JJP Designs | Photo Ninja

This is not a photography blog - though my understanding of this topic is based on my study of photography and audio/video... this is more an observation than a blog... An observation on how we see ourselves. A chat I had to have with a friend many moons ago that I think might be good for people to hear today. What you need to hear: When we all look at you we don't just see your beautiful smile - though it is beautiful... When we all look at you we don't just see your beautiful eyes - though they are beautiful... When we all look at you we don't just see a series of parts of you... We see YOU! We see all your dreams and hopes and loves and joys and sorrows and frustrations and struggles and passions and all the potential and all the depth and brilliance that is you. We see ALL of that - all of YOU - IN your beautiful smile and IN your beautiful eyes. It is all of that beauty in you that gives you that beautiful smile and those beautiful eyes... no one could look in...

I was reading a thread in one of my photography groups where they were discussing why there seem to be so many more beauty/sensual photos of women than of men. Discounting pure pornography, the topic, as I read it, focused on images that specifically 'leave something to the imagination' - think 'beauty', 'boudoir' and even general 'fashion' photography. This, below, was my take on the topic. Even most lighting demonstrations and training sessions focus on two rather distinct lighting goals/objectives/styles(?) for lighting men and verses lighting women. But I'm curious your thoughts. Lighting on women is typically softer and accentuates their natural curves while lighting on men is typically harder and accentuates hard angles (think jawline). Even corporate portraits frequently use those two different styles - softening women's faces while intentionally hardening the jawlines of men - and photographers do this because viewers do ...