Nataly Rader

I was interested when I viewed Nataly Rader's submission and website. She has an array of interesting photo series ranging from documentary to fine art and conceptual work. You can view several other bodies of work by following the link below and visiting her website. Below is her intriguing bio and two alluring bodies of work, "Dreaming of Prague" and "Guarded by Secrets". It is always fascinating when discovering a person who may just be a jack of all trades, whether a photographer that can meld to all the genres of photography or whether a person that has skill for a variety of trades.

Bio

Nataly Rader is a freelance photographer based Durango, CO. She was born and raised in the Soviet Ukraine, where she was classically trained as an opera singer. Upon relocation to NYC, she developed a career as a make up artist in film and television. After the birth of her son, she picked up an interest in photography. This quickly evolved into a passion for telling stories within a single frame of exposure. Exploring the endless possibilities within the medium, Nataly has been working in a variety of genres and formats. Her images of landscapes, portraits, and street photography have been exhibited in group shows and online publications throughout the US and Europe.

To see more of her work follow the link below.

www.natalyrader.com

"Dreaming of Prague"

One day while visiting Prague, I walked up one of the towers on Karlov`s bridge and looked out through a stained glass window. What I saw almost shocked me. It was Prague the way I always imagined. It was painted in saturated colors, full of bright and kinetic energy, old and new at the same time.

So I started taking photographs using a stained glass window as a filter. I raced from one tower to another, all throughout the city.

Later, when I continued to photograph in the streets, I tried to hold on to the essence of this look and feel that I had discovered.

I found alleyways lit with beautiful golden light at sunset. And while having my lens set out of focus, I watched the world around me through the viewfinder. The different contours and textures of the stained glass allowed light and focus to reach my camera in new ways.

What I saw with my eyes matched the feeling in my heart. I saw and felt unified moving energy expressed through light and color.

Guarded by Secrets

About four years ago I began to work on a project, which meant to reflect my life as well as to create a personal body of photographic art. I started by capturing women in their natural environments, which made me realize through our shared emotions, how little we differed. With one photo session after another, I started to lose my original sense and purpose of this work. In these moments of capturing other women and experiencing their raw emotions, I felt my own feelings surface. Two years later, in meeting another female photographer and sharing these moments with her, she spoke only one word: “secret.” Shocked and relieved, I knew she understood not just these women and their vulnerable moments, but also me. This work is not just about women and the secrets we keep, but also about rules and habits built within our society. Fear. Shame. Judgement.