In this body of work, I capture the movement and form of the body through portraiture which has always drawn my eye. By emphasizing body language, I take portraits a step further, manipulating them to reveal and/or deny the viewer from being able to see the full human form, allowing me to redirect their path when viewing the figure. I highlight the movement and shapes the body creates by controlling what you are allowed to see of the model. Guiding the viewer with fabrics, paint, and erasing parts of the body, causing them to move throughout the photograph with the current the model had created.
When I started this project, I created photographs to feel smooth just by viewing and following their motions; leading me to the decision to use women and fabrics. For women, their curves and natural feminine softness fits perfectly with what I aim to capture. I found models whose moments seemed to flow like water as they danced in front of my lens. Her body all but verbally spoke to me, compelling me to take its picture. The fabrics I chose, such as the silk and lace, also had this same softness and liquid movement when being manipulated the models, which draped around the body and gave way to the air rippling through it. Slowly, I started expanding on different movements and body language by diving into using male models to capture this same softness, but with a masculine physique.
I captured the way the body moves and behaves, but left the model in each photo stripped of their identity. This ambiguity leaves a mystery to be solve as well as encourages the viewer to search of answers throughout the photographs. I draw more attention to the formal qualities in each photo; straying away from the idiosyncrasies of each person.
