{"title":"Home page","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"ttbe-issue-i-malak-kabbani","title":"TTBE Issue I - Malak Kabbani","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eIssue one is a mix of personal photos‭, ‬reportage and documentary images taken over multiple years across multiple continents‭. ‬It‭ ‬is a visual dossier of my life through the camera away from comissions‭, ‬a small view into my world and the realities of life around me‭.‬\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eWhat started as a personal archive has now become the first in what I hope will be an ongoing journey of record keeping‭: ‬a mini‭,‬‭ ‬standalone portfolio for visual artists and photographers‭, ‬with plans for biannual releases‭. ‬Born out of frustration—with the industry‭, ‬with myself‭, ‬and with boredom—it’s meant to be a space for visual conversation and interpretation‭. ‬No text‭. ‬No ads‭. ‬Just images‭, ‬speaking for themselves‭.‬\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51759369552210,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1004\/4817\/4418\/files\/MalakKabbani-01copy.jpg?v=1760460104"},{"product_id":"ttbe-issue-ii-justin-aranha-1","title":"TTBE Issue II - Justin Aranha","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eTTBE Issue II - Justin Aranha - (pre-order)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eI had always dabbled with nude images, but it was hardly conceptual. It was either an attempt to make a warm, inviting portrait, or to observe the nude form. By the time I decided to pursue a more conceptual approach, to illustrate thoughts or notions, it was an act of rebellion against myself. I was photographing a lot of e-commerce for clothing brands. A meticulous, exhausting attention to the appearance of the clothes, superseded the spontaneity of working with these wonderful models, resulting in very rigid imagery. Feeling restless, I asked a friend to come over and make some images on my apartment balcony - topless with a simple, black underwear. She enthusiastically agreed, sharing the exact same feeling of restlessness having to constantly present a pleasant, palatable, lifestyle-y version of herself as a model for e-commerce photography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eTo illustrate our frustrations, my direction was to tense up her body and scream at something off-camera - really scream. I didn't want to take a \"hot\" or pretty picture, I wanted to make a picture I could almost hear, that would make me clench my jaw. Throughout the 2 hour session, we chatted casually, and shared laughter as we joked about the industry we worked in. Examining the contact sheets from the session, I recalled details that weren't recorded on the film. Things we would talk about in between frames, the moment my sock snagged on a nail, which direction the breeze was coming from, the moment my stomach growled. Within three frames, I had the image I was going after, but through photographing the entire interaction, the spontaneity and relaxed approach to the session, revealed about a dozen other winning frames not related to my concept at all. We tried different poses and goofed around, with many candids. Looking through the contact sheets was like reading the minutes to a meeting. It set the tone for the way I wanted to continue making these types of pictures. I realized the importance of the entire interaction. Having a clear idea to work toward, while remaining open to whether I get there or not.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe \"x-ray images\" (as I call them) are a riff on a concept I first encountered looking at the work of Helmut Newton. He created diptychs of staged images featuring a model fully clothed in one image, and nude in the other. The set, framing and pose would remain the same between the two images, demonstrating patience and a deliberate attention to detail. In my interpretation, I intended to utilize this concept to illustrate a cheeky and curious adolescent gaze. As if the camera (myself) were uncontrollably imagining what people looked like under their clothes. Like putting on a pair of \"x-ray glasses\". As difficult as they are to make, they are incredibly satisfying when they work. I don't get hung up on the inevitable discrepancies between the images in the diptychs. To me, they illustrate that it's two separate moments - that we took a lot of time and care to make these pictures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eSometimes, the sessions stray so far from the original concept, they become their own world. Conversation leads us toward a certain pose, action or attitude. This looseness has given me many of my favourite images. One friend referred to our sessions as \"naked therapy\". Another looked at her body and remarked \"My God, I look like my mother\". The sessions usually offer unique insights into people's headspace and more often their insecurities. \"When I'm dating guys, I feel like I have to be clean shaven, but when I'm dating women I don't feel that pressure at all\". A heartbreaking preface to one session was \"My ex made me feel so insecure about my breasts and body, that I would wear a shirt during sex\". That session garnered meaning as an act, regardless of how the photos turned out. For some of the folks I work with, our sessions are like play time, but for others, it becomes a reflective process.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eI don't make these pictures to serve anyone or offer them up as a chance for healing. They remain selfish endeavours in that I'm chasing an image that's in my head. What has remained important to me is that I'm not simply observing, but interacting with them. That there is a before and an after to the image. For me, the pictures exist as a record of the interaction, more than the materialization of a concept.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eI couldn't make these photographs without the trust and enthusiasm of the wonderful people featured in them. Specifically all of the Toronto Girls. I'm endlessly grateful for the new relationships and the existing ones that have been bolstered by these sessions. I'd like to dedicate this zine to everyone that has ever been a part of my pictures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAn endless amount of gratitude to my love, Amanda for her continued support and discerning eye, helping me make sense of my pictures. Thank you to my dear friend, Nadine for introducing me to Malak. And thank you, thank you, thank you to Malak, whose vision and hard work is the reason these pictures are being published at all.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51893099069778,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1004\/4817\/4418\/files\/Malak_Kabbani-01_copy_2.jpg?v=1762248863"}],"url":"https:\/\/the-bitter-end-shop.myshopify.com\/collections\/frontpage.oembed","provider":"Till The Bitter End","version":"1.0","type":"link"}