FAQ:

1. Who Are you? - Neil Cowley a Visual Artist with over 10 years experience in the photography and graphic arts industry. This is my first large scale fine art exhibition which I have been working on for over 2 years.

2. Where are these shot? In the shower – I come to your location, or you to mine, and shoot for 20-40min as you get used to looking in the camera with the water. I bring the backdrop which is taped to the wall, so you don’t have to travel anywhere for this quick, relaxing and pleasantly challenging shoot. I also shoot outdoors if you are comfortable with full body environmental work.

3. Is makeup necessary, allowed? – Not really, these are intended to be raw, real and psychologically engaging, not a beauty shot – you can see my own self portraits paired with the ancient poetry that started this process at http://mindaswater.com/c/mind-as-water/tao-te-ching

4. Where will the photos be going? They will developed into a large scale gallery show that raises funds and awareness for water development in Africa. I have been working on this for about a year, and the first show will likely be near the end of 2011. There is no cash payment to be a part of this project, you will receive the 5-10 best shots for your private collection as payment.

5. Do I need to be topless/nude? No, it may enhance your experience, but no ‘parts’ are shown to keep the imagery to a general public display standard for the gallery show and so a strapless suit, bra or duck tape will keep you covered if you prefer. The shoot is not about how you look, but about capturing the ‘experience’ in the most direct form possible.  Many choose to participate in the nude to be most engaged with the water.

6. Are the images retouched?  Not really, each image goes through a specific ‘processing’ which builds the style of the images but the style of the imagery is direct and raw; the project focused on acceptance of the current moment and with that, natural bodies.