The Nude And Shape In The Studio
Whenever I step into the studio to do some figure studies, I always feel a little bit nervous. I find myself walking into the situation with a false notion in my head that there won’t be much to work with and therefore my images won’t be very interesting. After all, whenever I work outside there are tons of features a photographer will come across. Rocks, trees, grand vistas, rivers, old buildings, and more. In the studio, a photographer is more or less guaranteed a wall, and if you are lucky, some decent natural light to play with.
It takes me a a few minutes into the session to remember that whether or not you are working indoors or outdoors the act of photography is always about exploring. Heck, all creative exercises are about exploring. When working outside, I’m doing a lot of that exploring with my feet. Moving from one spot to the next and just simply appreciating with my lens what I come across.
When working inside, the act of exploring is more about manipulating the scene on my own terms. Moving an artificial light around the curves and shapes of the person I’m photographing would be an obvious example but it may go even deeper than that. It’s about exploring a mood, a vibe, and an energy. In the case of the photographs featured on this post that energy would be in the expression of a slow and delicate dance.
One of my favorite cameras to use in the studio would be the Mamiya RZ67. Anyone who has ever used one knows it is a beast of a camera, which is part of why I love it. More often than not, I’m attaching the camera to a tripod and not changing up my angles very much. Instead, I’m letting my subject play within the confines of the frame. It feels a little bit like directing a dancer to move within the confines of a television screen. It sounds simple, but it isn’t. In many ways it takes a lot more time and patience then if I were to simply move about with my camera photographing a static scene and switching up the angle after every exposure.
With fall on the horizon my brain is shifting into a mode to do more work indoors. I’ve still got a couple of months left of good weather and I plan to make the most of it, but I know the cold winter months will be here soon. Last winter I did a lot of studio work, probably more than I ever have in the past and I’ve barely scratched the surface of getting it all developed. This winter should end up being equally productive.
Camera: Mamiya RZ67 with 110mm f/2.8 lens.
Film: Ilford HP5 in medium format.
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