Photographer
for all enquiries, email me on jdeh@mac.com
or Call me on +44(0)7860 340996
“These photographs do not objectify me in any way. I have never thought of myself as an object – indeed, young college students for whom I model say that I am an inspiration for those who lack confidence and I have realised, over the years, that the opinions of others can, sometimes, be ignored and now I go my own way with my own style.
So, then, I hope you see me as mature and confident, lit by an inner strength which only comes with age and surviving the troubles which life throws in your way. I have lines on my face from the pain of a private, life-changing trauma over the last two years and I also have a long scar on my back – the result of surgery on my spine - but I have come through these trials with strength and dignity, nurtured by the love of friends and the unexpected kindness of strangers.
My name is Carole and I would say be happy with your body and make the best of yourself but be realistic and accept that ageing happens, so embrace that and realise that your body is a wonderful and unique creation and the changes in it make you who you are”.
“When I look at this picture, I hardly see myself. I see someone strong, but feminine, elegant, royal and classy. The picture wouldn’t look out of place hanging in Versailles. I love the direct confidence that comes from sitting for a nude portrait; all women should do this”.
“Having spent my teenage years and early adult life finding it difficult to accept the fact that I wasn't perfect, both physically and intellectually, I am now at a place of acceptance.
As I look back over my life I realise that I've done a pretty good job. I accept that I am imperfect, but I am good enough. And 'good enough' is often more than good enough.”
More than a year after this picture was taken I received a message from Janet’s husband: “It is with great sadness that I write to let you know that, sadly, Janet passed away on 27th September 2018 after a long illness. I know that she was immensely proud of the work she did with you, and indeed of her modelling in general. Despite never previously talking about this to our two grown up children, I decided to disclose to them this aspect of her life, and they are both very comfortable and impressed with her work. The images that we have are an important part of our memories of her”.
May she rest in peace.
“When I was a young, insecure, round-faced teenager, I watched a TV programme featuring a woman who had hairy legs, hairy armpits, a full body, and soooo much confidence. She had a husband and child who clearly loved her very much, and thought she was beautiful, even though she didn’t look at all like the models in my teenage magazines. She was who she was, and it was so beautiful. I had never seen anyone like that in my life; I wished I could be myself the way that she was herself.
I think it touched me more because she wasn’t preaching or giving me any self-help tips; she was just being. I have spent the rest of my life trying to achieve that level of self-confidence and body confidence. Just from a random woman I saw on TV. And still, the journey continues”.
Galeri Tonic is a sensory artist drawing on her realisation of shamanic wisdom and practice. Native to her ancestral Welsh homeland, her expression of the body embraces aspects of its potential through visual, sonic, olfactory, tactile, digestive and physical dynamics. She interprets the human form as a fundamental energetic articulation of spirituality in this place at this time, within a universal context. The body's significance as the absolute - the vehicle for this life experience - is that which she endeavours to honour through her life work.
"We are born free of trappings, and pass over likewise. I like to consciously acknowledge this whilst travelling my life’s journey. With a professional background as a music composer, performer and complementary therapist, I extend my professionalism - that search for the highest truth - into every aspect of my being. It often requires the courage to step into the void. In such a way the achievement, against the odds, of an active home breech birth was as much a pinnacle of my life force as the release of my first solo album, Murmur.
I would like this image to inspire others to explore their freedom. Namaste."
I will never forget my first life modeling sitting. It was for a life drawing session. The moment before taking off my gown I felt stressed, uncomfortable. Definitely not at ease. Everything changed once all the artists in the room started to draw. We became one body. I left the place feeling inspired, free and beautiful. I felt like a work of art! And I have since!
We should indeed treat our bodies like pieces of art. Make the striking out of what seems dull and find the exquisite in what we see as ugly. It’s all there, one just need to look more closely, from different angles. Embrace it all.
I have been working for a long time as a full-time artists' model in Japan, and more recently working part-time in the UK.
Experienced artists are used to seeing the nude, but beginners sometimes feel uncomfortable with me in the nude. Especially when I open my legs to create interesting, dancing or unusual shapes they can get slightly upset, or show too much curiosity about my crotch.
