A beauty shoot with Rhiannon.
Rhiannon wanted some new beauty images for her portfolio and I as always wanted to take more photographs so we collaborated together on this shoot.
I was reading about Lee Miller and Man Ray and the way they collaborated together on images. Lee Miller was a photographer and a model comfortable both in front and behind the camera and she was often photographed by Man Ray. Curator Jane Livingston said that their photographs:
"Seem created through a process in which the model and photographer have collaborated fully as artists." (Livingston, 1989)
Though I don't suggest that Rhiannon and I had anywhere near as profound experience as Man Ray and Lee Miller I think this shoot felt more collaborative than most because she was very sure of the sort of images she needed, and because we are friends there was more freedom for each of us to suggest new ideas.
I'm so interested in this idea of collaboration between model and photographer in fashion photography, and I really believe that good communication of ideas is so important between all members of a creative team, but especially between photographer and model at the point the images are being taken.
I love these images and I want to explore ways of creating this sort of collaborative relationship with more models I work with.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteYou make a very good point about collaboration. In the streets I'm often faced with, "what do you want me to do?". An element of control does help the model relax but the same is true in reverse. I mean when the model needs less guidance and just falls into place - leaving me free to just snap, snap, snap. Love your photo's of Rhiannon.