Benny Nikole always has great hair and makeup to accent her natural beauty.
This past weekend I went back to the beginning with Benny Nikole. Benny was the first person I shot nude several years ago. I did a fashion shoot in Ballard with her, and she offered to let me also shoot nudes with her at her nearby apartment. Her fiance managed the apartment complex and it was clear that Benny was a very professional person I could trust. Therefore, I decided to try it out. I was very awkward. Besides that, I was scared. She just calmly disrobed and started posing. I tried to figure out how to use my studio strobe in her space. Additionally, shots were framed, lit and focused, and that was all I could keep up with in my addled state. Benny was quite patient.
A feather choker that also included a shoulder…Pretty cool.
This mini corset was a nifty addition to the shoot’s creative wardrobe.
So this weekend I went back to the future. I have been shooting lots of people since that initial shoot with Benny. I have shot lots of people without clothes. Most of those people were women. Women are less afraid of a camera than men, consequently many more of them work as models. Benny Nikole is one of the few I have shot who is a full time, professional model. She’s a good one, too.
You can see Benny’s skill when you look at these photos. In real life, she’s as sweet as can be. She’s got a number of tattoos, but many of those are symbols of shared love. A close friend or her husband have the matching ones. But despite her sweet demeanor in real life, she did a fine job of posing as an alcoholic with a shot glass. And she did that at 8 am on a Sunday morning. That’s skill.
She’s such an old hat at nudes and lingerie that the corsets and unusual little pieces of lace I provided her were completely comfortable attire. The lace piece with the black roses was unusual in how it went on, but she made it work in more than one style. And I had no problems with lights or keeping things in focus this time. I had props and plans and setups ready to go. I brought a lamp without a shade. Benny brought some lingerie and heels. We put together a great combination of wardrobe for each outfit. The feathers were effective costuming on Benny, and I loved the fascinator hat.
There are so many custom pieces of glass on this pannier skirt name ‘Ice’…no wonder these time consuming art pieces sell for thousands of dollars.
Beyond the traditional lace and lingerie and straight nudes that we shot, I also got another piece of art glass attire from Sabina (@girlglass). We shot that indoors and outside. My favorite shots of it were when she cocked her hips to one side so it was not on a level plane. Cool to get to shoot a piece of art on a model. This piece is called ‘Ice’ and is a pannier skirt.
The little fascinator had a big impact (hat). She has lots of fascinating assets in this photo.
This trip back to the beginning with Benny kept satisfying. One shot, one setup after another just keep coming together. We got a tremendous amount done in a short time. She adjusted her makeup through the shoot. Benny is a makeup artist as well as professional model. She does both roles professionally, often hired to do makeup on big shoots. Thanks Benny for trusting that I had learned a little since my shaky first outing with you (@bennynikole).
I loved Benny’s work with the stark light and tequila props. She looks like a pro with that shot glass.
I knew I had kept this insert from one of my first Stones albums for a reason.