Beauty & The East

It’s often said that photographers and other “creatives” should have a project for when things go quiet commercially, or if you’re just looking to “change things up a bit”. I can relate to this narrative on both tiers.  I’d recently bought a couple of third-party lenses for my Fuji XT100 and X-A5.  

An 85mm 1.8 prime for the XT and this budget TT Artisan 27mm F2.8 APS-C Autofocus. The latter being something of a wild card, the price being the main attraction. Image quality is reassuringly good, not on par with a premium Fuji lens but pleasing and the autofocus is also reasonably responsive.    

I have always been fascinated by people, although Eastern Europe has always been a region of particular interest. There are several reasons for this, but I can recall wondering (as I did with film censorship) what lay behind the Iron Curtain, and what were we not supposed to see. Propaganda was a two-way street and thanks to a well-traveled, very worldly father I never bought into the era's broad strokes narrative that communism bad, and capitalism good. 

Women within the Soviet Union were sometimes stereotyped as more liberated, better educated, and, more mysterious. Or conversely, uneducated and ignorant. Sweeping statements about anything, let alone people are by definition, inaccurate. Growing up, there was a narrative about bulletproof Soviet technology- MZ motorcycles and to a lesser extent, Jawa too. Tough, slow, built to last and in the west, dirt cheap.  

Before the fall of the Berlin Wall, you could buy a very serviceable, solid 250cc MZ for as little as £50. Vostok Amphibia dive watches and of course, film rangefinders and SLR cameras from the likes of Zenit, Kiev, and FED. Some reckoned to rival Leica but for a fraction of the price.  

My uncle met his second wife while driving an HGV back and forth from the UK and Warsaw with a friend during the late 1980s (They married in 1988-happily so ever since). She was working as a receptionist in a hotel where he regularly stayed. 

On several occasions (although most notably in my late teens/early adulthood), I had wanted to ride a motorcycle through Eastern Europe, starting in East Germany and working through towards Russia, photographing the old industrial and derelict places, people, and life generally.  

Given this backdrop, my quiet fascination and intrigue for those raised in this time and region is perhaps more obvious. My late father had also visited Odessa and Moscow in 1990. 

Then of course, there was a more recent migration of people from the former “Eastern Block” to the UK, many continuing the tradition of filling skilled and sometimes, unskilled work, studying, raising children, and generally building lives here. Leading up to Christmas 2007, I worked alongside some men and women from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland while doing some seasonal jobs. I have always been keen to learn how these countries and people’s lives, attitudes, and experiences have changed since 1989. We shared some fascinating, sometimes hilarious stories/anecdotes.

The Brexit vote of 2016 sounded some very unpleasant bells and made a lot of people feel incredibly unwelcome, seemingly overnight.  

Long story short, I am seeking to photograph people from these regions, living in the UK for a mix of themes. Primarily portraiture and fashion for those who have not modeled before. A more diverse range of themes for those who have. 

Models & Portraiture - Stenning Photographic Model & Portraiture Photography (format.com)

  

Curious? Get in touch…     

 

Elodie

Elodie and I had been discussing a shoot back in 2020, then the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns struck. I received an email message from her at the end of January asking if we could shoot. After a little back n’ forth we agreed a mutually convenient Sunday in February.  

I was intrigued as to what drew her to me and my work specifically. Elodie replied saying she liked the way I could go from capturing “cheeky” images to very formal portraiture. We agreed on a mix of fashion and lingerie and shot from her home.  

I’d had to postpone a shoot with a young, aspiring male model a fortnight earlier (due to a major crash involving a flipped HGV), so was determined to make the journey to Peterborough. Despite flooded roads and lots of standing water, I made it to her home in good time. That’s Michael-speak for 40 minutes early.  

I’d always prefer to be an hour early rather than two minutes late. I’d brought a reflector, flashgun, and portable LED light but thankfully, with 1.4 prime lenses, large windows, and a break in the cloud, it was often possible to shoot using natural light. 