I wonder if their feelings come from social context (people wear clothes in public) or biological instinct (the crotch is for elimination and copulation). I think most of the time people are playing their roles in shared stories such as capitalism and nationalism. 'People wear clothes unless when taking a shower or having sex,' seems to be one of the shared stories, especially in the West. In Japan, there is another naked occasion, in the public bath. Playing roles in context is of course necessary for the healthy society, but that doesn’t mean we have to let society control our feelings.
How do you feel with this picture? How do I feel? Well I'm happy!
Women today are bombarded by images of how they should look. I'm as susceptible to this as any other woman. And it was to challenge this that I participated in this project. I had no problems being photographed in the nude. But I was mortified when I saw my pictures and thought how fat my legs and buttocks look, thereby proving why this project is so important. To show women of all shapes, sizes and ages, in all their beauty and life experience.
My legs are not fat. They are strong. They have grounded me in weathering many a storm. I am beautiful, intelligent, sassy and resilient. Recently, I got an ECG test. As I listened to the sound of my beating heart, I marvelled at the miracle of creation I, and every human being, am. I hope many women, and men, see these pictures and recognise these qualities, as well as reflect on their own notions of beauty and be willing to push the boundaries of their understanding of beauty.
Lumps and rolls, bumps and folds,
Lines and crinkles, scars and pimples...
They're all there. And I see each of clearly and know instinctively when one of them appears or disappears.
My daily practice is to only observe their existence and not take these physical attributes to determine my womanly worth, nor be a reflection of my essential Self. My daily practice is to be kind to my body; starting by loving it not scolding it nor being ashamed of it.
It's been a life long struggle but as I've got older I've got better at this practice.
I always try to remember that: "I am not this body, this body is not mine" and when I am done with it, this flesh will go back into the earth and it won't matter whether it was a size 6 or 16. Better to be grateful and enjoy what it can do until it can't do anymore.
“I began life modelling when I was at University. There was an opportunity, I needed a financial top up and I was curious about the work. The year after University I modelled across the whole city: at the University, colleges, and private studios. I found modelling a time for meditation; for rest; for exploring the physical capabilities of my body; for understanding and perceiving time differently. I love being in a life drawing class and seeing artists’ different styles of drawing; listening to paint brushes rattling against the water cups; smelling the oil paints; hearing the charcoal being used on paper and pencils being sharpened and finally meeting and speaking with artists during break time. For me life modelling is a whole phenomenological experience of the senses and observation.
Having observed so many artists drawing and painting me, in 2002 I made a short ethnographic film, which I called ’Social Art' for a module at University. Later I also produced a photographic essay on an artist who frequently drew me called Patt Briggs. Patt would 'transform' rubbish or everyday life objects into art.
Having grown up in hot country I was used to exposing my body quite frequently. I love being by the sea and I love the beach so large chunks of my time were in a bathing costume surrounded by other people wearing the same. I have throughout my life felt comfortable with my body, and try my best to keep it fit and healthy and enjoy it as much as I can.
Many people unfortunately feel unhappy with their bodies. They are negative about it. They are critical and put themselves down. We should be kind to our bodies, and minds. Our human bodies are the temples which our souls inhabit. We must look after them and enjoy the amazing life they allow us to have. Without them we would be merely invisible energy roaming around in space.”
Posing nude is a very empowering and liberating experience.
By not having anything to cover my body or that I could hide behind, I am closer to the essence of my being. I am there, exactly how I am, accepting who I am and integrating all aspects of my body, mind, and soul.
It is challenging in the beginning and can be a bit scary, but once you decide to face your challenges and overcome the fear of exposure, you break barriers within yourself and expand your limits immensely.
I express myself through my body with a deep sense of love, respect and acceptance for who I am, and I honour and appreciate my body for its uniqueness and beauty.
Doing this shoot and looking at the images, I realise that I’ve come so far. There was a point when I was younger that I didn’t even want to change my clothes in the locker room yet now I model nude for art classes, photographers, sculptors and even grace the stage. I’m proud of who I have become and it’s so liberating to be comfortable in your own skin, physically and otherwise. We all need to embrace ourselves for who we are, our imperfectly perfect self.
