Frank Morris' first feature

"My work is based on my idea of female beauty, very often inspired from art history." Frank Morris

You'll find the work of Frank Morris, from Italy, at his official site, AnPhotoArt, deviantART, Model Mayhem.

"My work is based on my idea of female beauty, very often inspired from art history." And it's true. During my selection of his photographs, I felt how much Frank Morris is inspired by the "art history". I see an inspiration coming from famous painters of the end of 19th century, a little of Toulouse Lautrec, Klimt. And a touch of Lucien Clergue and Man Ray in his B/W. Without forgetting is an Italian native. The result of his love for art history in such a country is beautiful.

Beyond his evident talent and the pure beauty of his photographs, maybe could we say sometimes "paintings, it's rare to talk with a Polaroid aficionado. Like Lloyd Hugues (check the Polaroid section), Frank Morris is one of them. I needed to know more.



During the time we took to write his first feature, a long time, sorry Frank, I told him :

- Frank ! Give me more words about what you call "instant photographer". Tell us more about your passion for the Polaroid format. Why ?

Done.

We are very proud to introduce such "an instant artist" who knows how to eternalize it. A paradox and a metaphor he perfectly masters. Just admire !

Welcome on board Frank ! if you need help, we're there ;)

I was born in Italy, where I continue to live and work.








In my youth, I was fascinated with cameras and started taking photographs with a Voigtlander SLR back in the '80. I began learning myself photography, developing and printing both B&W and "Cibachrome" color images.

I'm passionate about the traditional photographic process, its form, essence and craft and I prefer to work with fully manual, film-based cameras, hand print where possible, and use available light.

I use 35mm Nikon, medium format Hasselblad, Large Format Toyo 45LF, Wista Folding and obviously any kind of Polaroid Cameras.




































Recently, thanks to new Impossible Project 600 and sx70 films, I focused my new projects to instant photography again. Unfortunately Polaroid was discontinued in 2009.

I loved for years large Polaroid format, the colors, the mood, the atmosphere from an unique film, for an unique and exclusive image.

Specially today, in our digital era, everyone believes to be a photographer. You just have to go to the supermarket and buy a digicamera. That's all. The result is tons of same images, same photoshop filters, same fake skin, same fake women, almost always no technique at all.











I'm not a technique integralist, you know, Artist Paolo Gioli made great artwork with shoes box and fastener, but a lot of people of the last generation know nothing about photography. The basic photography just like DOF, aperture, shutter times : can you call them "photographers" ? It's sad when in forums they say to me, looking at my transfers : "what kind of filter do you use or what post production did you make ?"

I consider Polaroids something sacred in the photography history.

It's very strange. Very often today music videos, cinema and print publications are constantly featuring instant film (Lady Gaga, please stay away), but the industry is trying to kill "analog" media as well. I dislike this kind of innovation. Every time you "remove" instead of "add something new", it's not a true progress but devolution.




















My work is based on my idea of female beauty, naked bodies, very often inspired from art history. I prefer to work with the girl next door, real persons instead of pros. It's very important for me their interest and motivation to cooperate with me and the projects. They are not involved into fashion or modelling stereotypes at all, just natural girls, absolutely "normal" bodies and shapes. And very often I get great results.
























My work covers a wide variety of genres : portraits, glamour, fashion, reportage, fine art nudes.

Large format Polaroid film and unique fine art Polaroid image transfert - emulsion lift, and has appeared in a number of magazines.

Finally, the last project I'm working on is about Gum bichromate nudes, ancient printing process based on the light sensitivity of dichromates.

Frank Morris (AnPhotoArt)