TITLE: Bare Truth
Bare Truth is a captivating collection of portraits of New Zealand men who are humble, courageous and vulnerable. Their photographs expose and reveal who they really are. Their edgy portraits are presented in monochrome to emphasize their shape and form. The simple background eliminates distractions so the viewer can focus on their body language and facial expression.
The combination of using a soft, directional light while adapting a special post-processing technique, enables me to enhance their features so the images are raw and crisp. They look directly into my camera so there is always a highlight in their eyes.
The idea of creating portraits of men who expose their chest evolved gradually. The biggest challenge was finding the first man to agree to pose. After a few rejections and setbacks, I created a portrait of a close friend and became really engaged with the look in his eyes.
Many cultures portray men as strong, physically and emotionally. This stereotype sometime leads to dire outcomes when considering how poorly typical men treat health symptoms, depression, stress and anxiety. One of the goals of this project is to raise awareness; give men freedom to express their feelings and connect to their emotions. This fresh look at men is an eye opening opportunity to see the real people without the shield of clothes. We are all flesh and blood and we are here on this planet for a short period of time. This project simply reminds us of how fragile we are. We are all flesh and blood and we are here on this planet for a short period of time. This project simply reminds us of how fragile we are.
AUTHOR: Ilan Wittenberg (New Zealand)
In 2014 Ilan Wittenberg first exhibition was held at Auckland’s scenic waterfront. Titled Black, White & Colour, the exhibition featured portraiture, landscape and fine art.
During 2015, Wittenberg documented the people in the Old City of Jerusalem. Faces of Jerusalem was exhibited at Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery and was featured in f11 Magazine as well as in Art New Zealand magazine and D-Photo Magazine. Ilan then became a Fellow of the Photographic Society of New Zealand and the NZIPP, winning the title Auckland Photographer of the Year. In 2016 Ilan won the title: Travel Photographer of the Year award from TRAVCOM.
The Bare Truth portfolio was exhibited at the 2016 Head On Photo Festival in Sydney as well as the Signature Programme of the 2016 Auckland Festival of Photography. Wittenberg won the Highest Scoring Print award at the 2016 Iris Awards plus the title 2016 Auckland Photographer of the Year.
Ilan won the Portrait category and the Grand Prize at the 2018 Sony Alpha awards. His wining photo was chosen for the cover of D-Photo magazine together with a feature story from his recent travel to Morocco.
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