The Art of photography

Responding

to

theSubject:Love

Thetwowomeninthesepictures,Mar-

gitte(shownat

rightinthetopfar-right

frame)andCharlotte,aresisters,and

photographerStarrOckengaimmediate-

lythoughtofusingthemtoillustratethe

themeoflovebecauseofacloseness

betweenthetwo

she hadnoticedwhile

makingotherpicturesofthembeforethis

assignment.

"To me,theyhadanalter-

egoquality,"saidOckenga.

"There

was

almostatransferofpersonality.Because

theyweresovisually

similar,Ithought

thatmightshowinthepictures."

Ockengaphotographedthesistersun-

clothedbecause,sheexplained,"Ithink

therehastobeanopenness,aclose-

nessinarelationshipfortwo peopletobe

abletoposenudetogether—andIwant-

ed

that

tocomethrough

in

the

pictures.I

alsowantedtoeliminatewhattheircloth-

inglookedlikeanddealjustwiththe
peo-

plesothattherewouldbenocolorbut

thecolorofflesh."

Tocreatethissix-framecomposite,the

photographerfirsttookthreeoverlapping

framesof
theheadsandthen,standing

slightlyfartheraway,threeoverlapping

framesofthe
bodies.Thenshearranged

themintworowsofthreepictureseach.

"Youfocusonthefaceacrossthe
top,"

shesays,"andonthebodyacrossthe

bottom ButIlikethewaytheheadsits

onthebody
too."

Whenprintingthepictures,Ockenga

controlled
the

flesh

colorscarefullyto

matchtheskintonesofhersubjects:

"They'reveryroundandpink,
so

I

made

them
lookthatway."