How have I come to life model?
A jumble of things led me here. A long story but briefly:
An artist friend asked me to pose as a life model pose and I initially thought “Nooo! I couldn't do that!” Then I realised this was an opportunity to challenge myself which reminded me of:
A strong visualisation during a Buddhist meditation retreat which urged me to enquire into my sexuality. I had shut the door on sex for five years and threw myself joyfully into Dharma practice (teachings of the Buddha). I didn't regret that time for a second but now was the time to cultivate a loving relationship with my body, to appreciate it for what it is and what it is not. To overcome feeling “unlovable” and forgive an absent father, to explore my sexuality unashamedly and pursue a loving committed relationship. After five years celibacy I was curious to explore, integrate and transform all views I held about my identity and my body. This simple friend's invitation to pose in the nude was going to be the start of a new and challenging phase in my life.
But where to start? I instinctively knew kindness and humour would be vital in my approach.
So I danced my Naked Truth.... once you decide to explore something then opportunities present themselves! Someone on a meditation app mentioned it and it suddenly awoke something in me. To dance naked in a sacred space with the inhibited, shy aspects of my psyche seemed a natural thing to do. We all have blockages that prevent us from seeing ourselves just as we truly are. Being naked seems to strip away all identity, all filters, all that unnecessary weight. The parts of me that wanted to hide, that needed to be nourished were coaxed out and released in a dance. Although my first time was in a roomful of naked men and women I danced privately with my ghosts and coaxed them out. Three dances later I am freer, lighter, less critical of my body and compare myself less to others.
What is that someone once said “Be yourself, everyone else is taken.”
Life modelling then seemed the most natural step. I never did model for my artist friend. Before long I'd signed up with an agency and now model regularly for artists, sculptors and photographers. I enjoy having a psyeudonym when I work as it playfully reminds me of the Buddhist teaching of no fixed unchanging self.
Nowadays as I pose, I meditate on my breath or cultivate loving kindness. Each occasion presents an opportunity to connect with my body, with others and care less about what people think of me or indeed what I think of myself. Afterall I do not ultimately know who I am so how can I worry about what others think of me? Meanwhile here I am in the present offering myself in a direct and authentic way. This. Is. Enough.
Increasingly I enjoy the creative process between myself and the class or artist, there is a delicious atmosphere that descends when conversation stops and focus arises. Due to my meditation practice I can sit very very still and I like to create a relaxed and inspiring atmosphere. Besides modelling, I work as a creative in the film and tv industry and enjoy the two worlds I inhabit. I find the creative process fascinating and have shared some interesting conversations with artists which nourish my mind.
I think that the beautiful thing about getting older is knowing what we DON'T want, being more confident and accepting our body the way it is. If we are able to accept ourselves physically and mentally that will reflect on the way we behave and how we treat others.
I am much happier with myself now at 52 than when I was 20, complexes about certain body parts have disappeared. And I have been lucky because I have never had a 30, 40 or 50 year crisis and passed the menopause without any problems.
Age as a number doesn't exist, we are as young as we feel and I have once again learnt that it is never too late to make radical changes; I have recently moved country for the second time in my life. Life is what you make it, embracing the challenges it entails. It is never too late to embrace a new adventure, regardless of one's age.
When a good friend suggested I take part in James Hall's naked project my first reaction was 'No way!'
But I then felt irritated with myself ... like I'd let myself down ... been a little cowardly.
Which brought me to have an interesting conversation with myself.
Why should I expose myself? Was this vanity, exhibitionism?
Was it cathartic? Was I not recognising the importance of being private?
And so I went on ... ad nauseum.
I then I got completely tired of myself and wrote to James and said 'I'll do it!'
But then immediately set to pondering again.
Why was I doing this?!
I neither love or hate my body. Though I am more at home with it now than I have ever been.
I've struggled with confidence and self image most of my life as many women do ... up and down.
I had a mastectomy after a breast cancer diagnosis seven years ago.
