work a thousand words. 

This set of photos (and the others in color) are reminiscent to me of Renaissance Paintings where women were painted in the nude in huge garden settings, looking away with expressions of forlorn and despair.

I had asked if she was having a boy as a result of the colors of the cloth. That was asked to detemine if there was a tie in to her pregnancy and the color she chose for the session. There was none. Not sure if there was supposed to be or not.

So when pictures create thoughts and impressions, my question is why was this woman posing for these photos. What is motivating her. Is it for her, is it for her child? 

They are solitary, they are lonely, they are absent of joy or happiness, they have little to no relevance to the child she is carrying. 

Was this a Maternity Shoot or was it something else?

When I asked if it was known why she posed....Did the photographer and the subject decide what they wanted to accomplish with this session?  Did the subject disclose why she was holding this session... Did that conversation take place to understand each others objectives. Were they met.

So those were my thoughts, questions and wonderings as a result of the session.

My comments about the photos themselves, looking at them with a camera eye, as I said, I do not care for the B&W treament, I think it creates a further lack of intimacy due to her pregnancy. If she were not pregnant I might have a different impression. I can't say for sure, but I am leaning toward soft porn for the overall session rather than a capture of a monumental event in the life of a woman.

I know why Demi posed, I know why I had snaps taken of me while pregnant....no wait. I already said that.


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## oldmacman (Sep 3, 2011)

Arch said:


> i quite like these, they have a kind of ethereal effect, it may be worth seeing if the model likes this look.



Thanks, Arch. I have added them to her personal gallery along with the original images. She has not made her print selections yet, but her initial reaction was that she loved the set I had processed... 36 images to choose from.


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## Shadowbox (Sep 4, 2011)

I have to go view your other photos but I wanted to say that I love these, they have a very soft erotic feel that I appreciate in pregnant women because I feel that a lof of pregnant women lose their confidence and feel they aren't sexy when really .. the natural beauty of carrying another life in you is astounding, so well done on capturing that!


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