Women are bombarded with many mixed messages in our society. We’re told that true beauty is found within and that we should embrace our curves, wrinkles, and imperfections; yet, we see media lambaste starlets who are getting too old, isn’t anorexic skinny, or can move her forehead. Magazine covers are filled with skimpily dressed, perfectly shaped, and coiffed women that everyone knows have had the heavy hand of Photoshop applied to them, yet almost all women strive to reach those standards all the while preaching that it’s not real.
This is the premise of a photo series titled, Book 1, from photographer TJ Drysdale. TJ is a fashion and commercial photographer based in Tampa, Florida. His goal is to “showcase the natural beauty of women in [his] photos. All too often, women are told by society that they must dress up, wear makeup, and essentially be someone they aren’t.” The theme of TJ’s portraits is natural beauty; whether it’s the natural light from the sun or the natural beauty radiating from his makeup-free (or very minimally made up) models.
[REWIND: 6 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR NATURAL LIGHT PORTRAITS IN ONE SECOND OR LESS]
Using a Sony A99, the sun, and from time to time, a reflector, TJ finds inspiration in all art forms, but especially in light. Often, he gets his creative energy from the way light falls on trees or in a field. He uses these bits of inspiration to re-tell a story, but with his own twist. TJ’s approach to post processing is the very much the same, focusing on drawing the viewer’s eye to the story and conveying a deeper message. See more of his work on his website here.
CREDITS: Photographs by TJ Drysdale are copyrighted and have been used with permission for SLR Lounge. Do not copy, modify or re-post this article or images without express permission from SLR Lounge and the artist.
