Cooling

Cooling

Concept

The story unfolds in the Soviet Union times (the 1980s). A hot summer day in a government organization where many documents are kept. A nice-looking young female employee wearing a light summer dress is trying to escape the heat. She’s alone in the office. The only way to cool down her sweaty ass is to put an old fan on the chair, switch it on and turn her back to it, having put her panties off.

Inspiration

I was inspired by this photoshoot when I was buying an old fan at the market. I had the same one in my childhood. Likewise, I remember standing in front of it on hot summer days and trying to escape the heat in pretty much the same way.

Choice of colors

Although the photo was taken in winter, and was pretty cool in the office, I had to convey the feeling of a hot and stuffy sunny day. Hence, the photo was supposed to have warm colors. I removed all the cold elements to do so and left only the fan with blue blades. It was chosen as an accent element, drawing the viewer’s attention.

Outfits

One of the most essential details of this photo shoot was the girl’s beautiful, slim body. I cut off its lining to make it visible, which became almost see-through. The color of the dress was neutral and non-catching. In this case, a beige, a blue or a pink dress would also look good. 

One of the most important criteria for the choice of the dress was its non-tight fit below the waist. It was supposed to be light and loose and blown by the wind.

Background

The girl was posing in the office of Housing and Communal Services. Everything around her and behind her was employees’ belongings. To emphasize the era of the 1980s, when computers were unavailable, I put a typewriter I’d taken with me on the table. I slightly opened its drawers to make a gray metallic documents storage box look more attractive in the shot. 

I also hung Lenin’s portrait on this box, which seemed to have turned away from that shame. Besides, I added another unique accessory – an old desk lamp, which I’d placed on the documents behind the model’s head. It made the photo a sort of vintage.

Hair and makeup

Since my idea was to show a stuffy room, the model’s hair was styled as a ponytail. Loose hair would have been inappropriate in this case. The model’s makeup was nude as she turned her side to the viewer and was almost invisible.

Light

The photoshoot took place in sunny weather during the daytime. The light wall was behind the camera. It worked well as a reflector, illuminating those body parts located opposite the light source.

Posing

To cool the buttocks down most effectively, the girl had to turn her buttocks towards the fan. As she bent down, the girl rested her elbows on the desk. To beautifully show her buttocks and legs, the girl leaned on her left leg, bent the right one, and slightly turned her buttocks towards the camera. This pose was perfect in our case. She took the eyeglasses in her right hand, brought them close to her face, and touched their temple tips with her lips. She did it to let both her hands rest on the table. Firstly, it made the pose and the photo more interesting; secondly, the model’s hands holding something are always more interesting than the empty ones. 

The model’s pose is quite natural yet complicated for a photographer. It took me over 20 minutes to position the model appropriately for this shot.

Camera and optical features

Nikon D750, Sigma 35 1.4 F4 1/50 ISO 800.  It was crucial to show the rotating fan blades in motion and at the same time to make them visible. In this case, the most important filming parameter was shutter speed. At the longer shutter speed, the edges are almost invisible, while the shorter shutter speed makes them excessively clear, which leads to the disappearance of their rotation effect.

Depth of field

The depth of field was chosen so that the focus was placed on the girl and everything around her (the table, the fan with the chair). Separate parts of the office are blurred so that it is possible to see all the details and accessories available in the office. If the aperture had been opened too widely, the background would have been too blurred, and all exciting detail would have been indistinct. If the aperture was too closed and the background was too sharp, the girl’s face would be hard to distinguish amidst the folders behind her face.

Shooting angle

The camera was standing on a tripod opposite the girl’s ass. Yet, her buttocks and all the necessary elements (the girl, the room, the fan) were visible. If the camera had been moved more to the left, the excessive accent would have been placed on the buttocks, and if more to the right, the right buttock would have been the main focus. I could have moved the camera a bit lower. It wouldn’t have harmed the photo. However, moving the camera higher would have focused more on the girl’s back instead of her beautiful ass.

Cropping

The shot was cropped by the curtains and partially by the colors that didn’t contain any details. At the bottom, the shot was cut by the model’s feet, as the highlight of this photo is her beautiful ass and slim legs. On the right and on the left, the shot is cropped in such a way that the viewer has an idea of what it is. Deeper cropping (cropping the furniture), I believe, would have harmed the photo as it would mean removing some important and colorful elements of the room.

Expression

The girl feels excellent; she enjoys the flow of freshness. Her eyes closed with pleasure, and her wide smile testified to her genuine delight. Keeping in mind that the photo contains some humor and is supposed to cause the viewer to smile, this emotion enhances and emphasizes this atmosphere. A gloomy or concentrated face doesn’t suit this photoshoot at all.

Post-processing

Like many of my photos taken in the Soviet Union style, the processing seeks to highlight this timeline. This includes film tones, low contrast, and slight blurring. Modern processing employing bright colors and deep details is inappropriate in this case.

You can view and download the high-quality photo called  «Notes and a fan» to your smartphone from the NYMF photo gallery.