Sydney based photographer Darren Phillips first picked up a camera in 2000 to assist local models in the development of their portfolios. His passion for the craft grew, his compositions strengthened, and so he began to shoot professionally.
In 2013, he had the idea for a radical new series inspired by his love of superheroes.
“I loved the idea of the juxtaposition of having comic book or cartoons projected onto a naked female form…I hadn’t seen anyone else do it yet – not that I looked too hard – but I thought it would be a very cool concept.”
He pitched the idea to model Lady Medusa. “She was beyond excited! Her passion for the project sealed my decision immediately.”
Rather than choosing the images based on how easy it would be to pose Lady Medusa in them, Phillips chose his favourite frames and developed the poses around them.
A reflection on the opposing wall allowed Lady Medusa to acutely adjust her pose on the fly.
“I must add that all these images are in camera produced. I haven’t photoshopped them at all besides a little crop on the borders here or there. We didn’t overshoot the image either. We literally shot 8-10 photos of each image because by then we knew if we had it or not, and most of them worked straight away.”
Phillips founded Darphi Images in 2000, and balances his photographic art with a day job and the raising of his one year old son. He’s also a radio host, and a musician. It’s not easy, but it was never meant to be.
“Like all passions, we must find the time to be creative or to pursue whatever fuels our passion.”
Currently, Phillips is working on an interactive exhibit for Vivid Light Festival, and is set to return to the studio to record a new song very soon.
You can find more of Darren Phillips’ work on the Darphi Images Facebook page. His music can be found on CDBaby.com