Strip
Jemima Stehli is a British photographer who did a self-portrait series called 'Strip' shot between 1999-2000. Stehli got together a group of various art critics to come to her studio for a shoot. She sat the male critics down in a chair and began to strip in front of them. Stehli positioned herself to the right of the shot facing the subject with her back to the camera. She gave the male art critics the shutter release for the camera, and asked them to squeeze the shutter release and take a photograph at the point when they felt aroused.
Each of the men are sat differently, with different body language, and a different posture. The males vulnerability is shown through their expressions, and her strong female sexuality is shown throughout. Stehli shows a her femininity through the use of stiletto shoes, always the last thing she takes off, or eve left on completely. The males, some smiling, some looking obviously awkward having her stood in front of them naked. She also positioned the camera to show the edges of the coloured back grounds in the frame, showing she had full control of the scene.
This is a very much performance style of photography, showing the reactions of others in front of the camera. I want to take on this idea for my own work, with the idea of performing in front of the camera, and catching reactions in the images. Stehli takes the idea of performing to the extreme, becoming the centre of attention in front of the male critics.
