The Best Nine Months

[BigFuzzy]

Hi everyone,
I had the honor to work with this young lady on the below project throughout her pregnancy and wanted a bit a feedback.

As you can see, it's a series of photographs taken throughout her pregnancy which I stitched together later into a video.

What I'd like to know is whether or not this is something you think clients in general would like (and pay for of course!). Does it have the effect of showing the growth of the belly as I'd hoped without only taking photos of the belly itself. I wanted to show her in her entirety particularly whenever we could get away from her terrace and in interesting environments (like the orange Dutch jersey prior to the world cup and in front of the Reichstag in Berlin. Essentially, is it effective and emotive to you? Mostly from a client perspective because I know there are lots of little things technically that could improve, but I'm not sure a client would feel them, so put yourself in the client's shoes if possible.

Also, I moved around her in 180 degrees taking a photo every ten degrees or so handheld. I could have done it on a rolling tripod, but I chose to have it a bit jerky.. what do you think about that?

I'm not seeking commentary on the quality of the individual images, I'm happy with them though, naturally, there are things I'd do differently next time. And the upload is small, the original is in HD I just wanted it to load quickly.
Thanks!

[scootermcq]

Fuzzy I love it and like the jerkiness. From a feedback point, I would love if it was the same location and same(ish) outfit so it looked like a 9 month time-lapse. Not that this is not great and a neat idea, just a personal preference.

[SwissJon]

Hmm...

I like the jerkyness although it's a bit difficult to watch, but I think perhaps there are too many photos per "slice".. You could have got away with 15 degrees (12 photos per 180 degrees) rather than 10 degrees (18 photos per 180 degrees) and the film would have been shorter. I would also have taken them more often.. Even every day with only 1 photo per day.. or maybe 3 photos per day and just shown the montage from the front, then the side then at 45 degrees. I think this would have been a much more effective documentary, you not only get the change in belly, you get a change in clothes, and the change in seasons too.. It kinda shows more clearly the length of a pregnancy..

But as for saleability.. I've no idea. Put this on a digital picture frame in your studio windo or on your website and see wht responses you get.. I would think it's another string to your bow.. Certainly wouldn't hurt to offer it. In the end, you may not get to document many pregnancies, but you might well get a few enquiries about blending a few photos together into a video montage... Money in the pocket is money in the pocket.

[wulf]

I think it works pretty well although I don't know how commercially viable it would be. I know each shot doesn't have to be perfectly set up and lit so you can take a sequence quickly; if you do a package whereby you are tracking a pregnancy or the subject lives nearby and can visit locations you choose, I suppose it would be easy to squeeze in.

Some possible twists come to mind, which might work:

1. Finish by tracking partway round and then moving forward to end with a mother and baby filling the frame with their smiles.

2. Rather than moving back and forward along the same arc, sometimes mix it with a full 360 traversal.

3. Don't necessarily start and end each session in the same place. If you have a consistent set of shots, you can keep the motion but make the cut from scene to scene less predictable (perhaps cueing it in with changes in the backing track?)

4. It would be more involved but perhaps you could also blur some of the starts and ends by having the subject's clothes appearing to change out of sync with the changes of setting (as long as she can remember what she wore last time and still fit into it!)

All in all though, very creative.

Wulf

[Niresangwa]

I agree with Wulf's point about using a 360 degree range transitioning into the next round of pictures, sometimes. I like the stop-motion effect and the premise, but the panning lft-right-left, repeat though all phases too repetitive..

it would have been cool (especially at the end when she's holding the baby) to actually stop-motion a zoom in to her and the baby... i think there's a lot you can do with this rather than just the circuitous left to right to left panning that would have been more engaging.. use other dimensions and axis etc... then i think you'll have something people will pay for...

very cool project.

[kristenh]

i think its an interesting idea, have to agree with pps that it would look better (to me) if each month was same venue, and similar, if not the same, clothing. while i don't think i'd be bothered by some jerkiness, there really is a lot, too much for my personal taste. i'd also try and get the moms to realize that if they wear clothing with pictures and words, it detracts from the belly and makes it harder to see. also agree that fewer cuts from each month is probably better.

from the perspective of a woman who has gone through 3 pregnancies, i'm not sure every woman is going to want the 360 thing- many are self conscious about weight gain in their butts and so forth- so maybe you could have some options for folks who maybe really only want the front view or something.

i do love how you added in the baby at the end- that's the best part of the 9 months imo. the rest is mostly misery

[BigFuzzy]

Wow, thanks everyone, exactly the sort of feedback I was looking for, I'll try to address a couple of points specifically, but in general, thanks for the kind, thoughtful and excellent feedback guys.

Originally Posted by scootermcq

I would love if it was the same location and same(ish) outfit so it looked like a 9 month time-lapse. Not that this is not great and a neat idea, just a personal preference.

Thanks Scott, I see you're not the only one that wants the same(ish) outfit. Definitely something to consider next time (IF there's a next time)

Originally Posted by SwissJon

I like the jerkyness although it's a bit difficult to watch, but I think perhaps there are too many photos per "slice".. You could have got away with 15 degrees (12 photos per 180 degrees) rather than 10 degrees (18 photos per 180 degrees) and the film would have been shorter.

