lavonne

As many of you know, I'm an official photographer for SuicideGirls, but I haven't been shooting for awhile for health reasons. I have been slowly getting better over the years and am excited to finally get back into working on sets, though it won't be even close to full time. I have made an important decision for what I will shoot, however:

I've decided to no longer photoshop sets. Part of this is for practical and economical reasons; my mental and physical health can't handle that much computer time anymore, and my attempt to find a paid photoshopper ended up being impractical and unsatisfactory. The other part is my conscience. I grew up looking at exquisitely perfect models in fashion magazines, then photoshopped images on the internet. I know first hand the effect it has on a young girl. I've dealt with so much insecurity and body dysmorphia over the years, and am just starting to feel okay with my imperfections and shape. I'm not even close to getting over all this stuff, and I hate that putting out unrealistically edited images of women could contribute to other girls' problems.

I want to start approaching these "flaws" in a new way. Perhaps part of it is having better makeup and lighting, but I also want to incorporate these things into the work as just more interesting aspects of the models I shoot. I'm working on a set of myself right now (above), leaving all the things I'd normally take out, and I actually genuinely love it.

And here's a shot from a photoshop-free polaroid shoot I did with Jonathan Leder...


Love.

- 18+ tumblr and main tumblr
- 18+ instagram and main instagram
- twitter
- flickr
- Join SuicideGirls