I guess this is glamour? Actually fitness to me...

[Ian L. Sitren]

I can never figure out if something is glamour or what. Confusing categories to me. But anyway this is Jessica Jacobsen, a fitness model.

From yesterday, Canon 5D, Profoto Acute 2400r, two heads, one silver strip softbox and one with the zoom reflector.

 

[Bobby Deal]

Well for me it definitely does not say fitness.

And in truth it does not say glamour either, even though she is nearly nude it does not present her in a glamorous way.

Glamour is inviting, it makes men want to come to her and women want to be her. For me this image does neither. The model in a glamour images is invariably using eye contact and body language to invite the viewer in. In this image both eye contact and body language say I am annoyed, you should not be here, go the fek away.

The hand bra, is perhaps the most misused pose in all of what photographers want to see as glamour. In my opinion the hand bra does not convey modesty it conveys shock. Like I caught the woman in an awkward moment or have intruded on her and she is defending her privacy by covering up.

In this case the models eye contact is hard and her facial expression is stern so couple that with the hand bra and the way she is pushing down hard on the belt and I get a very defensive attitude from her.

Had she rotated her torso slightly away from camera and lowered her chin a bit and let her jaw relax her posture would have been far more relaxed and the image would have been more inviting to me.

The lighting is nice and even and the hard shadow from the key light is broken up nicely by the vegetation but I think I might have liked to see the light fall off a little around her to ad some mood to the setting as the way it is right now has the feeling of a strong spot light at night

 

[Frank Doorhof]

I don't know what it is 100% but I do love it

 

[Asher Kelman]

I can never figure out if something is glamour or what. Confusing categories to me. But anyway this is Jessica Jacobsen, a fitness model.

From yesterday, Canon 5D, Profoto Acute 2400r, two heads, one silver strip softbox and one with the zoom reflector.

Ian,

I like it for the genre it is in. I would not look at this as "glamor" for many of the reasons Bobby has given below, but I still like it and I'll tell you why. This picture is of a woman as a machine, a strong frame developed by hard training and devotion. The result is a contouring of muscle replacing the curvature we get merely from fat. This is in fact a sculpted form, except the body and not granite is used. Unusually, we don't see here flexing muscles to see her carefully developed physique.

Still, we can see in a pleasant way, the human physique developed by weightlifting and exercise in a near naked presentation.

Now for most photography of women, we are used to seeing some modesty, allure, seduction, eroticism, wisdom, motherliness, vulnerability or some other common aspect femininity. Here, however, we see woman as a likeable, human, good looking, civil, well geared machine. She shows you her body. That's it!

Asher

 

[Ashley Karyl]

Overall it looks like an attempt at glamour, but with a model who would be more suited to fitness work as you seem to have realised yourself. This really comes down casting the right model for the intended usage. If this is for commercial usage remember that clients judge photographers by the models they choose, so this is an important point.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Overall it looks like an attempt at glamour, but with a model who would be more suited to fitness work as you seem to have realised yourself. This really comes down casting the right model for the intended usage. If this is for commercial usage remember that clients judge photographers by the models they choose, so this is an important point.

Ashley,

Ian s a professional photographer specializing in fitness and his client market is highly specialized. This work fits in as the body form and toned musculature of the model obviously come through.

Asher

 

[Ashley Karyl]

OK fair enough, it just seemed from his initial comments as though he wasn't entirely sure about where the image was placed in terms of niche. The only fitness work I've ever done has been more beauty/fitness related for editorials in women's magazines with exercises to tone the body and that sort thing. I always used fashion models with toned bodies but it's a different area really.

 

[Asher Kelman]

OK fair enough, it just seemed from his initial comments as though he wasn't entirely sure about where the image was placed in terms of niche. The only fitness work I've ever done has been more beauty/fitness related for editorials in women's magazines with exercises to tone the body and that sort thing. I always used fashion models with toned bodies but it's a different area really.

Ashley,

You are so right. It's a different world entirely. I wonder what the earliest hunter gathers would have looked like. Would the women have been smoothly covered with soft contours we admire for glamour or would they show muscles of Amazonian warriors?

We're lucky to have the luxury of choice!

Asher