For the past 35
years, Mitchel Gray has made Photography his passion, and now he has
brought it to a new level.
As an accomplished fashion, beauty, and lingerie artist, he has always loved shooting bodies, and now has brought creativity plus balance into beauty into focus.
As an accomplished fashion, beauty, and lingerie artist, he has always loved shooting bodies, and now has brought creativity plus balance into beauty into focus.
"What was going on under the uniform, the padding? That is what I show through my lens."
Doing celebrity portraits for years brought me to this place where the athlete can show the whole range of athletic abilities in a series of shots of the athlete as natural as they wish to be.
Normal body shots have taken on creativity, a beauty, and agility, and a Mitchel finesses it into a gloriously beautiful picture. A swimmer, a roller derby girl, a kickboxer, an archer- what will be see?
“Bodies In Action” is an ongoing photographic series that Mitchel
Gray began in late 2014. The concept behind the series is to illustrate what
the bodies of great athletes are actually doing under all the equipment,
padding, and uniforms while they are performing their sport, in a uniquely
artful, dramatic, and informative style.
All of the photos are made at
Mitchel’s studio in New York City. He employs a distinctive, exacting, lighting
approach that is designed to emphasize musculature, action, and grace. “The
lighting is key,” Mitchel clarifies.
There is one more aspect to these photos that make them truly a
“first” in the genre – in each photo in the series that appears to have two
people in it, there is actually only the same person shot in opposition to them.
This approach allows Mitchel to emphasize two sides of the same body in one frame,
seamlessly and within the construct of the action. Many of the subjects are
Olympians or Olympic hopefuls, and all are gifted athletes.
Mitchel has enjoyed
the cooperation of the U.S. Olympic Committee and the New York Athletic Club in
the creation of “Bodies in Action.
“This method of shooting looks as if there are two people fiercely
engaging and it is the same body, the same movement. It’s a full 360 shot I am
doing,” Mitchel explains. “Offense to defense. Creative lighting – around and
backgrounds add mystery to these shots. It depends on the individual, they are participating
in the moment and they make it theirs.”
Elements of the series have already been featured in the National
Art Museum of Sport, and there will be a gallery show for the series in New
York on August 10th Opening through September 8th at The Elga Wimmer
PCC Gallery in the Chelsea Arts District.
Mitchel Gray is a photographer, videographer, and an author. He
has to his credit two best selling books, The Lingerie Book and Lingerie
Fantasies (St.Martins Press) and has illustrated many more, particularly in the
active lifestyle/health and fitness field.
He has photographed over sixty
magazine covers, thousands of magazine pages and images pages both in the fashion and beauty industry
and the sports and fitness world, including Men’s Health (all editions), Men’s
Fitness, Men’s Health Muscle (Germany), Muscle & Fitness, Runners World,
Bicycling, Fitness, and The Sporting News, including hundreds of advertising pages
for various clients around the globe.
Much of his portrait work in recent years
has focused on sports celebrities ranging from Tom Brady to Derek Jeter. His
Fine Art work has been show in galleries in both the U.S. and Europe.
“I go into the shoot with one notion, and something else can occur.
I leave the door open for something to happen,” Mitchel says. What will come
through?
*Photographs courtesy of Mitchel Gray.
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