Prana Machine

Ten6

Added 2024-02-25 05:37:54 +0000 UTC

I don’t often share work that comprises of posing for others here but I’m really in love with some of these images I shot with Stephen Podraski a couple of weeks ago in Denver at an *gasp* indoor studio set. My favorite imagines of myself are consistently ones that I’ve taken of myself while alone and often in some sort of existential or suffer-fueled spiral of doom. Shooting with Stephen puts this affinity to the test. I really appreciate having another side of me captured that I might not shoot on my own. And the way we collaborate allows me to express myself in a way that is fulfilling and free and makes it easy to create great images. Gestated in the heartsoul and born through the body. You can’t give too much controlling direction or you lose the magic. I’ll probably share more, as after this I got to climb around on some industrial furniture that was definitely not part of the provided studio props..

I really always prefer super dynamic posing because my body is on fucking fire all the time and it is distracting and exciting to be dynamic and I think my mentality is that if I’m going to be hurting anyways I may as well make some cool shit if I can. I like to feel strong and I like to move and I like to celebrate that as much as I can. But there’s another big, more vulnerable reason. It’s also because the constant Pain Brain will totally fuck you up down to the core of your own concept of self identify and I actually don’t really feel like I’m enough just as I am. Like I am not worthy of being in the body if the body isn’t making Big Shapes. Like the Big Shapes is all I got. So it’s nice to shoot with someone who will just capture me as I am. I can potentially feel very seen, and on my own accord. To combat the feeling of needing to hide when I am in crowded public spaces and the lamentation of not being able to disappear at will. Regular Ole Portraits are really vulnerable for me and that is part of why these are so meaningful and why I love working with Stephen. These are shot on Leica which I have a boner about.

You can find more of his work here, some of which features me:

https://www.podraskyfineart.com/Figure-Studies/Bodyscapes-Nature