Sun, Sea & Inspiration

FiguratiLast week I was fortunate to have the opportunity of modelling out in Lanzarote for a few days alongside my partner Ellarna. Whilst I will definitely blog about my time as a model on my modelling website, today I wanted to talk about how this trip has affected my photography.

I took my camera with me, but didn't really plan on taking any pictures myself as I usually like to have a concept in mind and build a shoot based around that, however I thought it was a good idea to keep my camera in my backpack just in case, and maybe for a few landscape/tourist shots.

Whilst out on a location during one of the days, Dan was photographing Ellarna in a field of greenery and I couldn't resist taking a few portraits. I originally planned just to snap a few 'behind the scenes' outtakes but I was mesmerised by the complimentary colours of her hair against the plants. I had my 50mm lens on the camera so just worked with what I had meaning I had to get in very close to capture the portraits. Jumping through a field full of springy plants was a bit of a challenge but worth it! There was no way I could have planned these shots as I had never seen the location before, but as I saw her in the field, especially laid down I suddenly saw Ellarna in a completely different way to how I had only moments before. She looked so ethereal and sensual completely natural and at one with her surroundings.

Perhaps its purely because of my current areas of research and hence where my mind is at, but some of these shots seem to be exactly what I've been trying to set up for weeks. I feel they capture Ellarna from a female artist's point of view, especially the first image in the slide show. To me it feels incredibly erotic, the head thrown back, lips slightly parted and messy hair captures a moment of bliss. But the angle, the nature and the delicacy of this shot to me makes it far from masculine and I wonder if it would appeal to a male viewer as much as it would to a female? For me, this shot is all about Ellarna in that moment, I feel privileged as a viewer to be allowed into her space and given the permission to observe, but it feels far from being about me, my desires and what I want to see. I really like the idea that female pleasure can be completely for her own benefit without having to facilitate the male viewer and its definitely something I've been trying to create and capture in my work so far.

Having already picked up my camera once I then felt more at ease to capture other moments throughout the week. I found the natural settings not only fantastic for capturing more 'real' moments but also it made me think a lot about my technical skills as a photographer and my eye for composition. In the above two images for example, I prefer the more exaggerated angle of the second image, I feel the body fills the frame better from corner to corner and leads the eye through the image more smoothly, however the horizon line is quite distracting and for this reason I much prefer the first image. It gives a cleaner contrast between the female form and the natural rock and sea. For me it feels more of an all round captivating image.

On one of the other days, I also brought my camera along and began to shoot these portraits whilst Dan was photographing Ellarna from a completely different angle. The first and last images above were both taken whilst Ellarna was posing for his images, which I thought, gave a really natural look and feel to them. I found it fascinating observing someone else taking photographs as they saw things very differently to how I did and I feel I learnt a lot purely from watching. Another benefit of working outdoors in a country such as Lanzarote is the beautiful sunsets! These images were captured in the evening just as a stream of light came into an old derelict barn. I don’t feel I could recreate such beautiful light and colours in a studio and this has inspired me to pay a lot more attention to the ways in which natural light falls so as to make the most of it! The middle picture was taken after Dan finished shooting and Ellarna turned her attention to me, again, although not explicit, it is an incredibly erotic image very much about the eye contact. I love the attitude in Ellarna’s face and a very empowered awareness of the viewer.

The final images I took were completely different in style and originally intended to be more documentation in style. Ellarna wanted to practice some self-suspension on the balcony and I planned to just take a few snap shots but again found her poses to be very beautiful and captivating. I really liked the almost silhouette of her body against the sky and the ocean but still bringing in colour from her hair. The sun also highlighted her body in a lovely way, which again would be difficult inside a studio.

It was Dan that noticed the reflection in the door and actually this has become one of my favourite images, so working along side other creative has definitely been a huge benefit to me during this time! It has also inspired me to keep my camera close and not be afraid to take a few ‘snaps’ as they often turn into something beautiful and totally unexpected!