THE SKIN PROJECT

A portrait series I have been shooting since 2013.

The Skin Project started by accident. In 2013 I booked three models to test a lighting trick a friend had told me about. I had no idea it would become a series.

For years I was looking for the best light for skin. Somewhere along the way the people became more interesting than the light.

2013, I bounced the light off the cove instead of shooting into it. Simple and basic. It was only ever meant to be a test.

2017, The first real skin shoot. I cast people specifically for their skin and asked a DOP friend which light he would use. His answer was a book light, something they use in film all the time. I shot half the day digital, half on film.

2017, A few months later I went back into the studio to imitate daylight. I wanted the power and control of flash, but with exactly the look of daylight. I had really interesting conversations that day, but my focus was still on the technique.

2018, This was the shoot that changed it for me. Jan de Villeneuve and Stefanie went back in time and told me story after story from their modelling days and their lives since. Jan had worked with Steven Meisel, and I felt honoured to have her in front of my camera. Stefanie enjoyed herself so much that I got quite emotional. After that day, age was no longer a category for me.

It was also the first time I worked with Julie Jacobs on this project. We agreed to show the skin but always add something special. That’s where Jan’s wet hair and dark lips came from.

2019, My most ambitious shoot so far. I built two sets: one in real daylight for black-and-white film, one with flash for digital. Everyone sat for both. I was still trying new techniques, but for the first time the characters mattered more than the light. One of them was the Olympic sprinter Jennifer Stoute. Another was a musician who didn’t pose, he performed.

2021, The pandemic made me wait two years for the next one. This time I shot in a warehouse with huge windows: pure daylight, digital and black-and-white film. I asked everyone for strong, individual poses, something that showed more of who they were. Of all the shoots, this one got the least attention. It also has some of my favourite frames.

2022, Then something happened I hadn’t planned for. Scott Corbett found the series on Trunk Archive and asked me to shoot exactly this for iiaa. We brought back three faces from earlier shoots, and Julie Jacobs did the make-up again. It was the first time the personal work turned into a campaign, and it led to several more for iiaa.

2026, After a few difficult years and a long detour into fashion, it took me a while to convince myself to do it again. This time I did everything myself, including the casting, and built an outdoor set in the studio’s backyard. Everything in colour, plus black-and-white film for everyone. Hind Adib came along and shot behind the scenes, polaroids and the first interviews.

Around 25 years ago I worked a lot with a make-up artist called Adrian. He wanted to cast someone of Bridget’s age and paint every line on her face with real gold, to show them and give them value. We never shot it. Back then I only saw the visuals. Now I understand what he meant.

Bridget is 88 and has been an activist all her life. Kei did her hair, Julie Jacobs painted the blue eyeshadow. The yellow top, the earrings and the shell ring from Fiji are her own. She has been telling people to wear orange, pink and yellow, “sometimes all at the same time”, for years.

Adrian wanted real gold on those lines. Bridget didn’t need it.

The portrait won Beauty at the Production Paradise Spotlight Awards. That was the push I needed to finally call it a project.

Credits: Bridget Sojourner @ Mrs Robinson Management · Make-up Julie Jacobs · Hair Konstantinos “Kei” Vrettakos @ Of Substance Agency · Behind the scenes Hind Adib

Bridget, two rolls of Kodak Tri-X, the same afternoon.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

The next shoot is in planning. I want to do more with moving image, so this time I’ll bring in someone to shoot proper film, and prepare the interviews better.

I didn’t plan any of this as a response to AI. I use it every day. But the more AI images I see, the more I value what this project has turned into: thirteen years of real people, real skin and real conversations. It might turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

If your brand works with real people, I would love to make this kind of work with you.