In our latest interview, we’re speaking with Barcelona-based photographer, Violet Lambies! In part one we’re discussing Violet’s initial motivations for picking up a camera, the reasons she’s gravitated back towards the medium, her ‘Vulnerability in Nudity’ series, her approach to working with models, their reactions to her work, and more!
Britain Uncovered: Hi Violet! Thanks for joining us today, and we’re excited to hear about your photography career thus far! Going back right to the start of your journey, when did you first become involved in photography, and what first inspired you back in those early days? Can you share with us some of these initial experiences?
Violet: So I started because of my Mum, actually. My Mum used to be a birth photographer – a natural, at-home birth photographer – and when I saw her pictures, I was so impressed by the kind of emotion they portrayed. I still think about them pretty much daily because they’re so powerful, and it’s such an intimate moment that they allowed my Mum to capture. The work was so powerful that I realised I wanted to have that same effect on people, albeit in a slightly different way.
Having been a theatre kid for my entire life – both on stage and behind the scenes, where I was involved in art direction and decorating sets – I realised that I love theatre and I love photography, so I thought that I would combine a little bit of everything and go and study film making. So I went to Sussex University where I studied Filmmaking and French for professional purposes (C1 level), and then took a couple of photography modules, where I really felt the pull towards it.
The film industry requires you to work with a lot of people, and when it comes to slightly more vulnerable or intimate projects, it’s a lot more difficult to capture because it’s all so staged. And the industry itself is quite rotten in a lot of ways too, and that’s not something I particularly enjoyed. So after I finished my degree, I decided to continue with my photography (and not so much on the filmmaking aspect).
BU: Were you always drawn towards capturing people via your photography, similar to the ways your Mum had, or did you experiment and venture into other types of photography to begin with too?
Violet: There are two types of photography that I really enjoy. One is capturing people in their most human moments, and documental artist photography; while the other is architecture – or photography of spaces, where there’s no one at all. Which is I suppose quite a contrast!
Those are the two types of photography that I’m most drawn to, specifically because they’re both wildly intimate in a different sense, I suppose. When I capture buildings or streets without anyone in them, it feels like I’m alone in the world and everyone can see what I’m seeing when I take a picture, so it feels intimate for me as well.
But in terms of capturing people in their most intimate moments, there was a project I started in university called Vulnerability in Nudity. The original idea was to explore the human form at its very core, and to explore the relationship that was established between the model and myself. I chose people who were relatively close to me, and I had a couple of photoshoots – I think I did three in total.
The thing is, because this project is so personal to me, it’s been really difficult to continue doing it. Because I can’t just choose someone random and be like, “Right, how about we’ll take a couple of pictures of you in underwear, and we’re good to go.” Like, no.
I think I put myself in a very vulnerable position as well, especially being a woman, so it has to be someone that I trust, and someone that’s also comfortable being on camera doing specific sorts of things. And I think that’s what I want to focus my future projects on as well, and I want to continue this Vulnerability in Nudity series because I just find it so interesting and so personal, and it’s gorgeous.
BU: How did your models feel about posing for the Vulnerability in Nudity series, and do you think it can be challenging for people to put themselves in that kind of situation where they are so vulnerable?
Violet: I think it’s vulnerable for the both of us. And especially, there’s a lot of trust from the model to the photographer, because they’re showing parts of themselves that they haven’t necessarily shown many people. And to get to capture that is honestly an honour and a privilege, and not something to be taken lightly.
During those shoots there’s always a lot of communication, and you have to check in a lot on the day and make sure, “Hey is this okay”, or “Let me know if you don’t feel comfortable doing this”. And then especially so with the communication in post and editing, and once you’ve shown them the photos you’ve edited and would like to publish. Obviously I’ll put a lot of hours into this project – not only during the shoot, but with the editing afterwards as well – but the model always has the choice to back out.
If they don’t want their pictures published, I can’t do anything and I won’t have the attitude of, “Actually, I took those pictures and they’re mine now.” No they’re not – the whole idea about this project is that it’s both of us being in that situation.
BU: I couldn’t agree more regarding the communication aspect you referenced – especially following a shoot – and it’s really shocking to me that some photographers would share intimate images such as these without even running them by the model first. It shows a total lack of respect and courtesy towards the model in our view, and images of this nature should never be shared or posted without the model’s consent – and we at BU have always ensured that this has been the case since day one.
You mentioned in your answer that you feel these types of shoots are vulnerable both for the model and the photographer, which is a really interesting perspective and something that maybe doesn’t occur to people – so could you perhaps elaborate a little in what sense you feel that way behind the camera during these shoots, and how you feel vulnerable from your perspective?
Violet: I’m very aware about people-pleasing, and because the model is in such a vulnerable position, I don’t want it to seem like I’m imposing my own ideas, and saying, “Actually, we’re going to do this and I want you to do that.” No, because this project is also about them. So a lot of the time I feel like I also have to tip-toe around myself and my own creative ideas.
