Film photographer Nora Lowinsky has recently been working on a series of portraits of women – the concept involves the struggle that all women go through, more so today than ever – the female image and their bodies within the context of photographs. In the time of Instagram, selfies, and the never ending bombardment of sex and instant celebrity within social media platforms that can alter perceptions of reality and personal self identity, it’s clear women have it harder than men, far harder. In this series she wants to metamorphose female objectification through her portraits of women. She chooses her subjects very carefully, often working with women who are fellow artists, sometimes friends to create a bond and collaboration between the two, not to mention an air of comfort between the two. Her model on this series is Cydnei Jordan, a college student and English major, just like she was previously. Through her connection to her subjects as she shoots, she tries to capture what she believes is often lost in the imagery – a strength, an ethereal quality of sensuality and the power of openness through showing emotion. She believes in the potent exchange between artist and subject and tries to capture her essence without judgment. When her subject isn’t a woman, she still finds herself surrounded by the presence of femininity, an ever present aura or deity, as she works to subvert stereotypes of the woman she captures by reclaiming them through her lens.
In this shoot she combined working with expired slide film from 1997 (which explains the hue) and black and white film, which she often shoots with since she is a print maker as well. Lowinsky and model Cydnei Jordan hiked to Heart’s Desire beach area in Inverness, CA to capture this exclusice editorial for Nakid! Enjoy!
