BERNADINISM

I was once asked to photograph some clothes for the charity, Oxfam. The only thing I remember about it was to get to the location I had to change tube trains to get on a little used branch line. While I was waiting for the next train, I saw a girl with a make up box, who I presumed was the make up artist, who I had not met yet. I went over and said “Hello, my name is Alva.” she totally blanked me and turned away. She probably thought I was some stranger trying to chat her up. I was a bit upset by this because I had only spoken to her on the phone the day before and she had already forgotten my name. I made no attempt to enlighten her. Anyhow, when we got to the destination we both waited outside the station either side of the entrance for the rest to arrive. She was embarrassed when she found out who I was.

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A succubus is a female demon believed to have sex with sleeping men. In this darkly surrealist film, I explore my version of succubi, from pre-Photoshop to now. My creations are made to live and breathe and walk through the marvels of visual effects. Featuring Isabel Ice.

New Book: Gratuitous Sex and Violence – My Favourites

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After being inspired by the famous freeze frame photographs by Harold Edgerton of a bullet passing through an apple and other impact photographs, I decided to experiment myself. I borrowed a sound activated switch from a friend and began taking portraits of with bursting balloons and shattering glass and bottles.

The camera shutter is opened up in the dark and when there is a loud enough sound the flash goes off. I shot these with a flash gun at low power because the duration of the flash is shorter than full power. The switch has two adjustments, one for sound sensitivity and another for time delay that you can adjust for maximum impact. A friend of mine was a masochist and it occurred to me to do some pictures with her. She and her partner had came around with a bag of flagellation implements.

More pictures here.

Someone suggested that I should see the shoe designer Emma Hope who commissioned me to take these images. The first one was taken on a new development on the south bank of the Thames in Vauxhall. I saw the lifebelt and was drawn by the colour. I shot it fairly early in the morning and my friend who was modelling for the shadow turned up an hour late as friends do. Luckily it was still early enough to get the shadow.

For the shoot for the next season, my local park was the venue. They had just put up some brand new shelters and again i was drawn by the colour. I shot this using my double exposure method.

This was an alternative shot that did not quite work. I always went into these situations with at least 2 or 3 ideas, knowing that at least one would work.