When is a Portrait not a Portrait...???

... when its a figure study ??

I am always intrigued at the definition of a portrait, an age old question maybe, but still unanswered. To many the definition of a Portrait is an image of a person, simple eh, but when we look at art nudes and in particular a figure study the question becomes more of a mystery.
So, following this logic an image of a torso surely cannot be a portrait as the subject is anonymous, its basically a body part.

Ok, lets include the head but use lighting or a viewpoint that conceals the identity of the person, still anonymous so still a figure study. Easy. But is it ? At which point does the subject become a recogisable person, an individual with a sole and not just an object for art or a subject for artistic appreciation ?

There is another school of thought that preaches that for an image of a person to be a portrait then the subject must be fully recognisable and maybe even with eye contact to the viewer, in which case is this a portrait ...??
... or these ??
If you are still with me you may be asking where this is going, and also who really cares ... good point.
Well, actually I care for one simple reason. Going back to the beginning I shared the view that a portrait is simply an image of a person, and this I agree with, at least when I am creating a 'portrait' for a client or a friend, and it's that word 'person' that is key. To me a portrait needs to show the character of or something about the person, it needs to be personal, it needs to portray their personality or their lifestyle be it real or fantasy. And to achieve this whether or not they are recognisable or fully visible is not important, what is important is does the image tell me anything about the person, their life, or their fantasies ?
This recent shot of model Joceline does not allude to her as a person, well, apart from me happening to know that she has a passion for sitting on old tree roots in the buff and going all windswept but that's for another day !!Now take another model Raphaella, these were shot for my portfolio as a sample of a style of portraiture, whilst to me this does represent her romantic character she is actually modeling so arguably it is an acted rather then real personality, but so what, a portrait can be fantasy.And finally some natural and personal images of Jelly, a student (at the time) who wanted to try something different, no posing, no pretending, just Jelly being Jelly seeking liberation through a nude photo session.

Plinth Figures - the end of a project ?? - maybe

"I know what I need for a portrait session - a plinth" I thought, and this kick started a body of work that has lasted a couple of years, and gained a qualification along the way.
'Plinth Figures' as its become known was my have a go at creating a statue figure for a fine art portrait, nothing new or groundbreaking but I believe that we should all try everything at least once so this was me giving it my own style. So, digging out some suitable timber from the workshop, an hours cutting and bashing then out with the paint produced my own plinth - a posh work for a square painted wooden box.

Early sessions were with various models and life sitters, and despite a few personal portraits the shoots were looking to create either anonymous of non personalised images, figures rather than people, shapes, life drawing poses, human sculptures, anything that would work in isolation to the studio environment. Lighting kept simple to create a believable natural image rather than once crafted with lighting, a style that received some criticism from a couple of respected fellow photographers, but hey, we all have our own styles.This images was one of the few that were actually planned in any detail as much of my work follows the inspiration on the day with the subject. I remember arranging my studio for this shoot with Jocelyn who I had never met before but was excited at the prospect of working with her after seeing her work. Now, my studio is not exactly huge, big enough but lets say it relies on a creative use of the space. I remember when Joc walked in for the first time and seeing how tall she is my reaction was "think we are going to need a bigger studio", but thankfully with her patience we achieved what looked to be the impossible.
The first phase of work was used in early 2009 for a rather unsuccessful submission for an Associate Qualification with the BIPP, it was thought to be a bit off base for this organization and that risk proved to be bigger than expected, a gamble that fell flat on its face but we have to push boundaries whenever possible, playing safe is the thin end of the wedge in killing creativity.
However, after the work was seen by a Fellow from the RPS and with some gentle persuasion it was suggested that the RPS would be see the images as Fine Art. So, this time a reduced panel of 15 with a couple of new images to balance things up and bingo, the award of an Associate Distinction in Visual Art with the Royal Photographic Society followed last October. The theme for the panel was a study of form and space taking the discipline from life drawing studies.
With this renewed interest phase 2 used slightly stronger lighting setups for the finals to be finished as colour rather than monochrome, and new subjects including couples. I did consider developing the project into a fellowship distinction but at this time it is not considered to offer the required diversity for what is accepted as the highest level of photographic qualification.So, what now ?
I feel that I have gone as far as I can with the project in terms of creating images for portfolio, competition, sales or qualification. I did start to use outdoor locations and the plinth did share a recent 2 day trip to the Isle of Arran with photographer Tim Pile and Model Karen with the idea of working on a beach, but we settled for a hillside shoot. Apart from further use for portraits or non figure work the plinth is now a useful prop or tool in the studio, but I am sure if I get inspiration then who knows, never say never !
My thanks to Hannah, Holly, Justin, Joc, Graham, Eenia & Tony, Malcolm & Fiona, Joline, Karen, Chrissie and the last addition to the project young Binks.
Link to a comprehensive set of images - www.davehunt.eu/projects/plinthfigures/

7 days... 5 models ... 2 photographers(+1)

Well, when Tim Pile asked for me to suggest a few models and locations for his trip to Scotland who would have thought how things would end up. I was keen to help out and this enthusiasm turned into something of an epic week. So far we are at the end of day 3

Sun was working locally with Ivory Flame.

Mon and Tues were with Chrissie Red and Rory helping out gadding about Fife and Perthshire finishing with a day on the beach.


