Cara Phillips

Cara Phillips is a Brooklyn based photographer who was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. Ms Phillips started her career in the beauty industry as a child model for Ford Models. Her first career into adulthood concerning beauty was creating make-over's for every day women in department stores such as Macy's. However between 2004 and 2007 Cara Phillips returned to education and was accepted to a place at Sarah Lawrence College studying photography. Since her graduation she has become an independent photographer and has focused on her own work whilst collaborating on various projects. Ms Phillips is a co-founder of the online exhibition site Women In Photography and belongs to the international photography organization Piece Of Cake. Over the last eight years Cara Phillips has received many awards and has taken part in several private collections. 

I chose to study Cara Phillips as I adore her collection Ultraviolet Beauties where she used an ultraviolet light to show age spots and skin damage that would otherwise be unnoticed by the guise of a healthy tan. I find Ms Phillips collection inspiring due to its originality, the way the models are so naturally posed but un-posed is sobering to look at. Here I have chosen four photographs from the collection to annotate and discuss...

I chose this photograph from the collection Ultraviolet Beauties because I love the way the illuminating photograph shows the hidden imperfections strewn across the subject's face. I love the way the photo is in black and white which emphasizes the damaged areas of the subjects skin but also adds tone to the photograph.

(From the collection: Ultraviolet Beauties)

I chose this photograph (Again from the Ultraviolet Beauties collection) because I love the way the photograph is toned and the way the darkness of the subjects roots contrast with the subjects highlights then the shiny paleness against the sun damaged freckly bridge of her nose.

(From the collection: Ultraviolet Beauties)

I chose this photograph because it almost looks like the colours have been inverted where this man clearly protects his eyes from sun damage with sunglasses. The darker and lighter variations of sun damage splashed around the subjects face show tone.

(From the collection: Ultraviolet Beauties)

This is my favourite one of Cara Phillips photographs, the natural imperfections that come in the form of freckles under the UV  lighting add individual personality to each one of the photographs in this collection. Every person is effected differently under UV lighting  due to the fact that all our imperfections are not the same.

(From the collection: Ultraviolet Beauties)

How I was Influenced...

Cara Phillips was one of the inspirations for my interest in beauty and routine however in my work I have looked at the perfection side of beauty, what we as people build ourselves up to be and how we change our identity. Cara Phillips looks at the natural imperfections caused by the natural elements, she uses UV lighting although not the same kind that the medical profession use due to the fact that it would cost $20,000. In fact, due to the extreme cost necessary Cara Phillips shot her collection by offering free portraits to strangers on the streets; only requirement being that they sit for the portrait underneath an ultraviolet light. Cara Phillips focus on the imperfections in human beauty fascinated me and gave me the idea to create black and white portraits, the simplicity of these portraits is one of my favourite things, I love the way any one photo of a person can have ten different meanings. Cara Phillips has inspired me with an idea to create imperfections using the thing that usually helps us create our new perfection, identity etc. for example makeup. 

Since studying Cara Phillips I have been inspired to take photographs which are more simple, more plain types of portraits rather than intricate planned multiple imageries and sequences. Studying Phillips encouraged me to observe the imperfections in photographs rather than the perfections.