Ex-ballerina and graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York, Yana Toyber shows us the human body and nature’s vast and varied landscapes through rose and blue tinted filters. Taken on temperature-sensitive film, her nude Polaroids are blue-hued when taken in colder temperatures, and are tinged with pinks, golds and oranges in warmer climes. Shot over a period of three years, New York-based Toyber has collated these images into a book called This Time. With all the vulnerability and dreamlike quality of a Ryan McGinley photograph, and none of the stigmas that come with capturing the naked body, This Time is a beautiful ode to those nostalgic, still moments in life.
How did you get into photography?
In high school I was a muse and model for many students in the photo class. I would be in the studios looking through books and really fell in love with the art. I knew then I wanted to be behind the camera creating images and making an impact on people through photography.
How would you describe what you’re trying to show through your work?
I would like to show moments in time that are not visible to the naked eye.
What’s the idea behind This Time?
The idea behind This Time is that time is non linear and is abstract. I tried to capture that theory through photos. I used an instant camera with film that was sensitive to temperature. The results were abstract images that are revealed over time. It took about three years to shoot everything.
What did you learn about the human idea of time, and its connection to nature through your project?
I learned how precious the moment is, and how much can change, and what can be created over time.
Who are the people in the photographs?
The people in my photographs are all my friends.
Is there a story attached to a particular photograph that makes it special for you?
There is a funny story behind the image of the girl holding up the flower. My friend took me to a nude beach in Hawaii so we would be secluded to shoot nude photos of her. It was a beautiful beach and pretty empty. As we finished the shots and she was putting her bathing suit back on, a man approached us and asked if we would like some company. I thought it was a strange question and at a time that was awkward but later remembered we were actually at a nude beach where people try to hook up. It was really funny to me!
What’s your process when you’re taking a photograph? Is it usually planned or spontaneous?
There is a bit of both. I plan trips and basic ideas of images but with this process there is also a lot left to chance.
Are your subjects always happy to be photographed nude?
Most people already know I’m going to shoot them nude when I ask them to be my subject, but on occasion I have to do some convincing!
Is it difficult to take nude portraits without sexualising the subject?
For me, it’s not difficult. My images are more about a connection between the nudes and nature and I don’t find that to be sexualising the subject but rather to be making comparisons.
Nudity is prevalent throughout your work, what is it about the naked body that fascinates you?
For me the nude body is about honesty and peeling away layers so that my images are more about emotions and feelings rather then fashion statements.
What do you hope people take away from this This Time?
I hope that people feel the images rather then see them.
What are you working on next?
I’m currently working on a zine with PAPER WORK NYC and a project on sacred birthing pools in Hawaii.
Credits
Text Felicity Kinsella
Photography Yana Toyber