Julia Reid - The Perfect & Patient Muse

A constant theme in my photography classes is the idea that most photographers go through a predictable flow in approach. If the interest lies in taking pictures of people the difficult barrier is the one between taking pictures of people in the street unawares and that of talking with the person you are about to photograph. Another barrier is the one between taking pictures with existing light (sometimes called environmental photography) and that of modifying it, combining it with additional artificial lighting or simply eliminating it altogether and using one’s lights.

Before I had a good studio I used to shoot environmental portraits. Some of these I would combine with portable lights. Once I was ensconced in that studio I tended to ignore all existing light and use, exclusively my own. Obviously the best route is to go back and forth and work with all the elements at one’s disposal.

The pictures you see here are a combination of all the above elements. In particular the grainy infrareds involved only the lighting in a bathroom that came from a window.

But what really stands out for me is that 18 years ago when I took these pictures, my emphasis was on the nude aspects of photography. It didn’t take long before my subjects were wearing nothing and these were the pictures I would print in my darkroom. I would ignore all the preliminary stuff I shot. Now all these years later I look at the contact sheet and notice some very nice shots I simply ignored in my race to photograph bits and parts.

Julia Reid and her sister Virve were some of the best subjects I ever had face my camera. They were flexible and took directions without protest.

As I look at the pictures here I long for going back to taking pictures like that. It involves not using a studio and moving my subject around in a place they find comfortable which is their home. I hope to do more of this year if I can find the appropriate and willing subjects.

 

 
 

 
 

 
 

The hot black sands with Virve Reid