But in terms of vulnerability, we work very closely. If you see my camera, it’s not something that has a massive zoom, and I’m not 20 feet behind taking a picture of their back. I’m actually really up close. And I have to be really respectful in trying to not come off as invasive. In the same way that they’re also in my space, we’re both in each other’s spaces! They’re trying to pose, and I’m trying to take a picture.
I know my intentions and I want them to come off clearly. This is purely an artistic project and we’re exploring this vulnerability. But I’m putting myself in that situation as well, because I don’t have a big crew. It’s just myself and the model. And at the end of the day, obviously I have to trust this person that they understand what this project is about.
And unfortunately, the idea around nudity a lot of the time is for it to be sexualised. When you see pictures of women that aren’t wearing any clothes, some people might perceive it as sensual, but I’ll think, “No, no it’s not.” This is not meant to be like that, and this is not what we want to explore. We’re just trying to look at the human form at its core, and never was it intended to be seen in that sense.
BU: Despite the vulnerability element and the desexualised intentions of the project, do you still find yourself receiving inappropriate reactions to your images at times? If so, how do you work to push back against this mindset, and has it ever led to you changing your approach on set, as it relates to the types of poses you choose to include?
Violet: Unfortunately, because of the male gaze and because of the photography and film industry, we’re so used to seeing women in a specific pose.
I’ll find models in other photoshoots who aren’t trying to be sensual in any way, but they will lean onto things, or try to do poses that are more seductive that would look good in a photoshoot for Playboy, for example. And I will often have to stop them and say – in the most respectful way possible – “This is not at all what we’re going for.
But it also happens with crew members who are trying to direct models in bigger shoots when we’re trying to be artistic, and it’s just something you have to be really aware of. And it’s trying to go into the side of more creative and artistic expression, rather than into that ‘male gazey’ female figure that women are expected to become in front of a camera. I see this in a lot of work, especially with male photographers, and they will portray women in a hypersexualised manner, and I’ll think, “Wow.”
I will see a picture, and sometimes you can tell when it’s been taken with that intention, or by a man. And then I come to the realisation that this is really not what I want to do, so when I see something like that happen in a shoot that I’m either assisting or taking part in, I’ll say, “Hold on, let’s not even take a picture of that because this is not what we’re going for. We’re trying to put the focus somewhere else, and we’re trying to change the narrative.” Obviously it’s never the model’s fault or anyone else’s – it’s just the society that we live in.
But I think being hyper aware of it changes the way you take pictures a lot of the time. I can see it in the way that I take pictures, and you have to train yourself. It’s not just something where I magically stripped myself from the male gaze and the patriarchy. I wish! It’s not like that. The arts are so influenced by that as well, so you have to be conscious in order to create a different narrative.
BU: You mentioned that there have been times where you’ve intervened during a shoot and said, “This pose isn’t right” – and it’s great that you are willing to speak up, and I’m sure the model appreciates having someone on their side and looking out for them too. Is there a specific example of this happening during a shoot that you’d able to share?
Violet: Yes, so it was actually in a recent shoot. We were doing a fashion film, and it’s an incredibly big project created by a really good friend. We had a model trying to pose with a broom, and the art director said, “Why don’t you lean over the broom,” but it ended up looking a little too suggestive or sexualised. And I was like, “Hold on. No.”
The model had on really strange makeup and some really ugly clothes, because it was about that, and about masking and becoming someone that you are inside – and it had nothing to do with sexuality. I wasn’t paying attention, but I saw that and I got up and I was like, “No! Not at all. Let’s be really careful about what we’re doing here, because this is not the narrative we want to portray.” And I think that’s something I will always do. I’ll always speak up if I have to, and say - again, as respectfully as I can - that we’re not doing that.
BU: Going back to your Vulnerability in Nudity series, how did your models react to seeing these types of images of themselves? Can it be challenging for people to see themselves in such a different light?
Violet: This reminds me of the experience I had with Luca, actually, who let me take pictures of him as a test shoot for my photography module. When I saw the pictures, I was in love with them because I thought they captured him in the way that I saw him. But when he saw the pictures, he said, “I look awful”, and I thought, “What do you mean”!
In pictures that I cherish in a very specific way, I will know that the way he sees himself, and the way he portrays himself – for example, online or in person – are very different to the pictures I took. But those are the images I captured in that moment. For example, I put make-up on him, and he’s never had make-up on before, so that was also a challenge! And in general it felt like a very vulnerable experience for the both of us. Although he agreed to let me put make-up on him, when he saw the results, he hated them. Not hated the way that they looked, but hated the way perhaps I saw him, in a light that wasn’t curated by him.
Of course, there has to be a conversation that follows along the lines of, “Do you mind if I use these pictures? Obviously you can always say no, it’s fine.” It’s not that I’m deleting the images, but rather that I’m just not sharing them. They’re for me. I always say that this project specifically is more for myself and the model than it is for other people. I’m not really that interested in whether people see the images or not.
