Comic Relief

Not everything I shoot is sexy and dramatic, some is just comic relief. It’s hard work shooting nudes that are personality based as I do. Sometimes my models have to blow of a little steam and be themselves. I find that I often love these shots more that the money shots that we do because they show the absurdity of life. The models personality comes out and the good time that we are having. The trust too come shining through as well as the confidence that we share. I love these shots for the spontaneous nature of them, the sheer joy in them. I’ve had girls acting down right silly, that is a part of their charm. That is a part of them that I cherish and try my damnest to capture.

It’s that sense of play that fascinates me, that sense of self that I want to evoke and try to capture. That’s why I choose nudes to work with rather than clothed model. I don’t want anything to get in the way of the real person, the essence of her self. Once you have clothes you make a judgement on her style, the period of time and her sense of wealth. Many subtitle habit come into play for the viewer especially a sense of time. I want my models to be as timeless as possible but not ageless. A small distinction to some but of great importance to me. I want my models to represent themselves as the age they are but I encourage them to those ageless qualities that I find so important. In all other aspects of life they are required to “act your age”. With me I want them to just play, use their minds and be the age they feel at that particular moment in time and place. That’s what I’m trying to capture on film, that discovery of self. Those periods of timelessness of the person with the backgrounds not providing a distraction.

I want for my backgrounds to provide a complement to the overall construction of my image. Whether it’s a barn or churchyard or a plain wall in my home I want it to fade from thought. I want for the model to take center stage to play the major part in my image. And for the focus to be on her, what she thinks and feels and who she is. That’s the role of my model, that’s the focus of my images. I want for nothing else to distract from that moment that we are trying to capturing, nothing. I want for my model to be as unaware of me as possible too. For me to fade into the periphery of their consciousness as a minor distraction. So they can imagine and play the roles that they envisions in they’re minds.

It’s that ability to hide in plain sight that I value in my shooting as well. In the event photography it’s an invaluable assets. To be able to blend into the background so perfectly that I’m not really noticed. It’s a lot harder when you’re working with a model and it’s just the two of you. That why I seldom use music to set a mood, I want my model to create her reality. That’s a big part of what I value in a model, that ability to create a mood and a sense of who she is to give my creations life. I want them to feel able to just let go and be who they are and to try on different personalities to see how each fits. Women are so wonderful at playing; I guess it’s a hold over from childhood and playing dress-up. You can’t fake this ability, you either have it or you don’t. In my work that’s what sets the really good model apart from the mediocre. To forget herself so completely that’s she’s operating on sheer instinct and a really endearing side is shown. No matter what I’ve asked of my model in this context it’s that ability to ignore what I’m up to and concentrate on the self. It’s that ability that allows me to create my vision of them for a moment in time. I too need that ability to forget about the mechanics of what I’m doing to create the space for magic to lend a hand and let us create something of beauty and grace. I can’t thank my models enough for this opportunity to be creative. To place themselves and their trust in me and my abilities as a photographer.