Interview with:
Steve Lease
Where are you born and when?
Brooklyn, New York,USA,1947
Where do you live?
Doylestown, Pennsylvania, USA
When and how do you start your path in photography?
While I attended a number of photography workshops beginning in 2009, I did not have any goal in mind nor any path to follow toward that end. My true path in began in 2012. In that year I attended a workshop that featured lighting the nude model in a studio setting. It was after this experience that I decided photographing the female nude was the direction that I wanted to take. Since then I have worked with many models including those who choose modeling to as a vocation as well as those who pursue modeling as an avocation. I like the mix. My goal is to respond to each in a unique way balancing sensual elements with art. The intention is to create a fine art nude that captures the beauty of the female form. It’s a collaborative process.
Who were the three photographers that inspired you at the beginning and who are the three ones that inspire you now?
Please add links to the pages where the images are shown.
Many more than three have inspired me, and continue to inspire me. Off the top of my head I can name a few: Robert Mapplethorpe, Joel-Peter Witkin, Joyce Tenneson, and Jan Saudek. However, the standout is Ed Ross. Unfortunately, Ed died in 2016. Here are a few links to sample Ed’s work:
https://www.blurb.com/books/11005338-ed-ross-the-remaining-works
http://edsplates.blogspot.com/?zx=645970777538b078
https://www.liberator.com/unzipped/art-life/ed-ross-tintype-erotica/
Did you go to a school or are you a self-taught?
Mostly self-taught.
Do you make photography as a living?
No. Models make a living. I pay them.
What do you like in photography, what is your motivation?
It’s simply a passion for me, in the same way that reading, movies, and music are passions. Outside of my family, those are some of the key ingredients that make my life worth living.
What do you want to express or arouse in those who watch your images?
What I want to express is the development of a signature style.
I have no expectations, nor do I dictate what the viewer of my photos will be aroused by. It’s for them to relate to and interpret through their own experience. But if you held a gun to my head for a better response, I would paraphrase Kenneth Clark and say that a nude should arouse in the viewer some vestige of erotic feeling, even though it’s only the faintest shadow. If it does not do so, it’s bad art and false morals.
What are your preferred moment(s) in the creation process?
When the edited photo begins to make its appearance and when the final image reveals itself in full. I would describe the precise moment as that point a photo takes on a life of its own.
What equipment and/or techniques do you use?
It is not a matter of brands/lenses, it is mostly about analog/digital, preferred light (natural/flash), how much post-production, etc.
I shoot digital images and my editing palette tends toward the use of monochromatic tones. I find those tones to be more dramatic and interesting than color. It speaks to the preference of my mood. However, I’m not prisoner to my preference. If a photo calls for color then that’s the direction I will take it.
What do you think about the fact that nowadays photography is mostly enjoyed on the Internet?
It’s become more challenging to make work that stands out from the crowd. I greatly admire the work of those who have achieved that.
Would you have an insight or advice to give to whomever is watching your work and wants to learn photography?
Be honest with yourself. Recognize your mistakes and use them as learning tools
On what page our readers can find more of your work?
https://modelsociety.com/Photographer/SteveLease
https://ello.co/stevelease
https://ello.co/stevelease
https://www.modelmayhem.com/SteveLease
Books by Steve Lease
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