It was a devastating experience. A total deconstruction but also at the end a better rearranging of self.
It took 5 years to get to a successful reconstruction and for many of those years I found it difficult to look at myself. Maybe this is what it comes down to. Accepting my new body with its scars.
And looking after the me that has always had so many doubts in terms of my body being not good enough!
Ha ..Good enough for what?!
In the end I decided that the decision to do the photo shoot shouldn't come out of thinking at all but simply the question - How does my body feel about this?
Am I leaning towards or away from this experience?
So my body became my barometer.
Leaning towards felt proud, daring, free ... leaning away felt tired, small, scared.
Neither right nor wrong just where I am now and that was enough.
After the experience I waited for a profound feeling and there was none.
Other than ..
Its just a body.
I rather like that as a conclusion
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I am 36 years old and have been a professional model for over six years now. It’s something I fell into at a strange time in my life where everything else seems to be going a bit wrong. I was a late starter, I guess! I had studied art and art history in school so was well used to seeing the painted female nude form, but it was only when a photographer showed me some nude images he had taken of a model that I truly considered whether it was something I could do myself.
Women are beautiful, every shape and size, and working in a profession where I can express myself through how I move my body is a wonderful thing. Being asked to be a part of this project was actually a challenge for me as I was being asked to show “me”, not act or portray a certain mood or emotion. Oddly that is something that can be very difficult for a professional model to do. This project was more “how are you feeling today?”, not “this is how I want you to feel”.
Looking at my image from this project and the images of all the other beautiful women who have been a part of this experience had been a fascinating experience for me. We are all women, all beautiful, and we all have a story.
I enjoy modelling in a wide variety of settings, and for different Artists. To me, Art is fulfilling both our desires and the real. It is a place where inner worlds can be expressed in conjunction with the outer world!
Like a fulfilled wish.
Seeing paintings by Gauguin and VanGogh when I was little showed me how to see the world! It is magical.
For me modelling is a very exciting part of Art. It is being the enlivened body or material for an Artist to work with, entering their creative life and their imagination.
I was a painter before I ever modelled. I love painting colourful images of wonderful things.
This photographic image to me looks like 'The Queen of the Fairies'. The angles in this pose captivate me. The Artists set this image and positioned me like a doll. It surprised me on viewing it.
So unexpected!
I was asked to pick an image that best expresses myself. I feel here the Artists have captured the simple and the complex story. Something real and also imagined, a little surreal or distorted. The pose was not naturalistic or easy to maintain.
I love theatre and do stage performances, both with a black guitar I lug round open mics and also I write and perform live theatre, poetry and storytelling in public.
People ask me what made me start life modelling aged 70 and though, generally speaking, I am not into ‘self analysis’ I suspect there is no simple answer. Initially my response was ‘I don’t know’ and, to a large extent, that is still true. However, in an effort to try to find a reason I have given it some thought and the best I can come up with is: moving way out of my comfort zone, coming to terms with myself & my body, making a bit of extra money.
Now I accept that this sounds simple, in response to my own statement that 'there is no simple answer’, but rather suspect that it isn’t. To be honest I don’t think it matters - it certainly doesn’t seem to matter to me - so I’m just going to accept that I’m doing it and don’t really have any deep and meaningful insights into why. That’s it really!
Instantly I took to the project "Age Cannot Wither Her" as I too had the desire to see myself through that lens, just as I saw all these other women, some older, others younger, all emanating their unique poise, dignity and beauty; nude, in front of camera, regardless of age.
At 46 (time of shoot) with my hair turning more grey by the day, I'd been pondering my age, so the opportunity presenting itself here was a welcome means to illustrate that beauty lies within and beyond. We're as radiant as we're happy. For me radiance is my Soul's essence shinning through my being.
I'm deeply in touch with what matters and grateful for experiencing life through this strong and beautiful body with its amazing affinities, that so deeply reflect my soul and psyche.
When I turned 40, everything changed. Suddenly, I had a voice. It seemed as though I was able to speak up and, more importantly, speak out. There is a permission that comes with age, a credibility.
Now that I am nearer 50 than 40, I realise this decade, for me, is all about transformation.