Anonymous

 

Anonymous nudes are something I’m invited to do from time to time and it's a genre I enjoy. Some customers have come from an internationally published background, others are in other trades/professions, where revealing their identity would be inappropriate, or potentially damage people’s perception of them, or their business.  

That aside, it’s a great way of being creative with the human form and sometimes, being very bold, stopping short of gratuitous. Angles, lighting, and aperture are pivotal. As are trust, comfort, and good, clear communication between the parties. I took these in her home using a mixture of natural light and on-camera flash with diffuser. Props are another consideration. My Fed2 rangefinder film camera, Tibetan Singing Bowl, and toy motorcycle. The model chose her pinwheel, bear claw, chain, and scarf.

Jess in the Studio

I had worked with Jess back in August 2022. It was a Blade Runner-inspired shoot, which proved very successful. This time round, we’d decided upon a studio-based implied nude theme. I’ve shot nudes outside but this has been through the height and heat of summer. November calls for a temperate studio setting.  Jess knew a studio she was comfortable with and relatively close to both of us.  Our initial shoot was postponed due to Storm Ciaran and the related chaos caused by flooding.

 

What Are You Implying

 

Implied, as with other genres is open to interpretation and means different things to different people. Glamour is a case in point. The genre in Poland is closest to 1940s film noir and worlds apart from the Page3 it's synonymous with, here in the UK. 

Implied is best thought of as the suggestion of nudity but with concealment at key areas-breasts, genitals etc. At the more extreme end, there’s some blurring of the lines between implied and glamour.  Another key reason why models and photographers need to have a proper, open discussion-before shooting and not on the day. On the day, it's also best to recap and check both are still comfortable with the detail and themes.

 

I prefer to let a model lead, setting the pace, especially where these and higher levels are involved.  Following this principle, I was delighted to leave Jess to start with her selection of clothing for the first hour and then gradually moving to more revealing themes, first with my corduroy jacket and later, my distressed leather waistcoat. Photographer and model typically warm up. Just like a welder’s first bead of the day isn’t comparable with that 90 minutes into a shift and this was no exception. 

Communication, confidence, and rapport are paramount, flanked by trust and professionalism. We chatted about a wealth of things but the theme of some photographers almost viewing shoots as dates held sway for a while. 

 She wasn’t the first model to say photographers had suggested, during pre-shoot communications that they should go for a meal, then shoot. The last thing I’d want to do is model, or shoot on a full stomach and besides, a shoot is a professional setting- both parties come together to achieve a set, agreed aim. 

I can also understand how strong professional bonds can strike but there are some photographers who seem seduced by the slightly outdated concept of a muse and with darker motivations. I must feel comfortable and enjoy the company of someone during a shoot, and hopefully that’s reciprocal but that’s where the line is drawn.

 

Ultimately, we were happy with the results and will doubtless work together later down the line.

Darcy

 

Darcy is a plus-size model, returning to the industry after a break. She caught my attention having posted a casting on a networking site. I tend to make my approach and if my style of work appeals, the model and I will discuss themes and date(s) from there. Darcy was keen on some headshots, portraits, and autumnal/winter fashion and the close of October seemed the best fit.  

I hadn’t been to Southend on Sea since the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns struck.  Changeable weather also requires lots of forward planning and I was a little disheartened to discover the heavens opening along the A127- I'd been scouring the online forecasts and all suggested dry until at least1300hrs and we were shooting outdoors for two hours- from 11 onward.  

Despite some initial drizzle, the weather held, and the cloudy skies added further mood to the images. The beach and deserted beach huts were an obvious, though very welcome backdrop, ditto some of the shuttered, seasonal vendors nearby. Darcy was originally spotted at a car show on the South Coast and helped by an interest in classic cars, things developed from there.  

She has a degree in Graphic Design and secured work in this field, post-graduation. In common with a lot of models, she’s had a few challenges too, and testament to her character that she’d overcome them and kept a warm, positive outlook. I thoroughly enjoyed our shoot and would happily work with her again. These images were taken using the faithful A6000 and A6300 tag team coupled with 33mm 1.4 and 60mm 2.8 prime lenses.