Studio Photography - A Big Problem.

[monkeygirl123]

If you’ve read my previous thread you’ll know that a few years ago I worked as a photographer in a portrait studio. There are many stories I could share with you about my time there (and I may just do that over the coming months) but today I thought I’d put this one your way as it’s one that particularly stands out for me.

One day I took a call from a guy wanting to book a sitting for a traditional family portrait of himself, his wife and their two children, and so I booked him in for the following week. But the day before the sitting he called me again sounding rather anxious and awkward. After a bit of stumbling and stalling he proceeded to tell me that there was a bit of a problem in that his wife had a rather large nose. As I tried to contain myself, he asked me if it would it be at all possible for me to position her in such a way to make her nose less obvious. Of course I handled the call professionally and told him there were a few things I could do so not to worry, and the call ended with him telling me that for obvious reasons he would appreciate it if none of this was mentioned on the day.

On the Saturday afternoon when they walked into the studio you can guess what I did first. I just couldn’t help it. I found myself not just glancing, but staring at it. And he was right – it wasn’t just huge – it was bloody enormous. I really did try my best to disguise it; I positioned her in ways that were unheard of, turned lights on and off and even tried to hide some of it behind the children, but to be honest he was asking too much. However, when the pictures were developed and they returned for the viewing, they both seemed delighted with them and spent a fortune, so I guess I did an OK job.

But all this got me to thinking, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. I’ve always wondered if he made that call because he loved her and cared about her. Perhaps she hated her nose so much and told him so every day of her life, and maybe he just wanted his wife to see herself looking beautiful – the way he always sees her – where it simply fades into insignificance alongside her other features. If that was the case, then what a lovely man.

But I have this niggling, little doubt inside of my head telling me I’m wrong; that maybe he was the one who was embarrassed by the size of it. Perhaps it was her idea for the portrait but he didn’t want to have to look at a 20 x 16 hanging on the wall for the rest of his days where her nose would be taking up a rather significant amount of inchage.

So...what d’ya think, guys (and gals)?
Nice man or nasty man?

[OsmosisStudios]

okay, I'll bite: how big WAS her nose? really? I mean, are we talking Toucan Sam here?

[monkeygirl123]

Lol. Give or take an inch, yes. It was one of those shark fin noses...it really did jut out an awful long way. God...I'm sounding horrible!

[digirebelva]

It obviously doesnt bother him to much, he married her didnt he, and has kids with her right...And most of us know women tend to be more self aware of things like that then men.."Honey does this make me look fat"...sound familiar to anyone...but honestly it's all conjecture on our parts, That being said, you obviously did a great job with the request and handeled with all the professionalism required of you.

[sk66]

I think you have the "doubt" maybe because you are unsure if you could get around such an "obstruction" personally.

I'll be honest, there are a ton of people I would not want to see in pictures...I see pictures of "loved ones" etc and I just think "ugh..."
But that's because I don't know them and I don't have any personal connection to them.....

Hell, none of us are perfect.

BTW, I'd be more interested in what you did to successfully minimize the issue.

[Izzy]

I don't mean to be "nosey" did you get anything more experience wise out of it.

[Indigo November]

Originally Posted by sk66

BTW, I'd be more interested in what you did to successfully minimize the issue.

My thoughts exactly.

What did you do?

[royey123]

Originally Posted by monkeygirl123

So...what d’ya think, guys (and gals)?
Nice man or nasty man?

Who "knows"?? LOL.... I'd say he loved her.

[monkeygirl123]

Thanks for all the comments

I was lucky enough to have some prior warning about the 'problem' which gave me some thinking time to try and decide how I was going to handle it. I knew very little about studio lighting and the technical side of photography (my previous thread talks about this) and I also had no access to the internet so there was no time for research. However, what I did have was a little bit of common sense and (being a woman) some knowledge about make-up. Obviously unable to work on her with a make-up brush, I hoped I could use the lighting in place of the make-up to get the same effect.

The first thing I did (which I was told never to do) was to place her facing the camera directly, because as her nose was a shark-fin shape, I knew that the slightest angle (and seeing it in profile) would only accentuate it. She became my main model and I angled the others around her.

The next thing I wanted to do was to make her nose disappear into her cheeks. I knew all about making cheek bones look more prominent using make-up, and by highlighting the top of them it would bring them forward, so I placed the main light directly in front of her and then raised it up until the bottom part of her face (including the end of her nose) was in a slight shadow.

Basically, that's all I did, obviously moving the family around to get a few different poses.

The photos weren't brilliant by any means, but there weren't any where her nose was casting a shadow on the side of her face, so I was pleased about that. My favourite of the day was one of just her and her husband leaning into each other for a kiss, and I placed her head behind his so her nose was completely hidden.

I'm sure I could have done many more things and it's my goal this year to actually buy some off camera lighting and learn, learn, learn!

[CharlieJ]

Originally Posted by monkeygirl123

So...what d’ya think, guys (and gals)?
Nice man or nasty man?

Personally, I think it's as plain as the nose on your face. He's a nice man who loves his wife dearly. He was trying to give you a heads up and minimize the effect of her proboscis on the finished photos. BTW, did you use the Liquify Tool to take a little off?