Nudes & Naked Portraits 1970-1980
Updated July 2011
These black and white photographs of women are from my early period of photography in Bath, Taunton and Oxford from 1970 'till I migrated to Australia in 1981
Prints are for saleas fine limited edition archivally processed silver gelatine prints in rag board mats
This image has been added as I miss pubic hair. The two main reasons for which are that it is a
natural visual shield and that it signifies woman, not girl. I photograph women
The location was an abandoned house cut into the side of a hill in Bath with windows covered in leaves. These images are very black and white, but not much was grey in those days
As a photographic printmaker I have always striven for print quality over speed. Prefering to wait 'till I can look at an image calmly and objectively. On this occasion I really excelled in print delivery time. I made this photograph with Rae in August 1971 and posted prints to her in November 2007, exceeding even my normal printing delay. So, after thirty six years, Rae finally got her set of prints
The distortion in this black and white photograph is due to the photograph being made through two mirrors, the closest one to the camera being a bronze backed mirror with unflat glass
While reality apeared curved, which was quite frequent during that time, Lesley's body absorbs the distortion to become the point of reference on a shifting ground. The suggestion the distortion is because I was using Swiss Alpa Reflex cameras at the time is erroneous
This was the first photograph of a naked woman that I felt happy with. Looking at the negatives again after 37 years I see other avenues of thought leading out. Much lighter avenues. However, I had just seen the Bill Brandt exhibition at the Hayward Gallery in London. I still have the catalogue
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