Bodyscapes (young woman)

Looking to broaden the subject matter further, I brought in a new model - a young woman. I was interested to see how these images would differ, when placing this after the macro body work I've done to date. Would it be easy or possible to distinguish age and gender, when the camera is this close? Such specific and detailed images of the human body, and yet potentially very vague when describing that human.

Unlike my father, who sat frowning wondering what I was up to, this model was more open to me positioning her, and hence we spent time working to find some unusual angles and body contortions, which would make for some detailed and quite odd photographs. With some shots I was a little more experimental with the light. I was cautious not to venture away from the frank and bold style, but just to control the shadows with a bit more precision.

Similar to when I was photographing my father, I again felt uncomfortable with some of these images – the same worries of exploitation. When making pictures of such an unflattering nature, and when scouring the model's body, searching for these interesting but potentially viewed as 'gross' images, I feel troubled as a photographer. I do think there is a place for this work though, for a study of different bodies, to observe the human form in all its varieties and in great depth, but not right now. 

With this project as it currently stands, I realise that I need to be back in front of the camera. If I'm to really scrutinise a body without holding back, then it needs to be my own. It comes back to this idea of a photographer holding power over their subject, and power over the judgement the viewer makes of the subject. But when the photographer is also the subject, it's like that judgement has already been made, or the option for the viewer to judge has been removed. The photographer presents herself, judges herself, and the viewer can only ponder on that, on why. Pushing the viewer to this contemplation is what I want my work to deliver.