#4

My normal studio I had grown accustomed to using was occupied. So we ventured down the hall to the virtual studio, a room with completely blue walls, floors and odd lighting. I was lucky however, because the body part I would be shooting was something where the background would not play such a large role. "I don't like my fingers, I wish that they were shorter". This was truly the first of my shoots that baffled me. Who would wish for shorter fingers? Furthermore, which type of person would stop to notice that this girl has "too long of fingers"? This insecurity reinforced personally the reason why I started this campaign. It proved that our insecurities are truly things that sometimes only we can see, and maybe do not deserve the amount of emphasis we currently put on them.

#3

Midsection. The shoot was accompanied by the ambient sounds of Pitbull and reggaeton. We began with shots highlighting her stomach--grabbing and stretching the skin that surrounded her belly-button. But as the infectious beats of the music persisted, the shoot naturally developed into a dance session. She circled her torso to the music, grabbing her hips, swinging her long, curly hair to the side; and through this, she was simply using her misection for what it was made for. The best photos from the shoot were not the ones blatantly showcasing her insecurity, but rather the ones where she embraced them.

#2

A free spirit and a dancer, she walked into the studio wearing a long, floral skirt. "I'm going to do my arms", she announced. Her session's photographs yielded beautiful shapes that were graceful and lyrically-inspired.

#1

An overcast & windy day greeted me as I treked to school lugging my usual weighty backpack and camera. I arrived at my school's equipment room looking less than presentable and asked to rent a light--"tapuz" or "orange" as they are called here, and proceeded to the second floor. I set up the mini tv-studio, not knowing exactly how I would photograph my first "love the pudge" shoot. As I screwed the light to the tripod, the rain began. A strong downfall of droplets splattered against the windows angrily--I pulled the black-out curtains across the windows and then pulled the set of white curtain across the adjacent wall. Just as I began to think she wouldn't show up because of the rain, she arrived.

Hair soaked and shirt dotted with raindrops, she began to ask questions. "So what do you want to shoot exactly?" Being a very open personality, she decided on her stomach as her biggest insecurity and immediately took off her t-shirt and camisole announcing that laying them on the table would allow them to dry faster anyways. I flicked on the "tapuz" and began to take some test shots. I was also nervous--this was my first time shooting a person in a studio, and here I was, photographing a classmate in only her bra and skinny jeans. I didn't exactly know what I was doing, but I knew the message I wanted this campaign to get across. I was fortunate to have such an earnest initiator to the campaign. She eagerly twisted her torso, grabbed her love handles--truly embracing her "pudge". After about 30 shots, I knew I had gotten the winning image.

She put her now-dry shirt back on, and we both packed our stuff up. It was a strange feeling knowing that I had just been allowed into someone's mind for a chunk of time--privied to their biggest body obstacle. As I took the light off the tripod and put the lens back on my camera, she broke the silence, "You know, that really was a liberating experience".

The Documentary

The Initiative & Process

Love the Pudge- A Photo Campaign.

Click on the link to watch the film my friend and I created about the process and results of the first batch of photos for the Love the Pudge campaign.

The Gallery

Curious attendees crowded the lobby of the Arazi-Ofer Building in the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzilya, Israel as the sun set last night. The 17 prints revealed featured a variety of body insecurities. What was most interesting for me to see were the reactions of the individuals featured in the photographs. A large portion were proud to point out which print featured their bodies--exposing what they once were ashamed of. This was a special moment for me because it perpetuated my strong belief in this campaign. When our insecurities can be acquired as a beautiful form rather than a fault, we can learn to accept and love ourselves and others. Another bonus to the evening was a screening of the documentary that a close friend of mine and I developed over the past few months that rippled inspiration through the venue. I am throuroughly impressed with the outcome of this event, and I hope that I can continue to inspire many.

The Countdown Begins...

