Affective Energy
With her series ‘Affective Energy’, photographer Victoria Smith attempts to capture the energy flowing between the model and the photographer. Fascinated by this almost spiritual connection, she creates sensual painterly photographs which appear abstract and distinct at the same time.
Photography Victoria Smith 
Whilst working as a photographer for a vintage clothing brand in London I was fascinated by the energy of the fashion photoshoot. There was always so much excitement, anticipation and a feeling that something wonderful was about to be collaboratively created. I couldn’t quite grasp or put into words the energy that flowed between myself and the model, with all the unspoken cues that led to the evolving movement of pose brought about through gesture, expressions and body language both projected and absorbed. It was a fluid experience which continually developed through the highs of capturing a captivating image and the lows of something not working, it was an exhausting but exhilarating experience for everyone involved. On the fashion photoshoot moods are experienced, translated and then transmitted, and not just on shoots but in everyday life too.
This series of work conveys the story of the model and photographer’s relationship as an intense and almost transcendental one, one that is not something sexual per se but maybe a communication of their souls. The way fashion models have discussed their experience of affective energy on shoots and how they use bodily sensations to embody garments and guide their poses all feels somewhat romantic. I wanted to pay tribute to that. I wanted to celebrate the fashion model as a highly intuitive and perceptive being and through this series of abstract and painterly photography using colours, fabrics and movement, I wanted to capture affective energy and represent those beautiful, organic, free flowing and spiritual connections that occur on the fashion photoshoot.
“I wanted to capture affective energy and represent those beautiful, organic, free flowing and spiritual connections that occur on the fashion photoshoot.”
The sequence of images tells a story, the story of the model with the curtains opening, the model looking up towards the light shining down upon her. The performance commences and through a mixture of colours and movement the affect is captured. The narrative from darkness to light insinuates a journey towards a sort of enlightenment as the model navigates the affective energy, giving their whole self, maybe even their soul, to the fashion photoshoot. The performance draws to an end, the curtains close, and the model’s story on this photoshoot ends.
“I couldn’t quite grasp or put into words the energy that flowed between myself and the model.”
About Victoria
Victoria Smith is an artist and freelance fashion photographer residing in London. Mainly working solo, Victoria likes to create illusions, from her previous series where she dismembered her own body parts to represent the objectification of the female form in advertising, to her current series of rethinking the fashion image through abstract photography to capture the energy of the fashion photoshoot and aiming to induce bodily sensations and an affect in the viewer.
To see more of Victoria’s work, visit her website or follow her on Instagram
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