In this series I wanted to capture the state of ‘ waiting ’ which all of people have experienced in their lives. I mostly used natural light as the state by itself is natural.
I aimed to show the state of ‘waiting’ by not showing the face or taking portraits but explaining it using body of the model. I wanted to show the every level of waiting and our reaction to it in reflections on hands (mostly) of the subject. Each pose embody different reaction while people get in when they wait for someone or something. Reactions like exhaustion, fear, anger, uncertainty, worry, fragility and etc.
About Orhan Talibov
As a photographer, I am interested in destroying the aesthetic standards dictated by society. We are conditioned to accept certain standards of what we should like, what constitutes success, and even what is considered beautiful. I aim to provide images which ask people to search for their own way of seeing things, unveiling beauty in a photograph of something they see every day and have never taken the time to examine closely.
When shooting body parts, I see infinite beauty. In fact, for me, the human body is the greatest piece of art created. There are endless possibilities: a hand can be captured in any number of ways and will give different impressions to the audience and the photographer. You can see a hand and feel pity for a person, or, you can look at it and feel fear, depending on how it is shot.
Often, I am inspired by the moment and when I find myself with a model in a certain place, ideas will come to me based on the combination of the surroundings and the person, as well as my own mood. I like to shoot high-contrast, black-and-white or subdued colors, so as not to distract from the photo’s subject. When I want to capture an image in a natural, simple way, I tend to use natural light, while when I aim for abstraction and creating images from my mind, I use studio lighting.
Regardless of what a person thinks of, is attracted to, or rejects, when seeing my work, it is important to me that my photographs provoke a feeling or emotion. This, in addition to my attempt to explore new ways of viewing the things and people we pass by every day without noticing, is my primary goal. Simultaneously breaking stereotypes and reflecting realities, I focus on the simple things we take for granted and work with the concept of limits in any image. Just as we have our own limits of what we reveal to each other, there are limits to what we see in any image. I also challenge myself to provide alternative focus points in an image of something traditionally viewed in a certain way.
