1. My INTERVIEW:  by Chris St James on "Univers d'Artistes"

[link]

-----------------------------------------------------------


LATEST NEWS/2012: books now also available as Apps for smartphones IPad etc., ...

1. "P R I V A T E - R E C O L  L EC T IO N S  of the girl next door"
    NB.  .. new edition now available ....  [link]

2.  GABI's BOOK is also at last on sale ..
    [link]

3.  "REBECCA's BOOK" is also on sale ..    [link]

Some of you may know Rebecca from television and other media. Please DO NOT disclose her full name on this page or elsewhere (problem of groupies that create blogs). She allowed publication on the understanding that only a few persons serious about photography will purchase this work. Thank you.

3.   "A N   A P A R T M E N T   I N   N E W   Y O R K"
       [link]

4.  "C ON V ER S A T I O N   P I E C E S, my friend Gaia"
      [link] ..

You can browse through selected pages of all the book by pressing on the "PREVIEW" button.


---------------------------

You can see some of my other colour work here:
[link]

---------------------------

"My photography"

Photography for me is largely about moments, moments that we seize and attempt to hold on to. I have no special aim otherwise, other than to try and produce some attractive pictures of my models. What I frequently enjoy doing is to photograph the girl next door, real persons that we can identify with and imagine that we know, in fact that we so often do. I like to show how they move around and behave when they are alone and natural. Many of the photographs are posed of course, but often when a girl is staying with me, I will follow her around and take  pictures of her at various intervals during the day. They soon get used to it and do not seem to be hindered by the intrusion.

Inevitably, some will always claim that to show a woman in her intimacy is demeaning, but I think that they  show little understanding of the female personality. When a woman reveals herself in this manner, she expresses her self confidence and her power, not just over herself but over others too. It goes beyond defiance, it is a means of asserting her right to believe in who she is. The more sensual and feminine the photo, the more meaningful the result.

As for the models, I guess we choose them in accordance with the results we want. An elegant girl will usually look elegant in a photo too. I suppose one also needs a minimum understanding of the camera, but possibly less than some may imagine. I never felt that any of the "greats" of photography were above all technically proficient, other than in terms of lighting and composition. The more I visit galleries, museums and exhibitions, the more convinced I become of this. It's  annoying to those that spend hours fine tuning and perfecting their technique, but that is not what art is all about. When a modern artist splashes paint on a canvas with a bucket and steps on it or Yoko Ono throws tomatoes on the wall, there is no special technique involved, yet these are at the forefront of what the world considers art and creativity today. Of course these are extreme examples chosen so as to underline the point, but I think that art has more to do with impact and what feelings are evoked than with any special methods.

NB. Please do not ask me for the models' names or to send them messages. I am a photographer and neither a model nor a matrimonial agency .. : -).  


The "cigarettes", the "wine" ..

I am surprised how often people comment on this in my photos. It is astonishing how puritanical and intrusive society has become.

A model will look more natural when she is doing something, holding a book, a wine glass, a cigarette, whatever. A cigarette is of particular interest to me in that it helps to emulate the cinematographic style of the 50's that I like so much (HumphreyBogart/Lauren Bacall). I don't think that any figure in a book by Alan Edgar Poe would feel at ease without one either .. surely that too is understandable.


The "Provocateurs"

I have often wondered what it is that drives some people to measure up to others by provoking them  anonymously on the net. Is it a search for identity, recognition or self assertion? I cannot help feeling that some form of inadequacy drives them to behave in this manner. After all, there are so many "real" challenges to be faced in life by those willing and able to confront them.

As a photographer of young ladies, I occasionally  find myself the target of such attention. I will humour them once, rarely twice, but then thankfully DA offers us the option to block them and they can go and bother someone else .. : -)


"Underaged Models"  and  "body weight"

Needless to say, all my models without exception are above 18 years old and have signed appropriate "release forms". Any messages to this end are a waste of everybody's time, mine in particular. Please stop fantasizing in this respect.

As for their "weight", another frequent aberration in the comments, all the models in my portfolio (other than one that has a metabolic disorder and deplores people being so ill mannered as to mention it),  have a perfectly normal BMI (Body Mass Index). This is a measureable unit that responds to certain medical norms and has nothing to do with people's opinion on the matter. Sometimes  the models may seem a little too "perfect" which appears to irritate some people. But this is photography, we idealize the world.

It is strange how politically correct it is to speak about the pressures brought upon young people by the cosmetic industry, but not that by the food and beverage companies. The greatest cause of morbidity and mortality in the western world today is OBESITY, not underweight, apart from extreme cases. Even moderate obesity leads to hypertension, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer, meaning that it shortens life .. substantially.  The Journal of Pediatrics also reported in April 2012 that Obese women have 67% more chance of giving birth to autistic children. Now these are the true lessons that should be communicated to younger people, not this hysteria about appearing to be too thin, in reality meaning making others feel bad.

An "afterthought", see the book below: Even the Obesity question is a way of lying to oneself, most people deep down know the truth.

               -----------------------------------------------------------------

PS. As mentioned further down, I am reading a book by Trivers on self deception. It's all about how people lie to themselves and push the truth into the subconscious, communicating to others the fictitious reality (sic) that they store for that purpose in the cognitive areas of the brain.  It brings to mind Greek Politics,  not to mention the ongoing Presidential race in France:  "France in Denial" .. front cover of a late March issue of the ECONOMIST.