Photography of the human figure is probably the toughest category of photography. It is very subjective, of course…. ranging from pure abstract to what some would call porn.
Habillée de lumière-Dressed in light
My approach is heavily influenced by two people I met, studied with, and respected. Ruth Bernhard was an important inspiration. I was complaining to her one day in 1977 about how I wasn’t satisfied with my own work. She said to me “… What’s your hurry sonny? I didn’t even start making good photographs until I was 50…. you have lots of time…”.
My other influential guide was Lucien Clergue. I had the chance to spend 2 weeks with this interesting man… friend of Picasso’s, and teacher. He had 2 favorite sayings about making photographs, especially of nudes… One was “What are you afraid of? the other “…there is too much (or not enough) of this particular element…”.
I accept commissions from people but mostly I work on my own. I have to be able to make a transcendent image worth looking at before I want to even consider the commission.
It is collaborative between the model and the photographer. The more experienced the model the better that goes.
And it takes time… these are not snapshots.
Write me if you are interested.
Mike Penney
mike@photobymike.com
206-432-5111
0 Responses to “About the photographer…”