No matter the age of her subject, whether newborn or elderly, London-based photographer Sujata Setia of But Natural Photography captures the beauty and spirit of youth in those she photographs. After discovering a love for photography while photographing her newborn daughter, Setia soon turned her passion into a full-time career. When she’s not photographing newborns and/or their families, or instructing students at a prestigious photography institute in Spain, you can find Setia teaching workshops around the world. In fact, it is the models she chooses for these workshops that are the subject of this article.
Rather than opt for twenty-something professional models, Setia scouts the areas in which she hosts the workshops for elderly couples. As one might guess, the couples are usually surprised by her request. In an interview with HuffPost, Setia noted, “It’s just the pleasant shock of never, ever imagining that someone would ask them to pose like a newly married couple at 80 years old.”
Like the newborn and family photos featured in her online galleries, the images Setia captures during the workshops are nothing short of spectacular. Setia’s work masterfully uses the light in her portraits to highlight her subjects to dramatic effect over bokeh-filled backdrops. Alongside her technical prowess, however, Setia’s ability to capture the youthful connection between her elderly couples really makes the images stand out. All it usually takes, she says, is a simple cue: ““I tell them to hold hands, kiss. The couples always laugh first, the husbands mostly.” From there, the couples tend to loosen up as the sessions progress under Setia’s guidance.
At the end of the day, the power of Setia’s photos rests in their ability to effectively relay the universal message of love. Regardless of the paths we choose to follow through life’s various cycles, we all tend to place a high value on the relationships we build along the way, especially those that last a lifetime; the images in Setia’s “Elderlies” series beautifully captures those connections.
You can find more of Setia’s work via the links below:
Sujata Setia: Website | Instagram | Facebook
