Sophie Harris-Taylor: Renaissance Inspired Portraits

Artistic Background

Sophie Harris-Taylor was born in 1988 in London. She got her MA and BA in Photography at Kingston University. Sophie became first interested in photography when she was a teenager. She documented her experiences and everyday life of others. At this time Sophie Harris-Taylor was nominated for some prestigious awards such as the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, The Renaissance Photography Prize, and The Young Masters. Her work is published in many magazines, e.g. I-D Magazine, Huck Magazine and Aesthetica Magazine, and her portraits are printed in The Sunday Times, Rolling Stone magazine, The Guardian, Nylon and The Evening Standard.

Natural Light in Sophie Harris-Taylor’s Photography

The main characteristic of Sophie Harris-Taylor work is that all her photos were made with the natural and ambient light. Her inspiration comes from the Renaissance painters and their use of light. Natural light provides softness of her photos. She works with the agenda to show the natural look of her models and to highlight the beauty of them. The photographer draws inspiration for her composition from cinema, but the film also influenced her work with the idea of telling a credible story. Sophie’s work talks about relationships – those between her subjects, e.g. in series “Sisters“,  or those between herself and the subjects. Her latest work, the series of photos called “Epidermis“, represent her personal victory against socially constructed standards, but also a way to connect with the others and make them free of the unreal standards of beauty that are presented to us as a normal.

Collection Epidermis – Homage to a Natural Look

Sophie Harris-Taylor photographs women without makeup and breaks down the stigma about various skin conditions. The photographer had skin problems during teenage days that affected her self-esteem. She decided to confront with this memory and create photos with women standing topless and makeup free. “The photographs are a beauty shoot first and an exploration of skin second.” The photographer is aware of socially created normality and beauty standards. Every day we look at the flawless complexion of Instagram users. This makes us less secure about ourselves and makes a pressure on us to use makeup to cover acne, rosacea, and eczema or any kind of skin condition.

These portraits show the physical effects of skin conditions, but they are more than that. The photographer wanted to express the necessity of being aware of the potential problem on mental health and self-respect.