thomasholmphoto

Wiana in Gold

As you may know, I recently conducted two very successful workshops in Lanzarote. I had booked a fantastic house with nice architectural features for the models and myself. But on the last day there, we hadn’t used any of them and had hardly used any of the girls' outfits (The Endless Sinner bought these semi-transparent gold dresses for everyone).everyone.

Wiana ready to go super quickly, so while waiting for the others, we moved around the house and shot a few sets, including this.<...

Sunlit Studio - BTS

9 min BTS video from when shooting Wiana

Sunlit Studio

These are from my first shoot with Wiana, which I have never edited.

It was at my friend's advertising photo studio with huge windows and a high ceiling, so we used the space and windows to full effect.

There is no point hiding it’s a photo studio when you can show it.

1/200 sec ƒ7.1

When working with direct sunlight like here I tend to prefer to expose darken than normally so I'm sure not to blow out the highlights, but so I would still be able to open up the deep ...

Sunlit studio BTS teaser

I don't usually post BTS movies for all tiers, but with this short clip, I thought I'd make an exception. Enjoy.

A study in white - BTS

BTS shooting Krisowitz on and in the bales.

A study in White

Sometimes I like to play with conventions, and here I wanted to do the opposite of my normal go-to editing:

Instead of darkening the background to draw attention to the model, I decided to go high-key and make the greenish hay bales almost white so they would become insignificant design elements.
Elements that are just there as a prop for the model to play on.

I had some ideas about creating more “from above” shots, but it didn’t work out. Krisowitz ended up getting diz...

Double Poppy

I have a lot of lovely images with Poppyseed, and here are two of them, from different occasions:

The first was shot near a mansion with a 24-70mm (at 70mm) ƒ. 2.8 to get a low depth of field, and the camera standing on the ground to eliminate as much of that as possible, and frame her against the darker grennery.

The second is a studio also shot with a 24-70mm at 60mm ƒ5.0

I tend to use 24-70mm for most of my work, except when I want an interesting bokeh or a very shallo...

Posteria Study

The gorgeous Celia Cassiel, no less gorgeous posteria, deserved a study, so I made one.

In the booty chair, obviously.

Which of the five images is your favorite, and why that one?

All shot with my 50mm ƒ0.95 Dreamlens around ƒ1.2-1-4

The matching shoes

And before you ask; No, we did not color coordinate this set, but it was fun that the shoes and sofa matched.

Light is identical to what I used for Stella (Published on Nov 23rd.)

Playstation

Here is a nice set from my last shoot at Arsenic with Fatima attempting to get the PlayStation to work. Or whatever that thing is, I didn't look that closely as something distracted me 😅.

The light is mainly ambient light, but I also have a flash with an umbrella from the left side to add a little direction to the light.

I love working with Fatima - if you ever go to LA and want to shoot with her, I wholeheartedly recommend reaching out.

Black and white

These two images were created in precisely the same spot in a large daylight studio:

In the first image, Caroline has a black background, and I’m shooting from the opposite side of the second image, so I have the large windows behind the camera.

There is ample soft light behind the camera and from the right.

In the second image, I’m shooting from the opposite direction.

Most light is from the left, and I’m using a large silver reflector to make Lucind...

Lounging with Stella Di Plastica

A super easy setup in my studio corner:
I placed a layer of diffuser foil in front of the window to give me a very directional yet soft light.

Believe it or not, but whether you diffuse outside the window or inside makes a huge difference: It’s more directional when done from the outside; the light has to pass through the window frame.

If done inside, the diffuser will reflect more light into the room and ceiling, thus creating a softer light.

1/200 sec ƒ3.5 2024-11-23 15:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post

Naomi NSH

Here is an old set with Naomi with dome direct sunlight shining through a window - and on one with a fringe curtain in front of the model.

The light triangle and the “woodcarving” look produce a nice graphical effect, which I think adds tremendously to the image's level of interest and takes on something extra.

1/160 sec ƒ9.0

Lumo Meetup

I went to this TFP model/photographer meetup near the end of summer and shot two sets with two models I know there and a group shoot.

The meetup is not conducive for shooting nudes if the models you photograph are shy, as there will always be people around.

The first model is AB Tønnesen, who had a good eye for this set of stairs right outside the bathroom, so a good 15-20 people had to pass by while we shot these.

I set up a battery-powered Profoto B10 mon...

Acro Yoga (and variants) - BTS

BTS from shooting the AcroYoga image, and a lot of other variants (44 minutes)

Couch Surfers - BTS

BTS from the couch surfers image.

Couch surfers

This is a gorgeous set from my first big Danish group shoot with some fabulous ladies.
It was a “How many people can we fit into a sofa?"

