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It's fun having a photographer in the family. I think...

 Then I see an illustration like this, found in an article today, and start laughing and cringing at the same time. Because for many years, my brother wanted us to do a full nude family portrait.
Illustration by Chris (Simpson's artist), he's on Twitter here
'Calm down dad I only need to photograph your face'


I was up for it, but my mum and dad were not so keen. So, it never happened, and while we're all still here, and could technically still do it, I sometimes feel a slight nostalgia for the picture that never was.

 We have, instead, had nude family runs, an awkward affair where my two brothers and I joined the kids in a race out and back at the beach shack. (Mum and dad did not take part.) As we neared the front gate, there was the frisson of possible exposure to the public, but we all made it around without injuries, though with some barely disguised discomfort.

The original Nude Race poster from 2012. Waho indeed! (C) Noah
At other times, when my brother has organised photo shoots, I have gone from the clothed to the unclothed in a strangely unnerving way. OK, let's do that shot in the see-through dress, OK, now let's try that without the slip, OK, so I think it looks better if you take OFF the dress...

Wah?



(c) Charlie Sublet
(c) Charlie Sublet


I won't post here the progression to full nudity from this particular shoot (partly because I'm new to blogging and am not sure where it could all end up!) suffice to say that these pics were a lot of fun. I do treasure them as capturing a moment in my pregnancy where I was nearly ready to pop.


Sideways glance in Centre Way (c) Charlie Sublet





The most confronting thing was when my brother then put a photo from this series into an exhibition on 'organic fertility' or something along those lines. He told me he was entering a 'belly shot', which I felt fairly comfortable with. I took the baby boy, since born, along to the exhibition, showing in public space in Melbourne Central.

When I was hit in the face, literally, with a full body and muff shot, I reeled back physically in shock. This was not a shot of my belly, but a full nude picture of myself. Though I have no major issue with being nude, this was in a shopping centre! Not even an art gallery.

So, when I saw the illustration above 'Calm down, dad, I only need to photograph your face'  I thought about that nude family portrait that never was. And I thought about those photo shoots that started out with me clothed and playing around with props, and ended up with me holding a variety of vegetables in the nude. 

Not that there's anything wrong with that!!

For more of Charlie Sublet's photographic images, have a look through his site or read his Pabulum Blog

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