rightside down
If you're reading this, you've been invited to learn more about my next mind-bending portrait series. Last year, I completed over 100 portraits in ultraviolet and infrared light (uv-ir) and I'm keeping that momentum rolling with another science-adjacent project!
This work will be an exploration in the tension we carry in our bodies and the invisible forces that keep us firmly mounted to the Earth. My initial inspiration for this came through an active physical practice of stretching and yoga to move and heal and re-learn to navigate many of the injuries I've accumulated over the years of playing sports - but has since blossomed to a broader scope exploring blood flow, lymphatics, and somatic release.
I've partnered with my friend Chelsea Huddleston, an accomplished slack-liner and route setter at Ascend to create a safe rig and climbing harness to suspend subjects upside while being photographed. The harness goes around your thighs and over the hips, accommodating body weights between 100-350lbs. Here's a video of me doing some of the initial testing and a picture of the harness:
The final goal for this effort will be to build out a photobook and if you participate, I will make this book available at cost. There will be two opposing photos for each person that sit side by side (each taken upside down) - because you are in the initial group, I do not have any sample images yet, but below is the visual plan for each of the two looks. I understand not everyone's hair length and texture would be able to be pulled back simply and, in those cases, I leave it up to you to decide how you would like to style your hair.
Look #1 with the black turtleneck will have the appearance of a "floating head" with freely moving hair juxtaposed against the shadowed backdrop and clothing.
Look #2 will have the uncanny appearance of strained motion with little to no motion visible in the hair but blood, body fluids, and more mobile skin lifting up towards the ground. You will look quite odd.
I will have a collection of clean turtlenecks for you to pull from, or you may bring your own if you have a favorite (it must be black and long enough to be tucked in your pants). I will also have some basic hair products (mousse, clay, gel, hairspray, clips, hair ties) to help tame the hair for the second look. The whole process will take around one hour and I will be sharing images as I complete them, but I ask that you refrain from posting until the project concludes. My goal for the last series was 50 people and we hit 105, so the goal for this series is 200 people, hopefully even more! Please wear comfortable pants or bring some to change into.
Makeup (if you choose to wear any) is totally up to you and you should not need to bring any supplies other than what has been mentioned above. Given the scope of this project, I would love for friends / partners / acquaintances to come along (bonus points if they'd like to participate!) - just give me a heads up so I can plan time windows if I'm capturing more than one person that day.
I will be using two cameras, my Gowlandflex - a hand-made TLR 4x5" large format film camera made by Peter Gowland, an early Playboy photographer and owned by the likes of Annie Leibovitz, and a Camerz III roll-film camera - an old-school roll-film medium format school picture camera with one of the last remaining rolls of Portra 160VC in 70MM format (sample frames below!).
If you are not comfortable being physically upside down for short periods of time and/or being photographed with your shirt off (uncensored) in the photo book, this is not the project for you, but I appreciate the time you've taken to learn a bit more about the work. I will have a photo release and general liability waiver (like you'd have at a gym) for everyone to sign as well prior to shooting.
If you have any questions, feel free to text me at 412-841-1466 or DM me on IG @film.cameran.click.
