After browsing through some French & Italian Renaissance paintings at a bookstore, I was inspired to do a shoot with my friend/docu-photographer, Diya. Something about the moody lighting and fabric effortlessly (yet strategically) placed over the female body drew me to this era.
I had started capturing these images with my Canon AE-1 film camera but everything felt too perfect and poised. I spotted Diya’s Canon 80D lying on the floor and thought the grainy quality might pass as film. Immediately, I realized how the digital camera was so liberating. I shoot very quickly in spurts — and in between split seconds, I can find a vulnerable moment of honesty and truth.
I love how these came out. I used a single fluorescent lightbulb that was in Diya’s bedroom. For the bathroom shots, I used my iPhone 7+ flash. Playing with such simple ingredients helped me be in the moment, dancing with light and shadow. It felt like I was in a trance, hypnotized by the process of physics. I had forgotten that this was why I fell in love with photography.
