A self-taught photographer, I work with a personal philosophy of fine art photography structured as an inverted pyramid of three strata.
Resting on the bottom point is technical mastery — understanding light, equipment, and the mechanics of the camera.
Building on this, the middle layer involves the choice of artistic components such as composition, lighting, and tonal harmony — all of which help define an artist’s unique style. The top and widest layer represents the imaginative realm, where previsualized concepts and artistic inspiration come together to create impactful work.
Over the years, I have worked across multiple genres, but have come to focus primarily on people, faces, and the human body, which I consider the most expressive and powerful subject. Photographing people is fundamentally different from other genres; it requires intentional communication, mutual understanding, and shared creativity. The collaborative process begins long before the camera is raised. You must establish trust and rapport, ensuring both the photographer and the subject are aligned in their vision. You must engage the model’s mind and spirit, and the resulting images are truly shared creations — a synthesis of the photographer’s vision and the model’s presence.
Forms: The Body in Silhouette. Over years of working across multiple genres, I have come to realize that, for me, people — and especially the human body — are among the most expressive and formidable subjects. We all have one. We all are one. Rather than making stark images of naked bodies, I wanted to capture the essence of the human form in a simple way that is immediately beautiful, yet alien enough to feel different, to be unique, and to delight the viewer.
Photographing people is fundamentally different from photographing anything else. It is a collaboration that requires intentional communication, mutual understanding, and shared creativity. Engage the model’s mind and spirit, and this allows you to achieve a synthesis of the photographer’s vision and the model’s presence.
The photographs in the Forms series were shot over the course of a year, mostly in my studio at ARTFUL in Cleveland Heights, and in a rental studio in Austin, Texas. Models were photographed against a brightly lit white backdrop. A translucent screen, approximately eight feet from the backdrop, separated the models from the camera. Models appear darker as they get closer to the screen — from black when touching it to pearly white at a distance of as little as two or three feet.
About David Perelman-Hall
David Perelman-Hall is a self-taught photographer living in Cleveland Heights who primarily creates portraits of bodies and faces, as well as abstract images—photographs of things that are present but often unseen. He also explores landscapes, infrared photography, and long-term projects. He began working with a camera at the dawn of digital photography, and one of the most essential tools in his kit is a set of cloth baby diapers, used to pad, dry, clean, and protect his gear.
In an earlier stage of his life, he studied, wrote about, and published scholarly articles on the American author Thomas C. Wolfe. In another phase, he earned a PhD and wrote, published, and taught object-oriented programming. Throughout his life, he has maintained a deep fascination with language, which continues to inform his interest in communicative poetry. [Official Website]
