Clary Estes

Photographer, Writer
 Skin by Clary Estes         
Skin
Nationality: United States of America
Biography: Clary Estes is a documentary photographer from Central Kentucky who works internationally on stories about the human condition.
Public Story
Skin
Copyright Clary Estes 2024
Date of Work Mar 2015 - Mar 2015
Updated Dec 2017
Topics Abandonment, Abstract, Abuse, Arts, Asia, Black and White, Candid, Conceptual, Documentary, Dreams, Emotion, Erotic, Fear, Feminism, Fine Art, Gay, Gender, Hope, Lesbian, Loss, Mental Illness, Nude, Oppression, Personal, Photography, Portraiture, Privacy, Relationships, Sexuality, Sleeps

“Skin” was a pivot point in my photographic practice. Through this project I started to think more deeply about how I manifest myself in my photography, either intentionally or unintentionally, as well as being the first time I really looked at myself through the photographic lens. The project gained a kind of eroticism as I shot it, in part because this was a very intimidating project for me to shoot. To be vulnerable, was to be naked in front of the camera and to give my camera away and welcome being seen. I felt like I was ripping myself open to my own dismay and trying to photograph what came out. In many ways I was becoming a more mature photographer and a more open woman. The process was messy, stressful and imperfect, but profoundly changed how I photographed and approached projects. Though this project is imperfect, it made me a better photographer. This project is a story of how I learned to start looking at myself.

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Skin by Clary Estes
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