How do you know when a project has ended?

I have been working on the metal mirror series of art nudes for nearly two years.  The series had gotten to a point where it felt “whole” or at least coherent enough to be shown as a group of photographs.  Which left me wondering, “am I done with this?”.  That question was very much on my mind when I took the series to the New England Portfolio Review this year.  The more I talked about the work, the more I felt maybe it was done.  And yet, something in me was not satisfied with the idea that I had somehow run out of things to say.

Valuable criticism

A couple of reviewers at NEPR commented on the color spectrum of the series.  The photos mostly have a tan and brown pallet which is a function of both the model’s skin tone as well as the studio environment.  More than one reviewer suggested expanding the pallet of the background color and texture- noting how images within the series that were of other colors stood out.  It was a small push, but one that would turn out very well.

The images shot below and posted previously were done in the studio with my pal/co-conspirator Mara.  The background is a piece of translucent perspex lit from behind with a gelled flash.  The photographs below are created by reflections in aluminum while the previously posted work uses a copper mirror.  The substrate dictates the tone and texture of the final image.  We ended up with an enormous body of work from that day and these are just a couple of the stand outs.  Needless to say, I’ve definitely found a way to keep this art series evolving and growing!

Lucas James is a fine art photographer based in Manchester, NH whose work focuses on the human form.  Anisotropic Images Photography.