The real does not efface itself

What was it like to be Eva Braun?

2012-03-06T17:15:00.000Z

Self portrait Israeli artist Roee Rosen's installation Vile, Evil, Veil - Live and Die as Eva Braun will be shown in a London from 21st March to 5th May at Iniva, in Rivington Place. In this powerful installation the spectator, through images and texts, is invited to become Eva Braun, Hitler's lover, during the last days of the war "experiencing intimacy with the dictator, his suicide

Fashion, dance and individuality

2012-02-28T21:01:00.001Z

Photographer: Tony Free I was reflecting the other day on the parallels between fashion and dance and how the two have been influencing each other. I love fashion and love dance, so I tend to think quite a lot about them. Last year when Black Swan came out, ballet wear was all the rage. Ballerina pumps and swan dresses were to be seen everywhere and bridal gowns seemed to have come out a

Nude, pregnant and on the runway

2012-02-23T10:45:00.002Z

Photographer: Charlie Staniforth As I mentioned in my earlier post, on Tuesday I modelled for Robyn Coles Millinery as part of London Fashion Week. Robyn chose unconventional models, who would walk naked on the runway, wearing only her hats - most of the models were art models, such as myself . One of the models was Sophia Cahill, former Miss Wales and a glamour model, heavily pregnant with

Naked on the catwalk

2012-02-18T19:11:00.000Z

Self portrait 2011 photo reprocessed by DG I am not a fashion model, but I seem to be doing quite a few catwalk shows, at least one every year for the past four years. Some are for charity, some are part of London Fashion Week, like the one I will be doing on Tues 21st Feb, showing off Robyn Coles Millinery creations. This is a show with a difference, because all the models will be naked.

Simulacrum, simulacra and Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T17:36:00.000Z

Photographer and model: me I titled this blog in homage to Baudrillard and his theory of the hyperreal - "the real does not efface itself in favour of the imaginary; it effaces itself in favour of the more real than the real: the hyperreal". In another post I returned to this idea in connection with reproductions of an original photo and briefly referenced Walter Benjamin and his famous

Flowdreaming meets Ecstatic Dancing; Summer McStravick interviews Gabrielle Roth

2012-02-07T16:40:00.000Z

Photographer: Ramsey Pietro Nasser I have always enjoyed listening to Summer McStravick's radio shows - she is witty and so full of life, everyone who encounters her falls a bit in love with her. I met her in person when she came to London last October to give a talk at the Alternatives and she was wonderful, just as I imagined her to be. Her Flowdreaming helped me to get my life on track

Is there an end to grudge bearing ?

2012-02-05T13:28:00.000Z

Photographer: me Model: Susie A recent post in What We Saw Today addressed the issue of grudge bearing. We are all a bit guilty of it to some extent. But some people make it their life ambition, if you can call it that, to never forgive anyone for what they perceive as an affront, real or imagined - more often imagined, as it were. We all do and say things at times which are either

Saatchi, art and taste

2012-02-02T17:45:00.000Z

Model: Susie Photographer: me My break was short. I thought I would have no time left for blogging but I managed to make some for it. I got messages from a few people saying they really liked the blog and wished me luck and hoped I'd come back soon. How could I let them down? As I am writing this I am mulling over some ideas stimulated by a recent visit to the Saatchi Gallery. The gallery

Taking a break from blogging

2012-01-29T23:49:00.001Z

Photographer: Thesearchformagik I have been blogging since May 2010. I have used this blog for showcasing my work as a model and then, slowly, my work as a photographer. There were times when I blogged regularly, almost everyday. Now I am taking a short break. My offline life is too full at present to allow me to blog as frequently as I used to. I am full of admiration for those who do, but

Self portraiture and Cindy

2012-01-22T01:46:00.001Z

Photographer: Mark Griffiths Cindy Sherman, 57, is a photographer, director, model and actor. She models and acts creating characters in her own photographic work, which are different from herself. They do not reveal her, they are entirely imaginary. Thus she has given a different meaning to the self portrait, which in her interpretation becomes a portrait with no self, a portrait of another

A beautiful condition of the mind

2012-01-18T01:27:00.000Z

Photographer: me. Model : Henrietta I recently attended a talk on schizophrenia which surprised me no end. I was expecting a list of facts and clinical case studies and indeed there was plenty of it. But the young woman who delivered it - it was an introductory talk for arts therapists dealing with clients affected by this condition - whilst demonstrating she had the DSM IV at her