I started the decade as a consultant in the city, unsatisfied with life and love, and failing to adhere to the gendered, patriarchal societal expectations around me. My curly hair wasn’t neat enough. I wouldn’t wear the obligatory heels as the arthritis in my feet was too painful. I wasn’t small or quiet enough and no matter how good I was at my work, I didn’t fit the mould.
I am hardly recognisable as the deeply in love, ethically non-monogamous, pansexual, freelance problem solver, soon to be a certified sexological bodyworker, skyclad howling, dancing, shamanic goddess, little girl, queen, mama wolf, strong, fragile, human I am today. Hallelujah!
This is my first photoshoot, never mind my first naked one. The excitement of being part of something this important, hid the process that was about to unfold. I have been getting more and more naked these last few years. I find it liberating and can often be found in some festival dancing scenario getting my kit off and encouraging others to do the same. We were born this way.
Despite all that, as soon as I agreed to the shoot, my inner critic, judge and jury, went to town, subtly at first, although the town was where they were heading, make no mistake!
I wanted to look good. I didn’t want to embarrass myself. I wanted to be a better version of me. My serious significant chocolate addiction was tempered at first. I got on my bike a bit more. I told myself that this was a good thing, and, to certain degree it was, however, at the same time why couldn’t I show up as I was?
Predictably, the 10 days running up to the photoshoot, involved a foreign trip, more than typical booze consumption, a chocolate mountain, lack of sleep, a dodgy tummy and, wait for it, slashing the sole of my foot open, on an acrylic table, whilst trying to see the moon out of my window, less than 9 hours before the shoot. You couldn’t make it up.
What do I see when I look at this photo?
I see a girl with a woman’s body. Strong, hard-working legs, a tummy that holds lots of emotion and feels delicious to the touch. A Predator. A fragility. Certainty. A pride at getting this far alive. Sadness that I trimmed my beautifully wild pubic hair right down, just a week previously, in a moment of self-doubt because I wanted to fit into someone else’s ideal of what a woman should look like …… a lover, an artist, a sister, friend, confidante. An activist. An aspiring life model?
Most of all, I see a woman in the prime of her life, with hopes and dreams.
I have so much more to do, to learn, to be.
Having researched images of real female bodies for artistic reference I was well aware of how underrepresented they are. It has always bothered me that older women’s bodies are maligned, which is part of the reason the concept of this project appealed to me.
In the time between agreeing to take part and it actually happening my internal dialog about what I was about to do wildly oscillated between insecurity and confidence. However as the as the shoot approached I was surprised at my lack of trepidation.
We decide to play the shoot by ear, to see what images we captured.
I have a prominent scar on stomach, which I seldom expose, mainly because it’s the result of paediatric surgery and I have never known life without it. For me its just part of my body, not something that defines me. The idea of capturing the tattoos on my back was of more interest to me.
The tattoos I have are scars I have chosen for my body, not those that have been inflicted on me without my consent. As such I feel they are far more representative of me than my stomach scaring or the other smaller scars I have.
The majority of my tattoos are taken from my own illustrations, and as such act as a living gallery. They all have their own individual symbolism.
The sunflower on my left arm represents flowers my mother grew in our back garden when I was undergoing and recovering from the surgery, which led to my stomach scars. The Bumble Bee on my right shoulder represents respect for nature, femininity and self-belief. At the time I had it done there was a myth that Bumble Bees were too heavy to fly and that those you saw were female. Neither is true, but the symbolism of women achieving the impossible still appeals.
My back piece was inspired by a modern Japanese design and the idea to turn the individual tattoos into a whole design. Taken from victoria naturalist’s illustrations the individual butterflies’ are native to my home county of Sussex, with the central image of a ‘Colias Lesbia’, a nod to my bi-sexuality. I enlarged them as we felt they looked a little twee reproduced life-sized and didn’t sit with my personality.
These tattoos have aged with me. The colours in the first three have faded and the edges have softened, the original deep black changing to blue. They remain as reflective of my beliefs and experience as the first day I had them done.
