British born Rick Giles uses his photographs as a form of social and natural documentation. Based in the U.S, Giles has an enduring interest in people and places and his work has taken him across the country in search of new subjects. Giles’ work sits far outside of the realms of contemporary photographs which have been digitally retouched or enhanced. Instead of employing post production, Giles searches for new departures in the act of taking a photograph, such as manipulating exposure, shutter speed and in the nature of the composition which lend his work a distinctive quality.
The artist’s recent series of 2008 and 2009 are based on the phenomenon of natural light and might be seen as a step away from the style of his previous social documentary work. However, conceptually to Giles, it runs harmoniously. Instead of documenting other people it is more of a documentation of the artist, taking as the subject his relocation to the country and the new sources of inspiration that awaited him. Shot over the changing seasons in the grounds of the artist’s rural home, each image in the series is unique as the natural light and movement of the camera can never be exactly replicated. To underscore their singularity as creative endeavors, the artist heightens the uniqueness of every image by restricting the print run to just one.
By his rejection of digital manipulation, Giles draws attention to the abstract potential of the lens when it meets with the intangible forces of nature. Effectively Giles is ‘painting’ with the light, using long exposures and making dramatic forceful movements with the handheld camera. The resulting images have a beauty and power fuelled by the artist’s closeness to his subjects.
Giles has shown at the National Portrait Gallery, London and had solo shows at Eleven Gallery in London. His work as both an artist and a fashion photographer has seen him grace the pages of Vogue, The New Yorker, Esquire, GQ and The New York Times.
