Slightly different opinions from this review. Where the clinic liked the close-ups & b&w this reviewer preferred the colour tones and full body shots & had a distinct dislike of the images that showed the male manhood.
I was directed to look for the suggestive as mystery works better & hints at a hidden voyeurism. Where there is risk there is edginess which makes for a much stronger message. Look at and think of the lurid colour of peep-hole sex shows and other seedy spaces (I am considering to settle upon blue as a colour tone and vary the shots from aquamarine through to violet or lavender). With the connotations of Blue as in the blue movies of the 70’s but also symbolising cold loneliness. I was advised however to consider content over colour – not to allow the colour to distract from the message.
Asked how I posed the ‘models’ I replied that I do not – I prefer to allow them to relax while I work around them searching for those shots that intrigue. It was suggested maybe I should consider directing them a bit more – look to interpret gestures that might be suggestive of the alter-ego they are looking to explore; asking what these men are trying to present about themselves. Whether it was possible to get them to pose in a manner they saw fit – rather as Katy Grannan did for her project Model America. This could be intriguing as the awkwardness of her models was a very powerful part of the message in that project.
We discussed the aesthetic Nan Goldin uses in Devil’s Playground which I shall take another close look at. And I was advised to review the Films Three Colours Red, Blue & white for some ideas about the use of colour and tone.
Moving the images around to consider how they speak to each other there is an interesting juxtaposition when pairing full-body shots with intimate detail.
Some things to consider for the next shoot.
Chris Northey 