As an artist/photographer, my work is mainly about exploring representations of the body. I am trying to make this approach as democratic and inclusive as possible with an open door policy to the studio. The nudes are all anonymous to encourage people to come forward that might not normally entertain such a thing. Posing naked in front of a camera is not an easy ask! The project welcomes all genders, sexualities, ethnicities and disabilities.
This particular image was made in my small studio using a large coffee table as a “stage” to elevate the model and give the sense of power I was after. I rather like my small studio/living-room conversion – a nod to Joseph Sudek working in his kitchen. Though not a bar I have got anywhere near yet!
The model for this is a friend and talented musician/artist who has live-modeled in the past, so was quite comfortable in her “skin.” Knowing this allowed me to work very close with the wide angle focal length to achieve the distortions. I am not a big fan of the 80mm approach to portraiture/ nudes and prefer the dynamism and interaction that is achievable when needing to be closer to make the images. I have always worked with 50mm at max, which makes for the results I am after while requiring me to elicit a lot of trust from the people I work with.
It is a very collaborative and organic process and I am never sure what will come out of the session. The next step of the process is the edit. I try and leave shoots to collect dust for a bit, to forget what I was trying to achieve on the day and allow the images to speak to me in the absence of any preconceptions on my part. Starting with a blank state, it just becomes a process of taking the image in the direction I think it wants to go in, rather than bending it to be similar to something I have done before. Though despite this, a certain style pervades most of my images.
This image is a little experiment for me. I have recently bought a new camera which I am trying to find the limits of. The wide angle distortion was further exaggerated in Photoshop and the image cleaned up. Taking a lot of inspiration from Bill Brandt and Irving Penn.
What do you think are the TWO most impactful features that make your image a good photograph? Don’t be shy!
The perspective and wide angles distortions and the new camera’s rendering is exquisite!
If you would be able to make this photo once again, what would be the ONE thing you would like to do better or different?
Perhaps an even wider angle and a shallow depth of field to knock the legs out of focus and give an even more “photographic” effect.
Tobias Slater-Hunt shared this photograph in the FRAMES Facebook Group.
Photographer
Tobias Slater-Hunt, Brighton, United Kingdom
Equipment and settings
Fujifilm GFX 50S II, 35mm, ISO 50, 1/125 sec., f/16
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