I find it to be an exploration of a study, but obviously I can understand how someone else’s view of you, or how they capture the images, but can perhaps generate feelings of, “Oh my god, is this really what I look like”? Because I know, when people take pictures of me, I’ll react in a similar way and think, “Oh my god, why do I look like that?”
So obviously there are a couple of things that I would say to try to mitigate that, which would be to start with a lot of conversation before the shoot, and to show the model the ideas and the past projects that I’ve worked on. I’ll explain what I’m interested in doing, and ask if the idea fits and if it’s okay with the model.
And then during the shoot, it’s always about trying to communicate. I won’t just tell the model to “Turn around”. I’m also really awful at direction so I can’t do it, so I’ll try to pose with them and say, “The idea I have with this picture is for you to be like this”, and then I’ll try to frame it like that. I try to explain the ideas a lot when we’re doing this, so that they have at least some sort of taste of what it’s going to be like. After the shoot, I’ll send the model the images and ask if it’s okay to use the images or not.
I can totally understand how it can be either disheartening or surprising in a sense, because it evokes that reaction of, “I have never seen myself like that.” I think it’s something that photography does, and not necessarily is it a bad thing.
BU: And I think it’s a valuable experience either way, because the person modelling will likely still learn something about themselves in the process. From my personal experience posing for a body confidence photoshoot, even just the participation and seeing how you react to those kind of images of yourself is an interesting process that’s well worth doing. Even if you don’t love the photos that are taken, or the way you appear, you can still learn a lot about yourself and it can definitely have a positive impact on your relationship with your body in the long run.
Although showing your photos from this series to others isn’t a priority for you at present, do you think that seeing the photos could be empowering for other people, or that it could help them to re-evaulate their relationships with their own bodies? What other potential benefits could there be of people seeing raw and vulnerable images such as these?
Violet: I feel like we always try to curate our image, and we try to be a certain way: “This is how I am at work, this is how I am with my friends, and this is how I am like this.” And when you see images of all these different people, you realise that we are essentially all the same, trying to be this whole bigger self – when, at the end of the day, we are just bodies and personalities.
Obviously, incredibly complicated bodies and personalities, but this is what we are at our core, and I would hope that other people would be inspired to do these types of shoots, whether it’s to give them confidence, to help them to experience something new, or to help them to see others in a different light that they hadn’t considered before.
I think especially this happens when I photograph men, which isn’t often. But I think showcasing men in a more vulnerable sense, where they don’t have to pretend to be this ‘macho man’, or someone that’s really cool or someone who has this set personality that the patriarchy expects of them... I think and I would hope that this also inspires them to explore the more vulnerable side of themselves, just through seeing those images.
BU: We were pleased to see that you’re currently seeking people to take part in your next round of photoshoots, which are taking place in your hometown in Spain and potentially here in the UK too! For any of our readers who may be interested, how can they get involved?
Violet: The idea is to be travelling in the first week of September, and I’m hoping to have a couple of weeks where I’m in the UK, and hopefully I’ll try to do some pictures in the London to Brighton area – although if I have to travel further, I’m sure I can work things out. If anyone wants to get in touch, please send me a message on my Instagram account, @violetalambies.mp4.
I think something that is quite important to say in this instance is that whilst I consider it a privilege that someone would want me to create these sorts of pictures with them, I would have to talk to them first. It’s not to say that it’s exclusive, but we talked about the vulnerability and the aspects from both sides, so there has to be a trust established before. Not that I would be outright rejecting people, but I think we also have to have a connection that we work well, because at the end of the day we’re going to be spending quite a lot of time together.
BU: Although the images you’ve created are primarily for yourself and the model, do you think the door’s open to there potentially being a book, an exhibition or an online gallery of all your work one day?
Violet: I would love to! I would have to talk to every single model, because this is not something that was originally planned. When I take these pictures most of the time, they’re for myself and the model and then if there’s a specific one I really like, then maybe I would ask if I can post on social media and things like that. So an exhibition or gallery would mean checking back in with a lot of people.
But I would love to see these pictures, and I think it’s because I cherish them so much, and the moments themselves. I think they’re core memories actually for me, these photoshoots, because they seem so natural at the time – we’re just chatting, we’re talking about things, there’s music in the background and whatnot, but there’s such a sense of privilege and trust and I can’t believe that this is what I get to do with other people, and share this. I would definitely love to share those with others as well.
- Violet Lambies is a photographer and videographer currently based in Barcelona. To see more of the artist's work, be sure to follow @violetalambies.mp4 on Instagram. As referenced during our interview, Violet is also on the lookout for people to work with for the artist's ongoing 'Vulnerability in Nudity' series, so if you'd look to find out more about how to be involved, feel free to get in touch by sending a DM on Instagram.
In part two of our interview with Violet - which will be added to the site in the coming weeks - we'll be taking a deep dive into the artist's relationship with her own body through years, and assessing the ways this has impacted Violet's approach to photography. We also discuss the various ways cultural attitudes towards nudity differ between the UK and Spain, the body positivity movement in general, and a great deal besides. Stay tuned for the second half of our discussion coming soon!
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