Sketch 8 | Body Photography

Project for AMD 317

I focused on light and repetition in my body photography by shooting repeating and sometimes abstract images of my and my twin’s bodies. For the sake of modesty, I focused on our torsos and waists to showcase the similarity of our bodies and how they can be used as pattern in certain compositions. In the first image (left), I used the remarkably similar curve from our waists to our hips to create simple line repetition against the dark backdrop I hung on the wall. The lines of muscles enhanced by lighting add to the curved outlines. The next shot (top right) has more curving repetition through the lines of our bodies that we made by curving our backs and angling our hips. I really like the negative space in this composition and the abstractness of our bodies in this position. By making our bodies somewhat distorted and unrecognizable, the light and form is highlighted even more. Finally, I took a shot of our faces in addition to the body photography that also uses our similarities as repetition. This image is not quite body photography because it focuses on the face, but I wanted to include it in addition to the other body shots. In this image, our eyes are lined up and transformed into a patterned, curved line that extends across the piece.

I achieved all of these shots with a tripod, hanging blanket on the wall, and powerful flashlight for side lighting. All of the photos were edited in Lightroom and shot with my digital camera. I definitely learned more about posing myself and others in this sketch as well as how to arrange and light body shots to highlight shape and form. It was quite difficult to focus and frame self portraits in this way, but my sister and I had a lot of fun doing it! I included another image taken in this same shoot below. It has symmetry, but no strong repetition so I chose not to include it in the series above. However, I thought it was really engaging and looks almost violent even though it is just my sister showing me how she can put her hands under her ribs.

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