allan jenkins 201
Nationality British
Main working locations london
and Barcelona
Photographic method large-format
film and cyanotype printing
it was while he was studying Fine art at
the University of east london that allan
first developed his interest in using large-
format cameras to photograph still lifes
and nudes, the subjects for which he
is most renowned. His images have
appeared on numerous book covers and
he has been the subject of several
magazine articles on the art of posing
naked. Represented in london by the
Hackelbury Gallery, he is one of Britain’s
most respected fine art photographers.
http://www.allanjenkins.com
When i was at college a friend asked me for my opinion on a series
of nude photographs she had made, and that inspired me to give it a go
myself. since then, i have photographed hundreds of people nude, most
of whom are not professional models. in fact, the majority had never dared
to pose nude before.
in this age of glossy magazines, supermodels, and aspirational
advertising images, most people like to conceal their true selves behind
designer labels and other accoutrements of a materially successful life.
in contrast, the people who model for me want
to pose nude to explore their natural beauty,
without a mask. They act as a muse for
inspiration and take part in the meditative
process of becoming a vehicle for art.
i developed my personal approach
instinctively; i didn’t really know what style i had set out to achieve until
it evolved by itself through trial and error. it’s a natural style, taking the
majority of its influence from classical art and nature. i’m inspired by the
way that light makes the human body look magical and ethereal, and i’m
fascinated by contrast: the sharp against the soft, the smooth against the
textured, and the bright against the dark.
The women who pose for me all seem to feel incredibly fulfilled by
doing so. Whether it be a reassurance of personal beauty or the desire
to be recorded, recognized, or simply indulged in a world of art, the
response is astounding. i am regularly commissioned to photograph
women, and men too, nude, in the style that has become my trademark.
i’m delighted by their appreciation of the results and also by their reaction
to the experience of posing nude, which, once accomplished, brings
a great sense of achievement.
allan jenkins