I am really pleased to have final recorded them so that I can see them as they are rather than caught in a glimpse as I dress in the morning.
I think this the bit where I raise my hand and say, ‘Hi, my name is Elaine, and I’ve been taking my clothes of in the name of art for four months now.’
I started off thinking it would be interesting to do this and see life from the other side of the camera or easel. Having been to art school, many years ago, I’d spent hours as a student, perfecting drawing skills and trying to capture the essence of a model on paper during long afternoons in the art college studios.
Fast forward 33 years, to a few months ago, and I’d been toying with the idea of modelling, so with more time on my hands, I set it as a challenge to myself. A challenge because I hate having my photo taken. I was hyper self-critical of my imperfections as a teenager and seeing my face or body in a photo, made me retreat from anyone with a camera for most of my life. I made sure I was the one always taking the photos.
So, this is my therapy in a way, coming to terms with ‘self’ and as there is no way back to youth and pre-pregnancy firm skin, there is only the way forward, and it has to be celebrated.
And not just the face, no, the world will see everything. The good, the bad, the saggy. The fact that photographers and artists like those bits, is a revelation really.
When James contacted me, and I saw the project he was working on and how he composed his shots, I thought, this is for me. They are beautiful.
This is what I want to do: collaborate and make art.
Having a brilliant photographer appreciate what you can bring to a session, shoot you at your best and then produce elegant photos is an amazing feeling.
For years, I’d felt invisible as an older woman. People can push past, ignore, or be rude to you so often. Now I feel quite liberated, confident and brimming with energy.
So, I’d advise any women who is even vaguely thinking about doing nude modelling, to go for it. At the very least, you’ll meet new people and it will certainly give you some great, new conversation openers too.
I decided to take part in this endeavour as an experiment, like many would say, to get out of my comfort zone.
So, I too want to be part the women that know within, what it is like to be different and accept each other as individuals and feel good about the body that we have! Expressing oneself through our flesh that society ‘sees’ and let there be no barriers. To let the opinions flow and not care in the slightest, for someone that grew up self conscious, it can be daunting!
But I want my ‘skin’, which is very ‘literally’ sensitive to the elements around me...to know that I love and accept all as is, that there is nothing to be afraid of. Being exposed to judgements or the elements around me is one and same thing for me. One has to become thick skinned. Hence, this form of becoming uncovered...
Electra is a part of myself that came to me earlier this year and persuaded me to take my clothes off as an act of defiance, not just in defiance of a culture that by and large doesn't want middle aged women to bask in the glory of their naked selves, but also in defiance of my shyness and my fear of what people might think of me.
It felt so liberating standing with no clothes on in front of an art class knowing that it didn't matter what they thought of me: I just was. The feeling was electrifying, just as Electra had told me it would be. Weeks before doing the photographic shoot I kept saying to myself that I must get in shape, but I didn't, and so this is me as I am now and as I have been for the past year or so, with a stomach bulbous with fibroids. This is me. I am glad that I allowed Electra to surface, and I am proud and honoured to have been part of this project.
As a person who enjoys my body, is happy in it and enjoys its nudity, when a friend suggested I take part in a naked photo shoot I thought. ‘No sweat’.
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of the shoot, I didn’t feel self conscious one little bit. Then when the pictures came through it hit me. I was seeing my body for the first time. Seeing how life has changed it; four births, stressful life situations, grief, emotions left unspoken, and the joy and pleasure I’ve received through my body too. What shook me most was the disparity between how I feel inside, and how I look outside. I feel youthful and excited by life inside, but I’m not sure my body tells that story.
I’m glad I’ve got the inside story, and seeing myself vulnerable and undressed has made me determined to live the life of my dreams full of love. That life starts with loving myself as I am, fully and in acceptance and living healthily.
I work as a model, yet funnily enough I rarely look at myself in the mirror. When I see myself it's usually from the pictures or drawing that artists make of me and that's when I can see the tiny changes that time operates on my body.
When I look at this photo, I can see that my waist Is just a little less thin, that my bottom is less firm, and that my tattoo, that is just over a year old and was done at a very difficult moment of my life, completes who I am now. I like the sensuality that comes out of this photo, and I feel honoured that my picture will join those of the other women who took part in James's project, which I found inspiring.
