By photographing from above and allowing the water to abstract the figures, Seif sets himself apart from the multitude of photographers who have tried to reinterpret the nude figure by placing it underwater.
His photographs skew reality and distort the qualities of beauty and grace in a distinctly impressionistic way.
Michael Seif’s first attempt at photographing the nude began in 1969, during a workshop with Lisette Model at the New School in New York City. When Ms. Model saw a photograph Seif had made of a friend’s feet, she remarked, “Flesh. You should be doing flesh.” Encouraged by the words of the great photographer, Seif set up a small studio to photograph the nude. However, when he compared those early works with the photographs of Edward Weston and Ruth Bernhard, he felt he was not contributing anything new, and so he moved on in different directions with his photography.
More than 30 years later, Seif was swimming in an abandoned quarry where people gathered to swim and sunbathe nude. Set deep in the woods, the quarry was filled with water darkened by leaf tannins. The bodies of swimmers and sunbathers were illuminated by sunlight, accented by the darkness of the water, and set against the textures of granite. The setting and the people presented striking images that recalled the words of Lisette Model, and Seif once again began photographing “flesh.” Shooting down through the water’s surface softened outlines, elongated limbs, distorted torsos, and created ambiguities—is the model floating, flying, or falling? How far down does that dark water descend?
In 2002, Seif was fortunate to meet Elaine Crossman, who opened the New Era Gallery in Vinalhaven, Maine. She admired Seif’s early work, encouraged him, and supported his photography project. For more than two decades, Crossman has been a tremendous source of support.
Since beginning his exploration of the figure in nature, Seif has worked with people who are comfortable in their own skin, who project that confidence, and who have made him feel privileged to photograph them in natural settings. These models have become long-term partners in what Seif views as a truly collaborative effort. “It’s impossible to communicate while taking the photographs,” Seif explains. “So first we discuss the objective for each session. Then it is up to the models to be as creative as possible as the water separates me from them.” Each model brings their own ideas, experiences, and joy in being alive and at home within their bodies.
About Michael Seif
Michael Seif learned photography through lectures, workshops, and critiques with Larry Fink, Lisette Model, Karin Rosenthal, Ernst Haas, and many others. He also studied photographs directly, and attended courses at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the New School in New York City. His photographs appear regularly at the New Era Gallery in Vinalhaven, Maine, which represents him. Over the years, Seif’s work has been featured several times in Dodho Magazine, including the October 2017 issue, The Most Popular Photographers Published in Dodho Magazine. His photo essay was entitled 60s NYC. Michael Seif has self-published two photography books, both available on Amazon: Water Spirits and 60s New York City. [Official Website]
