NSFW | Featured Photographer: Rachel Portesi - “Hair Portraits"
Installation from Looking Glass
Salon style wall of tintypes in vintage frames 2014-2023
Photographed with either a Speed Graphic and Petzval lens or a Chamonix and Bauch & Lomb rapid rectilinear lens
Analog photography is often closely associated with how we might describe it to others, and these choices have impact and meaning. For example, the verbiage we use, preferring maker to taker, or especially capture, regarding photographic documentation of a subject or event are at the forefront of this idea. Capture seems particularly aggressive and has really taken hold during the rise of digital photography. With maker, though, we can agree that the hands-on approach of analog processes is more or less the preferred way we refer to such things – and for good reason.
Branches, 2017
Tintype, 14 x 14 in.
Photographed using a Chamonix and Bauch & Lomb rapid rectilinear lens
So, after meeting with Rachel Portesi last year and seeing her work up close and personal, the term maker comes to life even more, as she has been a maker of things her whole life. With that, this seems particularly apropos within the context of this survey of her art-making practice. I can attest to this first-hand during our meeting at the Review Santa Fe portfolio review, where she dropped off a vintage suitcase at my table in advance of our discussion of her work. When that happened, it was quite like receiving a gift, though unfortunately, I knew that it wasn’t as such. Nevertheless, it still felt that the few minutes with this makeshift portfolio box were special, as it contained an original tintype and housed an older model Polaroid camera that she had modified to view a short film running inside when looked at through the front of the lens. And here we are – the term “maker” jumped out at me in a profound way, and I was immediately smitten with her work and approach to photographic art. What follows here is merely the tip of the iceberg, so think of this as your Cliff Notes (do we remember those?), and use it to explore further when you have finished reading.
Hands Off My Uterus,
Polaroid I-Type B&W, black frame, 7 x 13 ¾ in.
Photographed with a Polaroid Spirit 600
My Body is a Chore, 2019-2022
Polaroid I-Type B&W, black frame film, 7 x 21 ½ in.
Photographed with a Polaroid Spirit 600
Originally born in Boston, Portesi has seen many years in various parts of the U.S., including California, Idaho, New York, and Massachusetts, before finally settling into her current home and studio in Saxtons River, Vermont. A Marlboro College graduate in Vermont with a degree in Sociology and Photography, she ruminates, “I can still remember the feeling of that high-school darkroom and how every step of learning the photographic process felt like a leap of faith.” After years of working for her husband and raising children, only now does she feel like the momentum is there and a focus on her work during the second half of her life is a priority. However, being a parent will continue to be her first love.
For the most part, Portesi deals with one-of-a-kind photographs – Polaroids and tintypes. Both are the quintessential “instant” photography that draws many users and observers into the process, known for their inherent flaws and human connection. It’s these traits that keep her interested and engaged as an artist. In addition to this is a love of motion picture film, specifically 8mm and 16mm (used in a hand-crank Bell & Howell camera) that allows her to add another dimension to her projects. While her earliest works stuck with the instant gratification of Polaroid, the discontinuation of these original films caused her to move on to tintypes. Later, after The Impossible Project reinvented some of the available films, including an 8x10 version, Portesi returned this tradition to her toolkit. Also, her trusty Chamonix 14x14” camera, capable of use for both tintypes and Polaroids, is always at the ready.
Flower Crown, 2017
Tintype, 14 x 14 in.
Photographed with a Chamonix and Bauch & Lomb rapid rectilinear lens
Frida, 2018
Tintype,14 x 14 in
Photographed with a Chamonix and Bauch & Lomb rapid rectilinear lens
“After all these years, it still feels like a magic trick!”
~ Rachel Portesi
For our purposes here, we highlight all these processes with her body of work, Hair Portraits. According to her artist statement, she has created this ongoing work to “explore the nuanced transitions in female identity related to motherhood, aging, and choice, as well as the intersection of identity and femininity with the physical world.” All of these images occupy the bulk of her time and energy, yet the final outcome for where it is all going is still uncertain and will continue to explore various shifts in female identity. Future projects include tintype photographs of roadkill memorials and another photographing women over 50 who feel freedom in growing older. Yet, even with so many moving parts to her aesthetic, there is a connection conceptually to everything she creates.
There is so much of a “go with the flow” attitude absorbed into Portesi’s work that it is almost impossible to see it any other way. All of the photographs in Hair Portraits have such an organic quality to them. It appears that this goes back to my observation of her as a maker of things – for the love of the medium and, most importantly, because it simply must be done. There is a rewarding sense of accomplishment about making images that inspire others that comes from a place of love – love of the subject and the process. We look forward to her current and future projects with a delighted eye and will certainly be paying attention to her next steps.
GALLERY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Kirchoff is a photographic artist, independent curator and juror, and advocate for the photographic arts. He has been a juror for Photolucida’s Critical Mass, and has reviewed portfolios for several fine art photographic organizations and non-profits in the U.S. and abroad. Michael has been a contributing writer for Lenscratch, Light Leaked, and Don’t Take Pictures magazine. In addition, he spent ten years (2006-2016) on the Board of the American Photographic Artists in Los Angeles (APA/LA), producing artist lectures, as well as business and inspirational events for the community. Currently, he is Editor-in-Chief at Analog Forever Magazine, Founding Editor for the photographer interview site, Catalyst: Interviews, Contributing Editor at One Twelve Publishing, and the Co-Host of The Diffusion Tapes podcast.
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