Tomorrow we are off to Arran for 2 days with Bonnie Scot, Friday a day in the highlands with Ivory Flame and Madame Bink. And to round the week off (travel permitting) will be a day locally with Joceline.

Plan is to get a few location art nude shots, if we cannot get some great images with this line up of models then our cameras will be on ebay at the weekend !!

Not a bad year behind me...

Guess its like the proverbial bus, nothing for ages then 2 come along at once....
Not long after gaining my Associateship distinction with the RPS (Royal Photographic Society) in Oct I had one more go at a similar qualification with the BIPP (British Institute of Professional Photography) and this time was successful after a rather failed attempt earlier in the year. I was working towards a submission in the spring of 2010 but an opportunity for an early board in Scotland came up so off I went... and so glad I did.
The panel was from a series of fine art environmental figures using both indoor and outdoor settings, some started out as personal commissions for print sale whilst other were model portfolios. There were a few client shoots but these did not make it into the final panel of 20 images.
The subject was again chosen for me and many thanks to those that offered all the right advice, but the best thing for me was that like the RPS distinction this was using a body of work that was starting to get a bit long in the tooth so again the qualification was a fitting way of drawing this to a close, well, not completely as am sure I will do more of the same style, just now for fun or profit.
Thanks again to all the poor models that got wet, frozen (and both), bored, bitten by insects, or just had to put up with me trying to create my art in rather inhospitable conditions, but it was worth every frame ..... well, it was for me :-)

Link to full panel.. www.davehunt.eu/abipp

Finally a big Ta to Ivory Flame, Miss Luna, Katie L, KatyT, Genna, Hannah and Eenia.
Also to ChrissieRed and Raphaella whose work was short listed but didn't make the panel for reasons nothing to do with their ability.

Raphaella and 'that sofa'

Its seems ages ago, probably because it was, that I had the pleasure of working with Raphaella, a model from the North of England, although she has since moved to the states but am assured it was nothing to do with our shoot !.
I booked her for a half day at good old Contrast Studio in Glasgow to do some more for my dancer series and so glad I did, amazing young model and got just what I was looking for to compliment the rest of the work. Have had the first full sized print done and its safely in a frame, not one to brag but its stunning, will be showing online once it has been previewed in a gallery, its still several months away from finishing but have already got one art gallery interested.... brill !
Anyway, back on subject at the end of the session we did some portraits and some arty stuff, she has got an amazing look and is very versatile, some of these shots were a bit rushed as we were both somewhat worn out with the dance shots but in a way this can help as we were both thinking on our feet, some images are ruined by too much planning and thought, we just went with the flow and let instinct take control.

For those that have used Cons place you wil recognise the sofa and I make no apology for using it, almost a testament to the location and I bet it could tell a few stories over the years!
Thanks Raphaella, when you back in the UK let me know. And also thanks to Con, just about the best studio owner around, but then his normal day is filled with models like this hanging around with very little on, no wonder he always looks happy !!

Formal recognition.... :-)

Great personal news !!! the Royal Photographic Society as honored me with an Associate Distinction in the field of Visual Art.
What the heck does that mean ?, well, basically I have become an ARPS !
The work submitted was from a year long project using my life drawing background and fine art photography for a figure study looking at the form, balance and symmetry of the human form. I am really pleased to gain recognition with art nude photographic work as it so often gets put to one side as as being somewhat under appreciated as an 'accepted' subject. Also I had recently tried for a similar qualification with work from this project which was not quite so successful, but that's more about the RPS seeing this genre of photography in a different way. I was somewhat reserved about this submission for various reasons but thanks to Roy for persuading me to go ahead.A selection of images from the full panel of 15 images, one from each subject.

Finally a huge thanks to models Hannah, Holly, Joceline, Justin and John for your creative help ... and your patience !

A day with Katie Louise

Working with a new model is always a mix of excitement and anticipation, you see the profile, read the gushing credits, chat about what you want to do etc, but its only when you meet and start working that you know if its all going to happen for both of you.
Well, last week was one of those situations, Katie was on a trip to the highlands to 'work with new photographers in stunning locations', and I am so glad she did just that !!We started with a few shots in a rather dilapidated old building nearby, it was rather cold , damp, with stuff on the floor you really don't want to know about (lets just say there are a lot of sheep around...sorry, too much info there !!) but the light and atmosphere was great and Katie really got into it like the pro that she is - a minor sacrifice for our art ....


After a few short outdoor sessions to use the local scenery we then retired to the warmth, comfort and privacy of a village hall for some arty dance shots which have turned out just stunning. One of the reasons for wanting to work with Katie was her dance / ballet background and so I had high expectations for these images, and she was just perfect for the series which is an ongoing project that is now almost ready for print .... more on this when complete ...

So, a great day in great locations, and working with a terrific model who is just so easy and fun to work with... and wearing just about the best pair of purple fury boots you could imagine !!
She is threatening to come back in the spring and we have plans already for what we will be looking to do.... really looking forward to it.

...oh, and one last thing ... not only did Katie muck in setting up and help break down the lighting etc in the hall, but what others have not mentioned is that she also knows how to coil up cables - am well impressed !!!

Thanks Katie xx
ps - we must do pie and chips again sometime !!

Katie on Purestorm