Re-creation of a Richard Avedon image

Original Richard Avedon Image 1981 Nastassja Kinski and the Serpent

These photographs are a little out of my comfort zone but I decided to do this shoot because my friend Jennifer, a photographer, nude model and breast cancer survivor, asked me to help with this goal - to re-create a Richard Avedon image.

The only other re-creation I have done was in my second year of commercial photography when I took an image advertising Polident (a picture of an apple with a bite out of it revealing a kiwi inside), it certainly had its challenges but nothing like this shoot. Here I was dealing with nude living creatures (human and reptile) not fruit! The first challenge was figuring out the lighting (it's close but after finally examining a high resolution Avedon image I realize the placement isn't quite right). The next challenge was twisting poor Jennifer into the correct position, and the last challenge was persuading the snake to pose - that was a lost cause.

To understand why I would choose a topic so far from my usual style I am including an excerpt from a message I received from Jennifer. I knew this was important to her and this sums up why:

Hi Lorna,
I can't explain what drew me to it (the image), I don't have any particular feelings for either the actress or snakes in particular, and am not familiar with the photographer. In trying to analyze it and put words to it, I suppose I am drawn to the sensuality, sexuality of the image. Being a nude model, the loss of my breast was unspeakably traumatic for me. There is so much personal work in self-portraiture I wanted to accomplish that I can never do without it being a statement on my cancer and post-mastectomy body. I have fully come to terms with my new body (I think), but the beauty of this re-creation is that I could model for it without showing my scar. For this once, I can be the beautiful model without making any other statement. It is not a desire to hide my scar nor to be deceptive; but an opportunity to both embrace the sensuality that remains and to appear whole. For those who know me, it is a victory. For those who do not, it will be one of the few times I can pose nude and not be seen as a cancer survivor, just a woman.
Jennifer

Check out the Facebook Page for the support group Jennifer created The Mommy Fund