Body Perceived - Max Altman

Photography
10 pieces

"Body Perceived" is a short collage photography series visually exploring the internal struggle of body perception and identity.

Max Standing in Front of Cliff

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Max Altman is multi-media creative artist specializing in photography and post-production adobe applications. I seek to create media that can give someone comfort even if it is from something uncomfortable.Ìý

Body Perceived

My photoshoots were split into head shots (close-up headshots) and body shots (more expanded). The emotion behind each shoot was a mixture of anguish and tranquility depending on the poses I was placing my subject in. This specific photo is a way I would comfort myself in moments of stress, by holding the back of my neck.
Image 02 is a similar position of comfort in a moment of stress, but is instead a close-up headshot to incorporate the facial tranquility one can offer to themself in a moment of stress.
This image is leaning towards the first collage that visualizes the anguish and stress of feeling uncomfortable in your own body. I had moments in my childhood where I was so uncomfortable with myself, it was like I wanted to pull my face apart just like this image. This image was specifically one of my favorites to physically manipulate in collage.
I took a series of headshots within one of my photoshoots like this with my subject's hair covering their face to show low shutter speed movement to depict the headspace an anxiety attack feels like where everything is just moving so fast and I can't ground myself to see who I actually am. This is one of my favorite photos I have taken throughout the course of this whole project
his is one of the cleanest color head shots I was able to take and I think it perfectly resembles the tranquility I now feel within myself about my body and making peace with the confidence my body deserves. It is almost like just breathing in a breath of fresh air and I think that this image visually represents that emotion.

"Body Perceived" is a look inside my struggle with body perception and identity regarding how I perceive my body. The first collage is a visualization of the anxiety and anguish I have felt through viewing changes in how I perceive myself throughout my life. The second collage depicts the peace I have made within my relationship with my body. Growing up with Crohn's Disease, it was tough for me to monitor my weight, and this project is meant to visualize the mental anguish I have felt in learning how to be happy within my skin. My girlfriend was my main subject for this series, as I wanted to share this intimate and personal project in collaboration with someone who truly understands its deeper meaning. Not only do I feel intimacy with this project and what it means for myself, but also for the person who made it possible.Ìý

collage
collage

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