So here’s a little bit of lemon, Bernadette Lemon that is.  

So I was going to wait until I had finished editing all the photos from this shoot before sharing. Instead I’m going to pick one which I’ve edited and three others that I chose not to, and try to explain to you why.
A lot of the time I pick an image based purely on gut instinct – what feels right to me – and couldn’t really tell you why I picked it other than, I think it looks good. So in a bit of a change of pace, I’m taking a bit of time to slow down and really think about the process involved.

Let me start by saying that I have had the pleasure of working with Bernadette on a number of occasions prior to this shoot and every time is a joy. Bernadette is a trained ballet dancer so elegance and grace are practically served up on a plate for me. This shoot oozes grace to me. The tilt of the head, the way her hair drapes across her body and those fabulous triangles formed by from the positioning of her arms and legs. All reasons why I chose this shot to edit.

Well, I hear you cry, these look just as good as the first shot. Why, oh why didn’t these make the cut.

Let’s start with the shot on the left. For me the profile is too narrow. It feels very straight up and down and lacks the shape to draw my eye in.

Next, the shot in the middle. Her posture is too hunched, which would be okay if her head was in a different position. As it is her head looks too close to the shoulder and makes it appear that she is missing most of her neck.

Finally the shot to the right. This one is down to me being picky. Her pose is beautiful, but the raised finger on her left hand, for some reason I can’t properly explain, just bugs me. It pulls my eye and looks a bit odd to me.

Hopefully this has given you a little bit of insight into why I pick the shots that I do. Of course all of this comes down to my personal tastes. You may look at these and see things completely differently.
If that is the case, let me know. I would be very interested in hearing another viewpoint to my work.