Some 12 or 13 years ago two photographic friends, Ian McGuffie, Patrice Bilawka and I worked on a joint personal project three times. It involved finding a beautiful young woman and making an appointment with her in my studio. I would then inform her that the three of us would photograph her separately and what each one of us did with her was to be kept a secret. After a month we would have a one night show in the studio and only then would all of us find out what the other had done. It was at this first meeting that I asked the important question, “If at any moment during a shoot any of us ask you to undrape you are not to object. If that will be an issue tell us now.” After this chat I would take a group shot of all of us which would mark the last time we would all be together until our one evening premiere.
We worked on three women and all the shows were a success. When we attempted a fourth, Patrice had moved to Los Angeles so a friend of Ian’s, Jessica Bushey stepped in.
For me it seems that all our energy had drained. We did manage to find a model and she did come to the studio. I did give her the speech and I did take the group shot. But the project died there. From my files I now see I did take her pictures in one session. The first session was always a feeler where I would get comfortable (a mutual situation) and from there I would proceed to ideas and themes.
The only theme I pursued in the first shoot was the “slow-entering-into-a-cold-swimming-pool” procedure. This meant that my model, Tara R. started off with clothes and ended up undraped. I wasn’t all that honest about the procedure as Tara R. did wear several outfits beginning with her first Seattle style grunge. What is interesting is that when I looked at my contacts it took me 8 exposures to get her from the grunge to a b+w underwear to nude. Then we went backwards and she dressed up. The pictures here are in chronological order. There were other pictures but these did follow a chronology. The very last one here was the very last one and I think I like it.
