The anonymity of shape is defined by the presence of the soul. There is something freeing about photographing a shape and allowing the person in that shape to remain anonymous. Using vintage cameras for these images has given a tone and texture that makes them feel like they could have been taken 50 years ago or just yesterday.
This series is a new step for me. This is one of the funnest series I have ever made and it’s not without its challenges. I worked for months testing the exact camera, film and light combination to create a texture in the image that I had never seen before. Using a Hasselblad and Ilford photo paper, I found a tone that I had dreamed of for months.
I’ve spent the majority of my photography carrer avoiding harsh shadows in an image, but this series changed all that . It was no longer about avoiding the darkness but creating it. Telling a story from a graphical view, allowing only shadows and lines to create the narrative, a new step for me, but one I have fallen in love with.
This series has made me think differently and see in a new way and for that I am forever grateful.
- Tyler Shields