I'm currently working on a project involving "older" women for a gallery exhibit (and hopefully a coffee-table book). The project does involve partial to full nudity as well as clothed portraits and a short biography on each woman. All body-types and lifestyles welcome. The only requirements are that you are NOT A FLAKE and are comfortable in your own skin. For your time I'll provide you both prints and digital copies of any photo(s) you like -- to be used for your self promotion (portfolio) and personal use. If you think you'd be interested in participating please send me a message, I'd love to hear from you!
I got an email from a very nice woman curious about this project and she requested some more information, including what it was that I was trying to portray. I figured I would share my response with all of you since I'm sure some of you are wondering also. So here goes:
My goal for the project is to counter the myth, portrayed by so much in our society, that beauty is reserved for the youthful. I see beautiful women every day obsessing about appearing younger than they are. Many of these women are happily married, have great families and are successful in their careers... yet feel as though life is slipping by. My Mom used to say that "Life is a journey, not a destination." My point being that "the journey" leaves its mark on all of us and that's not always displayed through postcards and snow-globes, but fine-lines and the occasional stretch mark. I don't think that there is anything wrong with either and neither take away from a person's beauty.
As a young man in his early 30's who's witnessed his wife give birth to his 2 beautiful daughters, I have an immense appreciation and respect for what women go through. Pregnancy and child birth take a huge toll on the body, yet many have a hard time dealing with this after the baby has arrived. Hips widen, "parts" aren't as perky as they once were and those expensive designer jeans no longer fit.
I am looking to convey all of this including a short (just a couple of questions really) biography on each woman in the series.
The names don't have to be real but I'd like honest responses (nothing too personal and you can chose which questions to answer).
Included in the set I'd like to have a portrait and at least one shot depicting how each woman lives (either at work, at home, or
in their free time) -- kind of a self-image theme.
...
The images I'm looking to capture are not intended to be pornographic in any way and the amount of exposure is entirely up
to the model.
While the basic theme of the images is nudity, it doesn't mean that the model is necessarily exposed.
Cloth can be draped over "sensitive" areas and/or arms/hands/legs can cover up others.
While some models may feel comfortable exposing all, others might have only a bare back & shoulders exposed.
This is an on-going project that I've been working on for nearly 3 years. While I'd love to be able to shoot all of you who are interested my schedule doesn't allow for more than 1 of these shoots every several months. PLEASE don't take this as a way of discouraging you from letting me know you're interested, but keep it in mind. Thank you!