Reticent models, body conscious men and diverse beauty

2012-01-09T01:09:00.001Z

Following my post about Grace Vane Percy on UdA and on here I received a lovely email from Figures in Art : Photographer: Terry Lee-Shield "I have been following both UdA and your blog for a while" he says "and I really admire you and enjoy your efforts. My wife strongly covets your hair! I’m sure I am not alone among American photographers who wish you were not on the “wrong” side of the

Venus is a real woman: the photography of Grace Vane Percy

2012-01-06T06:58:00.000Z

My post today can be found at UNIVERS D'ARTISTES which I have the honour of editing. After all the palaver about models young and old, mature and immature it is absolutely refreshing to read about an artist (a female photographer, just to rub it in) who photographs women, of all shapes, all sizes, all ages. Women who are not models. Just women. She brings out their beauty. Women are Venus, she

Mature models go home!

2012-01-03T19:37:00.004Z

Photographer: Donato Cinicolo I tend to stay away from threads on model/photographers sites. I do check out casting calls but I am not that bothered with them at present, I am doing far too many things and many of the casting calls on these sites are simply not right for me. I also have a profile on there as a photographer. I make it clear I am an amateur photographer still learning the

Dejunking yourself, dejunking your life

2012-01-02T21:40:00.001Z

Well, Happy New Year everyone. This blog has now received over 250,000 views and I am immensely flattered by the growing number of followers. My offline life was very full over the past weekend, so I did not have a chance to write a post. I took some self portraits on 31st but was not happy with the light. I now have a new camera, a Nikon FG, and am keen to put it to good use though my heart

Reappraising The Night Porter

2011-12-28T19:19:00.000Z

Photographer: Ray Spence A conversation with a friend who is very involved in historical research on the Holocaust sent me back to The Night Porter, the controversial 1974 film by Liliana Cavani. My friend had not seen it, but was aware of the criticism levelled at the film when it came out, especially by Primo Levi, the Jewish Italian writer who had survived Auschwitz and allegedly committed

Let's talk about...casual sex

2011-12-24T14:22:00.000Z

Photographer: Solus. Models: myself and Mike Cooney I was browsing my FB page and this article came up as a top story. It is a piece published in the online version of Psychology Today. It is by Stanley Siegel and it is entitled Why I advocate for casual sex. It is in fact a sequel to his previous In defense of casual sex which attracted dozens of comments, not all of them flattering. "The

No Punk in Aceh? No Punk, period.

2011-12-19T15:07:00.001Z

Photographer: Richard Plumb Last week the media reported on an unsettling event in the Indonesian province of Aceh, in Northern Sumatra. Some 6o young punks were arrested by police and forced to shave their hairdos and undergo rehabilitation. Aceh is ruled by Shari'a law and being punk is, apparently, a criminal act. I reacted to this feeling quite sick. I am a former punk (NOT punkette,

I feel authoritative,feminine and decisive...

2011-12-11T13:40:00.001Z

Photographer: Caroline Michael "I feel authoritative, feminine and decisive; in the mood to clobber Scargill, or take a ride in a tank...The Falklands goggles are yet to be seen on the catwalk" So writes Hermyone Eyre, in the ES Magazine of 9th December. All made up to look like Mrs Margaret Thatcher. "I am 30, made up to look 50" she goes on. This is an empowering look, but worth

You shake your bum too much

2011-12-05T16:14:00.001Z

Photographer: Martina O'Shea She is ninety-five but she looks a little younger. She attends the old people day centre where I am contracted to deliver some dance therapy for the next ten weeks - still training, still studying, still having to go and offer free sessions on a regular basis and be assessed on what I do. Easier said than done. Last year I was with addiction sufferers, mainly drug

Two in one makes three

2011-11-27T19:26:00.001Z

No, I am not redefining arithmetic.'Two in one makes three' means I am merging two separate posts which I wrote this weekend for my deviantArt journal into one post here. But of course as I do that, I cant help adding, so that what we have is a third, distinct post. I had the privilege of shooting with Charles yesterday at Mariann Fercsik studio. She is a young photographer with immense

Impossible people

2011-11-24T09:42:00.001Z

Photographer: Martina O'Shea We often hear about impossible people. A google search will take you to various sites where you will find advice from experts and non-experts about how to deal with 'impossible' people. I even found a site dedicated to body builders with a long rant about deliberate provocation by impossible people and how to deal with it! I am a bit weary of the label 'impossible

Modelling and taking photographs

2011-11-22T19:35:00.001Z

Original photo by Neil Huxtable, postprocessing by me. I have decided to concentrate on taking pictures and slowing down on the modelling. I will not turn down photographers who approach me - unless I don't like their work, that is - but I will not actively seek out photographers to model for, not like I used to. I still have my agency to put me forward for commercial work, which I only

Who is the victim?

