Picture this artist shimmers of the women which he captures. His images reflect the subtle, delicate and fragile nature that inhabits them.
A real prince manifested by the gaze on the woman. Radoslaw Pujan with his creations and imagination invites you to enter the sugges- tion he proposes through images.A very seductive scenes in black and white showing us more than we may see in colour. Fine art photography that captures a moment in time releasing the imagination. [Official Website]
Can you explain us the idea or the story behind this image?
I wanted to make a photo that will not be easy for the reception. An image that will keep viewer’s attention for some time. Will let him/her look at it and create its own story.
For sure it was to be a couple. Man in elegant suit, a beautiful woman half dressed. However, what is the connection between them? Are they lovers, is this some kind of forbidden love? Or maybe it is a merchant that instead of selling paintings, sculptures, he deals with most precious and fine artform – “women”. Answers may be multiple. What we find in this image depends on our personalities, background, fantasies. That is why I like photography, and that is how it is different than a movie. You put a photo, pose a question. And you do not reveal what happens later. It depends on our sensitivity what story we create watching it.
Can you explain us what equipment you used for its realization?
I took Pentax 67 with 75mm lens and 105mm lens. It was quite dark that day and I used natural light only. So the problem was shallow depth of field. And I wanted both the couple and their reflection in the focus. So for this picture, I used the longer lens and moved back a bit, as the room was spacious.
A film I have used was 120mm Ilford HP5+
Tell us how it is taken from the most technical aspect.
As I wanted to show a couple in interaction and both beauty of woman and face of a man I had to find a mirror. There was one large enough to use for that purpose. A man even if dominating had to take a seat so that I could have a good composition. Otherwise, he would be too tall. After I have found this beautiful chair I noticed that when he is in this pose it looks even better. Setting a composition was not easy as I wanted a balance in an image but also I needed to show four people on it (two real plus two reflected). Furthermore, I expected a good light from the window on female’s body. Thus after a bit of playing a role of a director, and moving with the camera around I have found a spot I where I was satisfied with what I saw in my viewfinder.
What problems and challenges did you face when you took the shot of this image?
Finding a background that can create a good context for photography is always difficult. I had a luck that I was once invited to some party taking place in this ancient building. I have decided to find a director and ask for permission. After some time I received it. Then I had to find models that fit roles I have imagined. After I have seen this charismatic man on Marc Lagrange’s photograph I wished to meet him in real. I have done some research and found out he is living in Antwerpen and taking sometimes a role of a model. He happily agreed to pose for me for this project. A female model I have met on the street once. She is a model living in Brussels and agreed to pose for me. I managed to find a date and time when all building, man, and woman were available to help me with my project.
We are talking about the postproduction process. How do you get the final result?
As I shoot on film I almost never do postproduction. Black and white negatives I develop by myself. Then after scanning, I work to fix contrasts, some dust removal, and that is all.