I would also have taken them more often.. Even every day with only 1 photo per day.. or maybe 3 photos per day and just shown the montage from the front, then the side then at 45 degrees.

Thanks Jon! Weird, not knowing anything about video I would have thought that more images would have been better than less in this case.
I agree that perhaps daily would have been better (if not impossible!), but I'm not sure I agree with the 3-shot approach you mention. Yeah, I agree it might have been better technically to show things, but on the other hand I had that same thought and believe that it would have been too static and boring to me. Everyone can take three "for the record" shots of the sides and front andbe done with it.. I felt there would have been a lack of 'flow' which is what I was seeking. Having said that, if there is a next time, I'll definitely also do this to see which works best for me. Thanks!

Originally Posted by wulf

I think it works pretty well although I don't know how commercially viable it would be.
Some possible twists come to mind, which might work:
1. Finish by tracking partway round and then moving forward to end with a mother and baby filling the frame with their smiles.
2. Rather than moving back and forward along the same arc, sometimes mix it with a full 360 traversal.
3. Don't necessarily start and end each session in the same place. If you have a consistent set of shots, you can keep the motion but make the cut from scene to scene less predictable (perhaps cueing it in with changes in the backing track?)
4. It would be more involved but perhaps you could also blur some of the starts and ends by having the subject's clothes appearing to change out of sync with the changes of setting (as long as she can remember what she wore last time and still fit into it!)All in all though, very creative.
Wulf

Yeah, Wulf, conditions have to be right for this to be something I could do with more clients. But if they're local, it's definitely doable, though honestly, it'd probably be pricey if you think about what goes behind doing this at minimum once a month.
Also, I really like your 4 ideas..
As for the 360 idea, you mean something like THIS? That was my first time-lapse effort. I find myself dismayed with what I see out there in the world of time-lapse. It seems that people ONLY put their camera on a tripod and timer and capture one scene.. I want the camera to move. More dynamism. It's what led me to this project (for better or worse).
Thanks again!

Originally Posted by Niresangwa

but the panning lft-right-left, repeat though all phases too repetitive..
it would have been cool (especially at the end when she's holding the baby) to actually stop-motion a zoom in to her and the baby... i think there's a lot you can do with this rather than just the circuitous left to right to left panning that would have been more engaging.. use other dimensions and axis etc... then i think you'll have something people will pay for..

Yeah, I feared the "too repetitive" thing and it being a bit long. Glad to see I was right (at least with you!). Yeah, I thought about the "zoom in" thing like I did in the link I just posted above. I didn't start with it so I thought it'd be tough to cram in somehow in the end. Yeah, I agree with the whole "be more engaging" thing.. I'm thinking of doing something involving following a subject as they move through town.. but that's the big "next" thing for me (ie next year haha). Thanks!

Originally Posted by kristenh

i'd also try and get the moms to realize that if they wear clothing with pictures and words, it detracts from the belly and makes it harder to see.
i'm not sure every woman is going to want the 360 thing-
i do love how you added in the baby at the end- that's the best part of the 9 months imo. the rest is mostly misery

Hah.. good points about avoiding the 360.. what I can do is take it as a 360 but let them know we can do it as only a 180, that way we don't lose the option. And great point about the clothes.. attention to detail. It's something I tell people for portraits, but didn't think of it here!
Haha.. yeah, the baby part, to me, was crucial!

Thanks everyone, that's been really helpful!

PS or maybe I should just do this with a video camera haha!

[NicoleScraps]

Originally Posted by BigFuzzy

PS or maybe I should just do this with a video camera haha!

No No No!! Don't do that.
I love this. I would absolutely love to be able to go back to my pregnancies and have something like this.
I can't really add anything that hasn't already been stated, but I think it is a really cool concept. I doubt that every client would buy into something like this, but I can see that a few definitely would!

[wulf]

Originally Posted by BigFuzzy

As for the 360 idea, you mean something like THIS? That was my first time-lapse effort. I find myself dismayed with what I see out there in the world of time-lapse. It seems that people ONLY put their camera on a tripod and timer and capture one scene.. I want the camera to move. More dynamism. It's what led me to this project (for better or worse).

Yes - that's a good example. Effectively you are using stop motion animation only with real people and places rather than models; you can draw on the whole range of cinematographic techniques. For example how about a slow zoom in, starting from a long distance away and ending up with a tight focus on mother and baby? Lots of possibilities, only limited by the fact you have to plan well ahead and then stick to the plan to get your desired end result.

In the 9 month project, how did you ensure the model stayed roughly the right height across the frames? Did you stick to a particular lens and distance to preserve consistency?

Wulf

[Niresangwa]

Originally Posted by BigFuzzy

I'm thinking of doing something involving following a subject as they move through town.. but that's the big "next" thing for me (ie next year haha).

This would be really cool. You see the time-lapse of a guy with his hair and beard growing while he looks into the camera or a mirror all the time... to see the same sort of progression while actually walking along a street would be a great project...

and yeah, the stop motion using photographs is way more interesting than the video camera. the thing i actually enjoy is the fact that the environment and outfits change, and even exposure values of the image change, but the face, eyes etc stay the same.. fascinating.