Creating "On the origin of species" (Patreon)

When I start a shoot on a location I will show the model the initial starting place and possibly pose based on my perception of where I can create a good image. And then I will allow the model space to work and interact with the surroundings. 

I want a models input and I want to have her way of working, and thus a bit of her personality shine through, rather than enforcing my idea on how posing should be done on every model. 

So typically the model will pose freely, but when I see her doing something I like, I will start to direct very speifically. Suggesting small alterations to the position, pose, slight changes in facial expression, down to the direction of looking, position of fingers etc. This will give me 10-50 variations of the same pose that I like and frequently a few of these will work both graphically and emotionally. At some point I just know we have the image, or I know we will not get it and move on. 

And then the model will try something else and the process restarts. 

I try to keep an open mind when I start a shoot. 

I rarely have a specific idea unless I know the location really well, so I try to let myself be inspired but whatever I encounter. I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for until I see it, but once I see something I like, my brain-gear click into action and from there I get very specific and direct the model closer and closer to the exact shape and emotion I strive for, and try to refine camera angle and pose to optimise the composition to try to create something that really resonates with me. 

This image was shot in Utah. Roarie Yum and I were hiking up a mountain slope that had a bunch of these water drainage pools created by rainwater over millions of years.

Walking past one of them I thought it looked like a sperm cell as depicted in sex education from school. I know myself well enough to understand that when I get an association of something it's worth working on.

My initial idea was to get Roarie in the water in a fetal position (think fetus in a sperm cell), however the water was really dirty and filled with tadpoles and other insects. So we tried other positions that avoided Roarie getting in the water. We started with some variants where she was along the canal, then lying across until she found a foothold at the bottom of the slope that allowed her to ball up. I shot some variants but as soon as I did the image where she had her fingers spread up on the back I knew we were there.

A lot of people perceive this image to be a Vagina and model as being a clitoris. 

Some describe it as the womb of earth, some as a comet bringing life to earth (and then some more interpretations).

The point is not really HOW people perceive or interpret an image. The point is to create an image that will resonate enough with people for them to engage with it. To start creating stories in their mind and having associations. In short think and try to interpret or find logic.

Once people start to interact with an image it is a good image.

Check out the attached image - it's a contact sheet/folmstrip showing the progression of frames from this particular shoot.