Recently I have been toying with a new side project, another tumblr blog named My Boyfriend’s a Photographer, “an exploration love and the perception of beauty through a lens”, in which I post photographs of women taken by their lovers.

This poses interesting questions when studying each of the images. How does knowing that the loving look each woman shines back at us is meant for the person behind the lens alter the way we see these images? Do they take on an inherent feeling of intimacy and therefore have more of an impact on the viewer than mere portraits of these women would? Does placing these photographs under such a particular context force the viewer to perceive the images in a certain way?

The initial concept for this project was born from a recent conversation, in which a young photographer expressed his distaste for a certain type of work often produced by fellow photographers - the series of the nude or semi-nude girlfriend that doesn’t admit it is such, and instead is titled something pretentious and overly artistic under the guise that the protagonist in each image has little to do with the subject matter the image is exploring.

I found this an interesting notion, and sought to find these types of series and images. However in the searching for photographs taken by lovers of their lovers (not an easy task I may add), I began to see a certain beauty within them. What was a wry, if not cynical stance on these images begun to develop into appreciation. I feel as though I occupy a privileged position when I look at intimate portraits, as I, the viewer, essentially come between the image maker and the image.

Take this image, a portrait by Brighton-based photographer Sam Hiscox of his girlfriend. What was initially a portrait of a young, attractive girl is transformed with the knowledge that she looks not at the cold glass of the lens with those doe eyes, but through it, to the eyes of the man she loves. I believe this added context accentuates the pre-existing beauty of this image and creates something even more powerful.

Although simply a work in progress for now, I hope to have a good set of thought and emotion provoking images up soon. For now, you can see what’s already up there at:

Http://www.myboyfriendsaphotographer.tumblr.com

I have always loved underwater photography, it is one of my favourite aesthetics. It’s something about the light that when diffused through the water makes everything look so soft and haunting.

I am fascinated by the imagery of women and water. To me, they are all Ophelias, which transforms their portraits into snapshots of delicate and tragic characters. Although dark and macabre, there is an inherent stillness and peace in subaqueous faces which I find altogether beautiful.

The most striking fashion photography I have seen were underwater shots taken for Japanese Vogue. The water plays on fabric so beautifully - they flow, wrap and twist around the woman’s body, making her look like a spirit or an apparition.

The vibrant green of this dress and its many folds of fabric make this model look like an ink drop.