I am 35, but I started modelling for nudes when I was 21. I was struggling with body image at the time, and I had been told about the therapeutic effect of seeing yourself through the eyes of people who draw or paint you. So I did it and the result was magical. The first time I looked at how people in a life drawing class had interpreted my body, I realised that everyone sees you differently, so there is no point feeling bad about yourself. You are just you, and that's the best you can do. Be yourself.
Now when I model, I don't even feel naked anymore, I feel dressed as me, just me. It is the most natural thing in the world, and I would recommend it to everyone.
Age cannot wither her …
An amazing project, I was delighted to be invited to participate in.
In my view age doesn’t wither, it polishes, with age has come strength, inner beauty, acceptance and confidence.
I’ve enjoyed each decade more than the last, and hope this continues .... I had a few terrifying moments, violence, pain, rejection, financial difficulties, all of which changed me to some degree, made me chose my directions more carefully and trust myself, they also made me value the choices I made. Invest more of myself in them, commit.
What you see in this photo, what James has captured perfectly is all of this projected outwards. Not perfection, but acceptance of who I truly am.
It has been a while that, consciously or not, I stopped to observe and appreciate my body being sculpted as my experiences come and go.
I struggle with myself to unlearn what society makes me feel about ageing, indeed a long-term process.
I feel privileged to have had the opportunity in this project. Age cannot with her reminds me to take pride and appreciate my image.
I am deeply touched by seeing myself through this lens. I can see myself strong and beautiful, welcoming the representation of my history in my body.
I struggled with writing this paragraph!
So often in my career as a professional western model, I am SEEN and not HEARD. Now, here, I’ve been given a chance to speak, to write something ... I’ve no idea what to say. This says a lot: women’s bodies are and always have been cultural sites of violence and silence. They so often are ‘given’, wordlessly, to the worlds around them; consumed and moulded by society in ways they have no say over.
By giving our image (or nude body) to an artist we express an agency and a form of control over our bodies. Age does wither us! But the enduring image of our bodies in and as art perpetuates our existence as significant.
Doing this shoot took a massive push of confidence. When I see the photo I think blimey, is that me? Did I actually do that?! Being a very(!) curvy woman I have spent my life trying to shrink - squashing up right up against the window on a bus seat so it doesn't look like I'm taking up too much space, or breathing in constantly when working behind a bar so others don't get annoyed that you're fat and in the way. It is, when I read that back to myself, ridiculous - but it's true.
This photo represents me being free and totally myself for one of the first times ever in public. And I am so proud of myself for doing it and not listening to the voices in my head or watching the shaking of my hands. I would encourage any bigger woman who is facing a challenge where they are so anxious about their size to step into it - you'll be incredibly relieved you did.
Confidence in my body is a challenge. I like sports and I’m a very active person. To me, our bodies are an expression of our character, who we are, our personality and our story. I would love to live in a hot country again one day where we can live with fewer clothes and see my feet without shoes.
A friend of mine told me about the project and I was intrigued. I had recently gone through big life changes and to participate at that time in this project seemed perfect timing.
Who was I now in this new chapter of my life - in my early 50s and being my own partner for the first time in a long while?
I enjoyed the actual photo shoot, playing with poses, trying out what fitted me best. I remembered that I had been modelling for life drawing and sculpture classes a long time ago, something I always found quite meditative and fun. It was lovely to tap into that energy again all these years later.
The past few years have brought many challenges and I’ve shed many ‘old skins’ and emotional ballast. The picture I have chosen reflects my resilient and joyful spirit that has survived and is thriving.I feel comfortable in my skin and who I am now, something I treasure hugely.
I'm a full time Artist and Artists' Model, and I've been either side of the canvas for a very long time now.
As an Artist, I've been around the beautiful experience to draw from life a wonderful variety of models of any age and body types and appreciate the beauty in all of them for many years, and as a model I've grown very comfortable in posing for Artists in many different situation, from very public to private ones, not worrying much, like I used in my younger years, about not having the "perfect body".
