This is the Rebellion against overproduced images often in the digital world. These are images made from my film cameras. Each image I shot myself. The subjects are often friends, and acquaintances in their world.
Sucker Punched by a girl who should be in a James Bond Movie
There are times I am still surprised by what is around the corner. In my biz you meet everyone, and everything, and you have conversations with so many people in all aspects of your and their life, and you find out that authenticity, and being real is so rare especially in this town. In meeting so many people, I get sucker punched, when I meet a model/actress who looks like JB who could have gotten away with just appearance alone, but you realize there is depth. That there is a certain belief about herself that stands apart from just her outward appearance and affects her character and awareness and the way she looks at you through the lens of your Mamiya. Her poise, and her presence make her that way, and its a joy to capture not just the outward, but the physiological manifestations of who she is.
I think it was the conversation about BBQ or Tex-Mex vs. Cali-Mex that stood out. And there were no conversations about Tofu or what is free range or organic. Or that she was from Long Island or the Bay Area, or something like that. No, she is as Real as it gets, even with a douchebag like myself. But the best part is that she is selective in the intent of the photograph. This town yields so many priceless hacks that believe they are something either infront of or behind the camera, when in reality they are not. There is no depth to the sense of being or awareness. To them its just the physical forms of the body or the technical forms of the camera. Needless to say, JB is not like that and thankfully neither am I. She has great presence on camera, and at a picnic table simultaneously. It is that kind of authenticity that exudes from the internal and comes out through the physical, and apart from what was inside, would not be such a beautiful photograph because of that, but also the fumblings of a nervous photographer(me) trying passionately to capture what he “sees” onto polaroid before he loses the exposure of sunlight.
The idea of intent from both the model and the photographer, creating an image like this on a one shot basis, just builds upon the not just the novelty of those involved, but the passion fleshed out and preserved on film. Because in reality, the subject being photographed, can almost be a reflection of their trust of the photographer. Thanks JB, see you soon.
West Hollywood, CA
Mamiya RZ67 110mm Polaroid back Fuji Pack 100C
Notes