Intimate Reflections with Sarah
This is a recent shibari session I did with Sarah, our first time working together. The goal was to make work that was elegant and sensual, and exploring the mystery of how the ethereal aspect of our souls/personality intertwines with the flesh and blood nature of being human. There is much to be said about that, in future essay.
Aesthetically, I tend to oscillate between minimalism and going ornate, but the thing that always remains constant for me is the part of light and shadow. I love seeing a razor thin crescent moon and the way it suggests the full shape of the moon 🌒… Similarly, I love how an edge of light can reveal the three-dimensional physicality of bodies, and thematically I love the feeling of tension at the moment something on the cusp of happening. Hold your breath for a heartbeat, savor the anticipation.
Recently, a friend who is learning photography asked me how to train their eye for photography. I think the most important thing is to learn how to “listen” to your eyes. Become aware of the visual aesthetic qualities of a scene: how light and shadow interplay, as well as patterns/rhythm, physical shapes and negative-space. Looking at classic black and white photography is the best way to develop a sense of this, because color can be distracting, and what has survived has stood the test of time. The first step is making this ability to see light, shadow, shapes, rhythm and composition into a second-nature is the first step.
The next step is to examine what it is about those different factors that draws your attention. For me, its that crescent moon I described as well as feminine beauty. Sometimes I’m drawn to the way a woman smiles, or her hand, or the curve of her hips. It changes person to person, moment to moment. It is a matter of listening to that factor of attraction, following the “male gaze,” while also paying attention to the aesthetic elements.
The aesthetics are important, but they are always secondary to the fact that the work is about a real person. I always meet for coffee or a phone call before shooting with anyone, because it is important to develop rapport. I don’t like using the terms “Model” or “Subject”, because it suggests that the person in the photograph is an object like a mannequin. I believe that the prevalence of that attitude is why so much of the typical contemporary photography we see today feels so disconnected.
Before my session with Sarah, we had a long conversation about the shoot, what the goals were, the feeling/tone, and establishing her comfort levels with what is shot, and later, with what is shared online. I know that many people who see shibari see it in the context of BDSM and may assume that there’s some sort of dynamic like that, but in reality she is the one in control. I want to make art, but more importantly I want the people I work with to feel good and be confident about the art that is made.
To photographers reading this, I hope your number-one takeaway is that prioritizing respect, being considerate and accommodating requests is how I make space for vulnerability.
To inquire about having a session of your own, please reach out using the contact form above. I love being able to share the skills I’ve picked up and help women have beautiful artwork of themselves.
Thank you for reading…
Now, hold your breath for a moment, and savor the anticipation.