However, posing for photography was still something I didn't do too comfortably.
When I was proposed to model for "Age will not define her" my immediate thought was that I wasn't the right type of model for a photoshoot, I was born and raised in Milan, where models that pose for photoshoot looks very different from me!
But once I've read about James project on his website, and seen the beautiful photos he's taken, I thought it was the right time for breaking through my discomfort of being in front of a camera and to finally see reality outside the gentle dreamy world of a painting!
I absolutely loved the experience, James is a wonderfully creative and talented photographer, I was given tips and suggestions from his very professional assistant and the settings were no less than amazing. I wanted to match that high professionalism giving my best and forget my self doubt and embarrassment...and I hopefully did! I surely enjoyed the whole process and even if I didn't love all the photos... because hey... which girl doesn't wish to be slimmer...I truly liked some others, thinking..."hey...I don't look that bad after all!" 😘
This series of photographs has now been published as a book. It is available for purchase here:
https://www.bobbooks.co.uk/bookshop/photobook/age-cannot-wither-her-standard-format
A male artist seeking to make classical images of a female nude today is inviting controversy. He has perhaps respect for the long tradition of the female nude in Western art, as described by Kenneth Clark in his seminal book, The Nude, but must recognise the unpleasant reality that the tradition Clark describes objectifies women. He does not want to add to the current mass proliferation of sexualized photographic images, sometimes self-created. But at the same time he obviously cannot contribute to the unsparing self-examination of the realities of female sexuality and the female body which Frances Borzello describes in her book The Naked Nude. As Borzello says, “The new nudes ask awkward questions and behave provocatively. … In its refusal to edit out the unacceptable, the new nude represents something not seen before in art”.
In seeking to chart a way through this dilemma I sought another way to subvert the premises of the classical tradition. The first of those premises is that as Clark indicated in the subtitle of his book, the classical nude sought to be “A Study in Ideal Form”. It seeks to present an idealised form of the female nude, young and classically proportioned, which establishes a narrow and stereotyped view of the female nude. The second premise is that the classical nude concentrates on the body and its physical form, and not the person who inhabits that body. As Peter Lacey rather coyly describes it in his book The History of the Nude in Photography, “in all fine photographs of the nude, her identity is never the dominant factor of her presence”.
This series of photographs seeks to challenge these premises by creating images which portray a distinct individual, not an anonymised body, and which celebrate the beauty in every female body, rather than seeking out an ideal form. The objective has been to involve a range of sitters who between them represent the diversity of women and to have each sitter actively engage through the camera with the viewer. I wanted to capture the whole person and make each sitter an active participant in creating the image.
The sitters have a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Some are professional models, some are occasional models for life classes and some had never sat for a nude image before. I would like to thank all of them for their generosity in agreeing to sit, their tolerance for the sitting process and the time they have taken to reflect in writing about presenting themselves to the world in this way. I would also like to congratulate them for the overwhelming sense they have projected of being comfortable in their own skin. And finally I'd like to thank Mischkah Scott whose enthusiasm for this project and support to each of the sitters has been invaluable.
I was inspired to become a professional model by a kind of femininity that I’d never seen before in my present culture; the nude as art. It was classic art nude images that were being created by women of my age and younger! Not women from the renaissance. They were nude. Naked. They were proud, defiant of sexual objectification and free, like ethereal beings.
What I loved about this project and what ultimately spurred me on to become a nude model myself was that moment you see a woman, a woman of any age, size, height or ethnicity, see herself for the first time liberated by the awareness of herself as something more than she could have imagined: a confident and beautiful NUDE woman who felt safe and happy. It is sometimes, if not always difficult to allow ourselves to feel all of these things at the same time. Why is that?
Classically the nude is submissive, unassuming, it is unobservant of the gaze cast upon it. The nudes we created here show a different attitude to the young nubile bodies with the averted gazes you see traditionally. These nudes are of strong, individual women who not only explicitly give the viewer permission to view them while nude, but also look upon the viewer while he/she does so and basks in the glory of being ‘seen’. It’s a kind of ‘Neo-Nude’.