This was lit with a 7’ Westcott Umbrella from the side and some negative fill from the other side. Pretty standard.

AcroYoga failure

I was in doubt about whether or not to show you this, as I’m not happy with it:

It’s one of those things that bite you when you don’t do it right initially, and I've decided to tell the tale:

The Problem I had when shooting this from above was that the background was not large enough and lighter than their skin color.

But I wanted to please the model, so I first thought, "No problem; I’ll just enlarge it in Photoshop."

Second, I should have paid more atten...

Jitka and Chester

Jitka V is a Checz model who came to Denmark to shoot with me about a month ago.

It is also one of the first sets published in my revamped “boudoir corner” of the studio.

I used to have Rococo wallpaper and a green lounger, but I’ve exchanged them for an abandoned apartment look (also wallpaper) and a secondhand Chesterfield sofa I found at a bargain price.

Light on these is window light diffused through some curtains, and I used my vintage Canon Dreamlens 50mm ƒ0.95 ...

Ivalu’s windows

Sweet Ivalu, a Greenlandic model dropped by the studio for our second shoot.

She was also kind enough to help me figure out some settings for shooting video on my Sony cameras, which came in handy when I created “Art Nude on Location—Mastering natural light” with Wiana about a month later.

Direct sun in the control...

On the Rocks

Zsan of Sweden is doing her thing “on the rocks.”

I had the pleasure of shooting with her for over four days this summer, and there are loads more images to come.

The first two here were shot on a north-facing cliff in the shade midday, and the last was shot right after dawn in the low sun.

On the Rocks - BTS

Zsan of Sweden is doing her thing (for 19 minutes).

Dune walker (Fremen?)

Roarie Yum on some petrified dunes in the middle of nowhere (White pocket in Arizona to be specific).

The very blue rocks are due to the very low light and, at the same time, very blue sky at an elevation of about 10,000 ft/3000m, which makes anything in shadow or semi-shadow turn blueish. Since the rock is reddish, it mixes into a fantastic hue of purple.

This is one of the images that did not make the cut for my book Venus On Mars.

PS:
As per my post three days ...

Turning up the heat

A couple of shots from a previous workshop with Wiana and The Endless Sinner at the old heating central near my studio compound.

The first image was shot at ISO 400 using flash; the other three were shot at ISO 1600 only using the pilot light from the flash.

I used Lightroom > Details > AI Denoise at 35% to remove noise.
It does leave some artifacts, and there is a slight compression of tonality from the high ISO, but it’s amazing what you can get away with these...

Heart of gold, booty of flesh

CB modeling and a booty-study (that's my new favorite word btw.) in natural light in nature.

Nothing much else to say:

When I shoot on location, I do, of course, look at potential backgrounds, but I'm possibly even more invested in finding places where the light will be good.
When I discover a spot that works with light, I’ll try to make a shot of that place as long as the background is marginally interesting.

The body/booty is the star; the rest is just the framework....

A Couch in Vegas

Roari Yum lounging on a couch in the Airbnb I rented for the last night's stay after spending 10 days in the desert with her, while shooting the first half of my Book: Venus On Mars.

This place was on a highrise around the 20th floor with large windows rimming the building, and it was perfect for photographing in:
There is plenty of light and no curious onlookers, which can be problematic in certa...

Night and day

Nat Damsgaard is working on her handstand abilities in the low evening sun.
And the poses do justice to her posterior.

The light is direct sunlight streaming in through the window of the old control tower next to the runway near my studio.

And I'll be happy to admit that the artistic motivation for this series is depicting her gorgeous heart-shaped booty.

1/640 sec ƒ4.0

Night and day - BTS

13,30 min of the gorgeous Nat

Cobra Arch

I'm unsure if this stunning formation is officially known as Cobra Arch, but the moniker fits.
 In this shot, my friend Zulema strikes a pose just beyond the shadow cast by the arch, adding an intriguing element to the scene.

This photograph was taken in the Valley of Fire, an area renowned for its vibrant landscapes and as one of the most photogenic parks in the U.S.
The rock formations here don't possess hues of blue or violet; however, when shaded and contrasted against a...

Valentina.Art at The Kiln

I had the pleasure of hooting Valentina at The Kiln.

While I do like the studio, it requires a lot of post-processing in some areas.

You'll see below what I mean.

When I retouch, I often increase contrast, which also increases texture.

So when an area like an even floor is dirty, this will be amplified. And so will mold behind a heater. Other than that, I frequently remove elements that disturb, such as doorknobs or lamps that I do not need in the composition, and if ...