2011-11-21T19:24:00.001Z

Photographer: Caroline Michael Someone is very much on my mind, a woman. Let's say I met her at some point during my practice as trainee therapist, I dont want people in this story to be recognised, so I will disguise them thoroughly, creating 'composites'. But the essence of what I am saying is true and the issues I am raising very relevant. Meet Sheila. She has been , still is, an

When pets die

2011-11-18T08:01:00.001Z

Photographer: Neil Huxtable. Own postprocessing I grew up in the country in a household with pets. My father loved dogs and also loved mynah birds, which he kept in a cage but occasionally would let free in our large kitchen, making sure all doors and windows were shut. He was not too keen on cats but we did have a couple of strays, I was quite fond of them. It did not help that one of the

Warming up and previsualising

2011-11-16T14:32:00.001Z

Photographer: Adam Hayter Model: me The idea of warming up is very familiar to anyone that does anything physical, especially dance. In my pole dancing class for example students are not allowed in if they miss the 15 minutes warm up which usually consists of various exercises to get the muscles to loosen up a bit. In a dance technique class, whatever the technique, it is all structured

Internet misogyny and comment moderation

2011-11-14T21:11:00.001Z

Photographer: Manji Last week The Guardian and the London Evening Standard wrote about internet misogyny. The number of men that seem to vent their hatred of women online through anonymous comments is quite bewildering, according to such reports. As a model with an online presence I have experienced online misogyny and virulent comments, anyone in my position surely has. I have received

I want to model for you

2011-11-08T17:12:00.000Z

Photographer: me Model: Melanie Ever since I started taking photos and expressed an interest in the male nude (though not exclusively, as you can see from the photos accompanying this post) I have been approached by men who want to be photographed nude. I have had offers from experienced male models, some of them about my age, some a lot younger - this post is not about them, please dont

The quintessential photographic experience

2011-11-05T13:10:00.000Z

Photographer: me Yesterday I had my first tutorial in developing b/w 120 film. Until now my photography has been with colour film, both 120 and 35 mm. I have access to a Colenta processor, I learnt how to use it and this has helped me to get started. But yesterday I was taught how to develop b/w film. It was awesome! Thank you Ismar! I managed to mess it up a little, though my tutor was

The art of giving a reference

2011-11-01T18:03:00.001Z

Photographer: me References are needed by people for jobs or to go on courses or to apply for funding and such like. They are a way to check on someone's character, aptitude, and in general, employability and/or trustworthiness as a collaborator. When someone is asked to give a reference this can indeed be a tricky thing. There is an etiquette of reference giving and I would also say that

A reader's comment

2011-10-30T08:39:00.000Z

"Aint no such thing" by JonMWells Following my post on schizophrenia a deviantArt member JonMWells left this moving comment, which I reproduce in its entirety. "My brother was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic when he was in his early thirties but I think the very first time he showed signs that something wasn't right was long before that as he was becoming a teenager and it only got

One hundred years of schizophrenia

2011-10-29T20:35:00.000+01:00

Photographer: me Model: me I am in the midst of preparing my presentation on schizophrenia. It's part of my assessment for my course, we are doing a module on psychopathology. I dont know how I ended up choosing schizophrenia as a topic, it was one of those things, choose a psychosis and there I was volunteering for schizophrenia. Today The Guardian published an article on schizophrenia and

Spirituality is a dirty word

2011-10-23T17:41:00.000+01:00

A few days ago someone on deviantArt who apparently follows me (not anymore!) got very upset because I said in my last blog post that the moon had an influence on women's biology. Rather than asking me questions politely and inviting me to a discussion, she put on a very arrogant tone and went as far as giving her own interpretation of events in my private life, of which she has absolutely no

