Shaun Solent

I have been on PurplePort for over seven years and shooting for a lot longer than that.  So I need a Sabbatical.  My camper van calls !

I will remain on PurplePort and while I won't be posting new images or entering the daily competitions, I will check my messages from time to time.  At this stage I envisage opening my studio again towards the end of 2024.

My love for the camera and fascination with light goes back to my university days where photographing sporting events paid the fees and provided beer money. Following my retirement from the corporate world, I now have time to pursue my passion for people photography. I love the challenge presented by the art-nude genre with its subtle interplay of light and shadow on the superb canvas of the human form. I also love collaborating with male and female models who want to create beautiful imagery - from the classically beautiful to the edgy and tastefully erotic. I am particularly interested in working with models who have a background in gymnastics or classical dance. 

I really do enjoy creative collaboration with like-minded models in solo, duo, or trio shoots. Please contact me if this interests you or if you have any ideas you want to explore photographically.

To be able to make these shooting genres possible, I spent five years converting what was a nineteenth-century coach house into a characterful photographic studio with the original stone floors and red brick walls. Ceiling height allows a sixteen-foot pole and lots of height for other aerial work on the hoop, trapeze, silks, cube etc. The studio’s lower level has a distinct dungeon/barn feel to it, witha circular iron staircase leading to a mezzanine level with a lovely timber floor and beautiful natural light. An upstairs loft provides sleeping accommodation for models who have traveled a long way and need to stay over. The studio is centrally heated, has WiFi and its own kitchen and bathroom.

Having been a civil engineer in my previous life, I have had a lot of fun creating a range of props and shooting environments, including reflective flooring, a two-meter light table, and the very popular 'tropical rainfall' area. This facility allows wonderful flexibility and gives legs to creative collaboration. It is also a lot of fun! The studio is situated in Fareham, Hampshire, and is a 5-minute drive from the train and bus stations.

Models I have not worked with previously, often ask for an overview of what my studio looks like, its facilities, and the sort of image that can be created in this space. I have therefore created a separate album - the first on my port - called "Shaun Solent's Photographic Studio" which shows some of the variety of imagery created there.

I am passionate about light and its interaction with the human form. Over the years I have worked at building on my scientific background to understand light better and use it more effectively. I hold a Fellowship in Photography - awarded by the SWPP and an Associateship awarded by the Royal Photographic Society.

Recently there has been a lot of interest from photographers in my bespoke One to One lighting tuition. Most popular is the four-hour highly practical "Lighting the Nude" workshop. Please send me a note if this could be of interest to you. Details of costs etc is given under the "Services Offered" section of my website -http://www.elegantlyerotic.org

 

Albums