A Candle Lit Session with Lisa

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Lisa's enthusiasm for modeling was evident as soon as she saw the completed images from our first session together and we immediately planned a second session. After spending some time on my web site, she asked about the possibility of doing a candlelight session (I think the single most common request for first-time models is for a candlelight session, so this came as no surprise). For some, the candles appeal because of the security of working in the dark but, for Lisa, it was more the quality of the images produced that attracted her to the idea of working with candles.

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As with all my other candle sessions, this evening progressed at a slow, almost leisurely pace. It is near impossible to do candle-light nudes fast, given that each image is usually a second or more in exposure length and, after each candle move, it is necessary to wait until the air currents settle down and the candle stops flickering.

Digital original

In the end, the candle session was relatively short; ultimately there are only so many ways to light a figure with a candle and, while each model is different and yields a unique image, once the basic approaches are explored, a session like this can be completely realized in quite a short time. I think (especially after our first session in the studio, where we worked for several hours) Lisa was a little disappointed the session was so short, but hopefully the results will help modify that opinion.