The gallery is opening in less than a week! I am tying all the last pieces together for the big night. A friend suggested that I make symbolic bracelets that will be worn to represent a promise to love your body. I hope that after the night of the gallery I will see the wrists of most sporting a teal bracelet.

Gallery Reveal

All 17 prints are officially tangible and beautiful. It is surreal to see the body parts so much larger-than-life. I can hardly wait for the gallery debut in less than two weeks time! I hope that there is a big turnout. Right now I am working on getting a hold of a device on which I can show a documentary my friend and I filmed on the "Making of" the campaign. I also have to prepare a short introductory speech...(ahhh)

The 24th of this month is the date of the gallery, and the 25th will be the launch of the featured photographs online so my lovely blog-followers can take part in the revolution! So hang in there, I know you're all very eager to see the fruits of my labour.

My Challenge

Love the Pudge is not only a blog. In two weeks time, there will be a full-out gallery exposing the first batch of individuals who have chosen to bare their insecurities to the lens of my camera. Seventeen shots will be printed and mounted for public viewing. The point of this, however, is to not only empower those photographed, but also those who observe.

I have recently finished my last photoshoot and am currently in the process of printing. Today, I went to the printing shop in the city where the employee spoke very little english. I printed a test shot that measured about the span of my outstretched arms. Something was off, but I couldn't put a finger on it. I spent a good half an hour staring at the print. Finally I concluded that the print was in fact wider...giving the photographed girl a bit more "pudge" than she actually has in real. I told the employee that he must print it again with different dimensions so that the image doesn't get skewed. He told me the pixels were fine. I told him it wasn't the pixels but the image itself--He didn't understand. Finally, after some back and forth choppy translations and frantic hand gestures, he proudly stated his revelation, "Oh! You don't want her to look fat?" I snapped. I immediately defended the girl in the photograph, explaining that she is not at all fat, and that is exactly why I don't want the picture to look wider than she really is-- and then I had a revelation-- he meant fat only in its synonymous meaning to wide. I decided to print the rest of the photos after stressing to him how important it is for the photographs to be as true to real life as possible--in my broken Hebrew. I hope they come out well.

Back To Basics.

I think that we have lost touch with our roots. We need to reconnect with our natural, unique selves. Listen, your innards are speaking to you. They tell you what your body needs and when it needs it. Most of us have lost the ability to hear this voice and instead drown ourselves in the sea of "expert" suggestions such as raw food consumption or daily elliptical binges. Although these methods may work for some, they certainly do not work for all. For instance, some beings are naturally lazy. Our bodies don't do well in high-stress situations. This may mean that this individual would do better with exercise such as yoga or tai chi. Some bodies crave red meat, while others crave more grains or vegetables. This being said, I don't suggest that you "listen to your inner being" and consume an entire box of Oreos because "that's what your body was craving". It's deeper than a surface craving, which is generally connected to emotion, or simply eating for fun. Once one has the ability to hear what they need, one will realize the innate ability our bodies have to balance, craving the foods that retain the certain vitamins or minerals one needs. It will tell you when you need to sleep and for how long, and even que you on when to engage in physical activity.

I bet there are a bunch of you reading this and thinking that I am a complete loon. But I promise you, if you take the chance to try it, you will believe it too. Listen to what your body wants, and you will have no problem keeping yourself healthy. I'm for sure not perfect, and am still practicing the art of listening to my inner self. Because of this, I have a few daily guidelines I follow that at least simplify the abundance of information we have been bombarded with, and are pretty uniform within most of the human-kinds' bodily health needs.

1. Sleep is your best friend! General rule is 8 hours + a night

2. Maintain good posture

3. Be active at least 30 minutes a day (stairs beat elevator. every. time.)

4. Eat things that have: ingredients you can pronounce or small ingredient list or (the best) no ingredient list

5. Surround yourself with positive energy. Being nice to others means they are nice in return and kindness brings smiles which ultimately creates endorphins.

Keep Loving the Pudge

Beauty as I see it [Part 4]

Beauty in Leisure: