A DIFFERENT WAY TO WORK

Lately I've been doing a lot of soul searching about what it is I do and what, if anything, is substantially different from what others do. So during the archive searching and assessment, some distinctive sets of work came forward. 

I'm sharing this with you because you support what I do, whatever that is.

When you are the creator of the work, it is VERY difficult to see exactly what it is you do. You need an external point of view somehow, otherwise, all that you do just seems to blend into itself. Also, you get so used to working in a particular way that you think, "yeah well, it's not that special" - you think this because it all seems so natural and easy for you. 

So anyway, some stuff jumped out all of a sudden and I realised I hadn't really seen any images like the ones I noticed, not in Europe anyway. To a limited degree in the US, and in Australia by one other artist who works in a somewhat similar way, but not here.

The images are the ones shown in this post. A set done with Francesca Grisenti in Sydney, one in Scheveningen with Aurora and another set done a couple of weeks ago here in Poland at Dziwnówek.

There are some common characteristics of these sets, such as:

1. They are shot outdoors

2. The light is all over the place

3. MODEL! Not any model can do this, in all my years of working I've only met two, the two shown here.

4. Not any photographer can shoot this. And so results like this can only be achieved with a close synergy of talents between model and photographer. I mean, OK maybe you find a model who can emote like this, but can you shoot it? Or, maybe you are a tog who has the ability to shoot this stuff, but where is your model?

* The light is not controllable in a way that usually by most photographers. It requires a level of adaption and also abandonment on the photographer's behalf.

* Focus and composition for each shot - both photographer and model are moving, sometimes very quickly. 

It isn't rocket science, really.  In fact, the main requirement is to drop all the usual control that is thought necessary for a photograph but then to have the ability to see, quickly. All the other requirements can be taught easily. But what can't be taught is what was 'seen' at the time the shutter was tripped for each shot.

If you would like to know more, let me know as I'm thinking of pushing this a bit and offering workshops or other means of teaching this style of shooting. I can also publish articles here, in the $35 tier and above.

See the full sets of PIRAHNA and OPEN MY EYES on my website. PIRAHNA is locked with password: altsocial-2020

mikestacey.com