Dancing at full moon

2011-10-15T06:15:00.000+01:00

It is the highlight of the month. A gathering of women, from all walks of life, dancing non-stop for two hours at the time of the full moon. The moon is a very important influence on women's psyche and also biology, according to traditional Chinese medicine, and marking the full moon phase with a celebratory dance is a powerful age old ritual, performed in many cultures around the world

When TF really means Time for Rip Off

2011-10-09T23:00:00.000+01:00

Photographer: me. I am a model and a photographer. My experience as a photographer is still limited but one thing I know: I will never take models for a ride, using them and never giving them the images they have worked for. For some photographers TF really means Time for Rip Off - you give me your time, I give you nothing, you should be honoured I am actually shooting you. It happened to

The beauty of women

2011-10-08T15:10:00.000+01:00

I would like to reprise here a feature I have written for Univers d'Artistes (UdA) about photographer Jane Lancashire, from Tunbridge Wells. I have admired Jane's photography ever since I first saw her work. I particularly wanted her to be featured in UdA because what she does stretches the concept of fine art nude and takes it to a different level. We are so used to seeing and hearing about

Welcome to stardom, Amanda

2011-10-05T21:18:00.000+01:00

Photographer: Alicia Clarke Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito have been acquitted. For the past couple of days all papers have showed photos of a very happy Amanda boarding her flight to Seattle, going home after spending four years in an Italian jail. Supporters of Amanda are jubilant about the acquittal, the family of Meredith Kercher, the British girl so brutally murdered - she had forty

Away for a few days...

2011-10-04T04:37:00.001+01:00

Photographer: AlexBPhotography ...with only sporadic internet access. I went to see my brother and stayed at the house by the seaside, enjoying the warm Mediterranean weather. Not that it was cold in England: when I left on friday it was around 29 C, unheard of in October! I needed to be by the beach, I love the seaside and love sprawling myself on a deckchair with a good book. I took 'my'

Those who can't do, teach

2011-09-27T21:50:00.002+01:00

Those who can't do, teach. We have all heard this. It means that you can't do what you teach to perfection. But if you are a good teacher, you can bring out the best in the people you teach. Teaching is something some people can do, others can't, and often the best doers - performers - cannot teach, because teaching requires a special talent and a special attitude. So when people say "those who

Experienced photographers need not read

2011-09-22T23:26:00.000+01:00

Those of you who have been taking pictures for years will find this post very naive and boring, so please do not read. I have just discovered the pleasures of taking photographs and developing films and I am absolutely over the moon.I have not tried to develop black and white films with chemicals yet, that will come later. I have however learnt how to feed colour film into the machine - I

Women photographing men

2011-09-21T15:07:00.000+01:00

I have started using my Bronica more frequently and have finally sorted how to develop and scan my negatives. It is all quite exciting. I am not very technically minded so it took me a while to get to know my camera. But now I seem to have it under control, after a few botched attempts. Being a photographer I need subjects. After toying with various ideas I realised that my interest is, after

Filling the gaps

2011-09-19T21:15:00.002+01:00

I was not able to write blog posts while I was away in Spain but used my dA journals to express my opinions, via iPhone uploads. This post fills in some gaps. I have had enough of divas and their elucubrations, good luck to them all. Everyone loves a diva, male or female, they do give us some entertainment. But they are pretty unbearable to be with. Spain was delightful but so very hot. I got

As I get ready...

2011-09-14T22:21:00.000+01:00

...to fly to Spain tomorrow to model for Martin Robinson's weekly workshop - and it is hot over there at the moment - I am having a glass of Chardonnay prior to my dinner - nothing fancy I 'm afraid, I am Italian but contrary to received wisdom I can't cook to save my life - and am reflecting on the day that just went by. I would say that this was a rather special day. First, as I woke up,

Rapunzel or the woman who got fed up with waiting

2011-09-09T20:05:00.000+01:00

Photographer: Chris HutchinsonI did a great shoot the other day - no images yet. It was inspired by the tale of Rapunzel , the princess with very long hair who was imprisoned in a tower and waited for her prince, who'd climb the tower using her long tresses as a ladder and eventually carried her off. But my Rapunzel in the story board created by Caroline Michael grew old while waiting for her

Guest post by Lucy Saunders

2011-09-07T23:01:00.000+01:00

Following my post on art models pay, model Lucy Saunders has contributed the following: