Just a few weeks ago I had a conversation with a much older friend about why photography is an art form which Americans are so good at. It is rather interesting to have discovered, since then, this stunning body of work. A true cornucopia of nude images of tremendous technical skill, artistic awareness and most of all… Read more

Just a few weeks ago I had a conversation with a much older friend about why photography is an art form which Americans are so good at. It is rather interesting to have discovered, since then, this stunning body of work. A true cornucopia of nude images of tremendous technical skill, artistic awareness and most of all unmistakable warmth. As someone who was very involved in photography in the 90s I'm quite often asked about the potential wisdom of a young woman of moving into nude photographic modelling. I always counsel very great caution. In my view photographers with the ability to make beautiful pictures are worryingly rare and I hate the idea of an intelligent and sensitive young woman burdening her future self with the internet or published presence of monotonous, exploitative and joyless nude and erotic images. Dave's pictures, in that sense, provide the perfect benchmark for everything that is the opposite of those failings. His taking style and the, obviously energetically adopted, posing styles of his models produce many images that are very erotic and explicit. They are, though, so artfully and lovingly produced that they serve only to evoke admiration and awe from any aesthetically aware viewer. The picture entitled 'Strapped 6121' features a very explicit open leg pose which ought, according to conventional wisdom, to be tasteless and crude. However the exquisitely graduated lighting which serves to excavate every nuance of subtle visual inflection of light falling across the model's torso, arms and especially the hands produce an image so beautiful that the exposed genitals evoke only wonder and awe at the model's artistic courage and generosity. Alaina at Window 1476 is an even more explicit photograph of a model who obviously has tremendous confidence in the quality of Dave's work. Alaina's great joyfulness, the dynamism of the pose and the play of light conspire with the model's deep beauty to produce an image so beautiful and also so joyous that the model's dignity is, just as in the other mentioned picture, tremendously heightened by having posed for it. I'm sure all Dave's models entirely grasp this about his output. I have to imagine that it must be a joy to them to be able to be able to practice their delightful artform in a context whose beauty confers unassailable dignity on their work. It is rather nice to have this Photostream on hand to show anyone who asks about the required standard needed by a model who hopes to be entirely unembarrassed by the future curiosity of children, grandchildren, husbands and workmates. A profoundly beautiful as well as, for want of a better words, loving and affectionate body of work. One of the most beautiful photo-collections I have seen.