David Aimone

Featured in Model Society Issue #17: https://www.modelsociety.academy/model-society-magazine-17

I love to work with natural light, to find the beauty in subjects from people to landscapes. I am not a huge fan of strobe or studio lights, but I do use them on occasion. Using old lenses, various types of film, and exploring image production through techniques from digital manipulation through digital negatives to handcrafted prints are all part of my repertoire.

As far as beauty is concerned, it can be found in the subject itself, the lighting which renders the subject, the textures in the images, or the patterns that make up the image. One of my main goals is to portray a subject or a theme in a way that is not common or expected, through those aspects of beauty listed above. When working with people, I try to draw upon their individuality and their inner essence and establish a deeper working relationship. Here my goal is to photograph the subject for it’s inherent traits or beauty, as opposed to layering what society expects to see in the individual though advertising, selling, stereotypes, etc.

The blending of old and new, as well as traditional photography and other artforms, is something I am also very interested in. This began with shooting and developing film, continued with large format and the use of old, sometimes “imperfect” lenses (by modern standards). I am attracted to soft focus images and pictorialism. Pinhole and zoneplate cameras continued taking me in this direction, and now using alternative methods of printing on handcoated paper is another recent way for me to create images that are handmade, unique and expressive.