AMBER-JAYNE BAIN
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
She is a masterpiece, untarnished as yet by societal pressure to present herself for our pleasure. Her youthful beauty is something I have long admired, because I am a product of my environment. She represents the unvarnished loveliness that lies underneath the facade.
Our view is obstructed. We cannot make out the detail of her features. Obfuscated, the unadorned woman is hidden. Lit and posed like an old-master oil painting. Paint mimics the cosmetics of daily ritual. Young women are under such pressure to master the art of painting on themselves, to alter their face. Their identity is newly formed, to present an alternative self that is more pleasing to the world. This new face might hide insecurity and pain, and is a barrier to real connection and self worth. Here. a blue contour echoes the slash of a knife. Blue can be a symbol of depression, and of the depths of the human psyche.
AMBER-JAYNE BAIN
Amber-Jayne Bain is a photographer of people, place, activity and object. Creating imagery of artisans who make finely crafted things is a particular passion, as is documenting the chaos of restaurant life, capturing the essence of a person in a carefully seen portrait, and witnessing the rituals of agricultural business. Finding and crafting the light is of central importance to her process,- she leans towards the dark, and an old-masters feeling that can be cinematic at times.
With around 15 years of experience as a professional photographer in Wellington, Amber-Jayne attempts to balance client work with personal projects - increasingly with a stylistic overlap. She brings with her a focus on authenticity and evocative beauty.