MEET THE ARTIST
GREGORY PRESCOTT
Meet self-taught photographer, Gregory Prescott, who uses his camera as a paintbrush to capture the beauty of the male and female form, with an aim to bring more diversity to fine art photography. Through his work, Gregory highlights race, gender, body type, skin tone, and sexuality, contributing to the much-needed movement for greater representation in the media.
Enjoy the discovery,
Your LUMAS Team
toronto@lumas.com
416-928-9200
Q&A WITH GREGORY PRESCOTT
As a self-taught photographer, what brought you to the art form?
GP: I've always had a love for all forms of art. During my college years, loved drawing and illustration, particularly portrait and fashion. When I eventually got my hands on a Canon A-1 camera (this was before the digital era) I loved how more instant it was, and I loved working and creating with models, so the illustration stopped and photography for me was born.
Palm Springs
Overall, your artistic practice aims to diversify the cultural spectrum in fine art photography. How do you achieve this, especially in your nude series, while not overly sexualizing or fetishizing people of varied skin-tones and backgrounds?
GP: I did find that there was a lack of diversity in fine art nude photography, but things have been changing over the years. I still like shooting a variety of models and showcasing different races, gender, body types and sexualities without being too sexual, and staying with a natural artistic style. I also found that there are not a lot of fine art nude black photographers, so I love representing that. I still find that fine art nude photography is not very accepted in the black community, but I try to present to the world that the human body is not something dirty or perverted, but a work of art. As a black photographer, I want to showcase black beauty and strength but at the same time there is beauty in all types of people, so I want to represent that also. I want people to appreciate the beauty in all people.
Black Hat
Your work contains striking images in black and white images, as well as in colour. How do you decide which has the most impact for an image?
GP: I started off mainly only shooting black and white. I love the contrast and graphic tones it brings. My biggest artistic influence is from Herb Ritts, who is best known for his black and white photography. His images where so strong and had a classic feel, which I really appreciate. I wanted my images to make a bold statement, creating shapes and forms with the human body using light and shadow. Black and white helps to create formed pieces where, for me, colour creates a more editorial storytelling look. I do like blending both styles so you will be seeing me exploring more colour photography in the future. Red is my favorite colour, and I am drawn to it, so I do find myself styling a lot of my shoots with red. When I have images that “pop” with colour, I tend to keep it, whereas I lean toward the graphic tone of black and white in my artistic images.
Dive Into L.A.
You’ve lived in Houston, New York, and now LA. What have you learned or gained from each location?
GP: Each location is so different. I believe wherever you are, you will gain something. I was born in Los Angeles but grew up in Houston. My family moved to there when I was 5 years old but since we had family in LA, my family and I would visit a lot, and I always knew one day as an adult I would move back. The landscape of LA is so beautiful and diverse, and I greatly appreciated the hills, palm trees, deserts and beaches. I eventually moved there and loved it. I became spoiled by the weather, and I met and worked with so many beautiful models who were great for creating my body of work. But while living in LA, I visited New York for the first time. The energy was so completely different from the west coast. New York is more about fashion and art, where LA is more commercial and about the entertainment industry, and I was more interested in fashion and art. After so many visits, I thought I would give NYC a try. I really loved it, but after my first New York winter, I knew it was not for me. I never lived in a winter city, and I didn't know it was so long! In Houston and LA, flowers are blooming in March and my first winter in NYC it was still snowing in April. I stayed in New York for 4 years, which overall was an amazing experience. I made some great friends and connections, but I was missing the California landscapes and predictable weather so eventually moved back. I did appreciate my time in NYC and shortly after moving back to LA, I was missing the New York vibes and contacts. However, I will not be going back; winter will never go away. I had to figure out where would best fit with my style of photography.
Dillard
As mentioned, you’re based in LA now, and we’ve all seen the devastation recent wildfires have left across the area. How has this impacted you? For our readers who’d like to help, what do you recommend?
GP: At the time of the fires, I was not in LA. I was spending time with my mother in Louisiana, so I was safe. Everything is ok, but the city has been impacted so much, and many people are still in need. Fortunately, no one I know was affected too much, except for some respiratory issues and a couple of my friends had to go to the ER. Even when staying indoors, having a window AC unit, you can be breathing the bad air inside your own home. LA is in the rebuilding stage now. Donating to verifiable GoFundMe (pages) or The Red Cross to help others rebuild will be ongoing and the best way to help at this time. It's good to see people coming together to support each other, particularly in these times and the current climate of this country.
Chriseon
Several visitors to the gallery have compared your work to that of Herb Ritts, whom you take inspiration from. What would you say differentiates your work from his?
GP: I have been getting the Herb Ritts comparison ever since I could remember or since I first started shooting. If there’s anyone I love being compared to it is Herb Ritts, so I'm honoured to get that comparison. The biggest thing that differentiates us is that he worked with the top supermodels of the 90's. But twice by coincidence, I found myself shooting at a location that he shot at, and it wasn't planned, it just happened. One was at the El Mirage Dry Lakebed in southern California. That is one of my favourite locations to shoot, and in looking back at some of his images as well as the Janet Jackson, Love Will Never Do, video, I realized that it was the same location. I've also had the pleasure of shooting at his old home, in his backyard in Hollywood, where he had many shoots, and used as his outdoor studio. So, with this, I knew I was on the right path and proud that this has been a part of my journey. I never go into a shoot thinking to reproduce anything Herb Ritts has done, but I do think it's a natural influence.
Branden
You typically shoot in natural light, saying that it enhances the texture and authenticity of skin-tones. Why do you think this is important to depict?
GP: I just prefer a more natural look. I never really cared for shooting with strobes in a studio. I always felt restricted when shooting in a studio and I like the look of sun on skin. When viewing photographic work with natural light, I feel more of a connection so that is what I want to give my viewers.
Can you share some of your career goals, and any exciting projects or exhibitions on the horizon?
GP: I am working on a new project that I cannot speak of yet, but after taking a short hiatus from shooting due to family reasons, I am now creating new content that everyone will be seeing soon. As an artist, I feel you shouldn't put everything out to the public or social media until you are ready to fully present it. But follow me on Instagram at @gregoryprescott to stay updated with upcoming projects.