In the summer of 2016 I created a limited-edition portfolio to mark my thirtieth year of photography. Ingrid, the Ireland Portfolio, showcasing photographs celebrating the Nude, was created during two weeks of photography of long-term collaborator and model Ingrid in the sublime ruins and rich landscape of Ireland.
Áilleacht Nádúrtha (Irish: Beauty Unadorned) features the twelve images in Ingrid, the Ireland Portfolio, (titled in Irish) and twelve additional images selected by the Ingrid (titled in English). The documentation for the exhibition is available for download.
This gallery only displays the twelve images selected by Ingrid; the other twelve can be viewed on the Ingrid, the Ireland Portfolio page.
Why the Nude?
The Nude has been central to my photography for twenty nine years; many other subjects have passed before my lens, but the human figure has been the single most common subject for my creativity. When considering how to celebrate thirty years of photography, a portfolio focusing on the Nude was the only way to go.
Why Ingrid?
When planning the Ireland portfolio, Ingrid was the most obvious collaborator/model to work with; we’ve worked together since 1998, and her passion for modelling is unrivaled. She has an incredible work ethic and sense of adventure, which was an important consideration given typical Irish weather.
Why Ireland?
In 2014, I spent three weeks photographing in Ireland and every day I encountered locations and environments that were perfect for photographing a model. As soon as I decided to create a new portfolio focused on the Nude, I knew it should be set in Ireland.
It is hard to tell here if I am old or very young. I somehow look both grand, like a superhero, and very introspective and quiet. This time I am the focus of the composition. I’m not turning myself into part of a tree or calling attention to a beautiful wall angle or making my hands graceful to accentuate something else. It is very simple. It’s just me. - Ingrid
This was one of the most beautiful skies of the trip. I almost didn’t pick this one out of sheer pique because instead of flaunting the glory of blue, lemon, rose and mauve, Eric chose to photograph this in infrared. For shame Eric! Also I admired the way the abbey had been reduced over time to a giant’s throne open to the sky. - Ingrid
I like this image’s sense of peaceful intimacy. I am posing in a very old grove with a sacred feeling about it and I look like a denizen of the wood. So at home in this wild Irish place. - Ingrid
I like the light in this photograph - very strong, creating a contrasting and powerful image. It looks like a dramatic moment from a story This was also one our few sunny days during the project, and while it wasn’t exactly hot, the warmth of the sun was welcome. - Ingrid
This was already the most extraordinary tree but the way it appears in infrared makes it look like something from another planet. With the mind in an otherworldly state because of the tree, it is free to drift and dream and disbelieve in basic things like gravity. I look as though I am flowing up the tree and I seem to be very relaxed about it like this is the normal way of things in this far off otherworldly place. - Ingrid
I couldn’t help but pick this photograph because of the happy accident of light. Alter-dimensional Ingrid decided to show up and pose with me. The effect is magical. - Ingrid
I like this one because it is so incongruous. I am lying in a peat cutting field on an old dead stump on a gray day. It shouldn’t be lovely, but it is. - Ingrid
This photograph makes quite an impact right away. One minute I look like a tiny elf in a small church, the next, a colossus in the Grand Canyon of cathedrals. There is a pervading sense of sacred space however you perceive it. - Ingrid
We came upon this place suddenly, and I was still cold from the last location, so it was an act of sheer will to get naked and model. The stone was sweating a cold oily slime, the stairwell littler was reminiscent of owl pellets and generations of spiders busy in a nighttime graveyard. That being said, the top of the stairs was amazing, and the roof wonderfully surreal. I warmed to the space, and the space warmed to me. In the end one of the best photos of the project was made. - Ingrid
This was one of the most beautiful places we visited. A magical island we approached by a narrow walk that rose just above the surrounding loch. I look like part of the tree, the way I mirror its shape, my hand pressing into the shattered part like I am a dryad reaching in. A dolphin’s leap into the heart of the tree. - Ingrid
I like this composition very much. The way the stallion and I are looking at each other make it appear as though I am part of the wild herd (yes, this cute little spotted guy runs a small herd of mares, some twice his size). This was an unanticipated treat to find wild horses where no horses should be. - Ingrid
This image has a real Alice-in-Wonderland feel, with a hint of M. C. Escher. The composition is perfect, very beautiful and strange. It hints at other worlds while being very simple and unashamedly classical. Also, this castle was guarded by a very mean horse. We earned this photo. - Ingrid
The exhibition on display at ViewPoint Gallery, May, 2017.
The exhibition on display at ViewPoint Gallery, May, 2017.
The exhibition on display at ViewPoint Gallery, May, 2017.
The exhibition on display at ViewPoint Gallery, May, 2017.
The exhibition on display at ViewPoint Gallery, May, 2017.
The exhibition on display at ViewPoint Gallery, May, 2017.
The exhibition on display at ViewPoint Gallery, May, 2017.
The exhibition on display at ViewPoint Gallery, May, 2017.