Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Pedersen
Hi Robert, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey into art nude photography began with the desire to create a Facebook profile image in the pose of Rodin’s Thinker.
I’ve loved photography all my life but I never photographed people. Landscape, architecture, night photography… anything but people.
It was a completely different thing to photograph a person and to make it even crazier, I was photographing myself!
Thing is, the resulting image captured something much more than an image of myself – it captured my imagination, sparked my creativity and inspired me to further experiments that awakened something deep within.
As is often the case, I didn’t realize anything significant had happened.
I suppose I’m still discovering what actually happened that day.
For the first time in my life, I caught a glimpse of what appreciating one’s own body felt like. I saw my body in a whole new light and the view intrigued me.
That intrigue led to further images. Most were horrible and just got deleted. A few were captivating and those kept me going.
Eventually I developed a style of lighting that I love and, as it turns out, many who view my art love it too!
Once I had gotten comfortable with my style of self-portraits, I realized that I wanted to work with others.
I reached out to a Georgetown model I’d seen photographed by Dave Chudnov, an Austin artist and photographer, and we soon had a shoot set up.
That shoot turned out to be one of the most amazing and life changing events I could have created for myself.
Jessa, now retired, was professional, an expert at modeling, and the first woman I’d ever been around who was completely comfortable in her own skin – even with a complete stranger.
Social conditioning has gotten most of us to a point where we’re uncomfortable with our bodies, finding all kinds of things wrong with them to the point that we simply can’t show up in life as we are. Instead we’re always projecting some sort of image from behind the masks we think will make us acceptable.
The conversation we shared during that shoot opened my eyes and even my soul to the truth that it is entirely possible for human beings to live in a state of acceptance and freedom in our most natural state.
That collaboration led to more. More shoots with more models, trips to some amazing locations and the opportunity to meet even more amazing free souls.
Recently I was able to secure an amazing space in downtown Victoria which I share with another artist – an accomplished photographer who shares my enthusiasm and vision for creating art. We’re building a space for creatives to gather, learn and create.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t think anything worth doing is going to be found at the end of a smooth road.
That being said, I also think that many of the challenges I’ve faced are in my own mind.
After all, that is where we create our experience.
I have struggled with ideas such as: You’ll be ostracized for your work, You’re not good enough, People will think you’re absolutely crazy, No one will want to work with you, Models are hard to find, I can’t reveal what I love publicly… and on and on…
Even taking on this interview has been a challenge because when this is published, there will be more information about me and my art online and accessible to the world than there ever has been before.
That’s a little scary – and yet, I have chosen to proceed as I always do.
For me, it’s about removing the layers of social expectation and programming and showing up authentically.
It can’t all happen at once or we’d lose our minds.
Step by step we relentlessly take steps in the direction of our dreams and that’s how it should be.
When I created that first image, I was told that I couldn’t put it on Facebook. I blurred the image and used it anyway.
People who saw it made comments to my wife, but no one said a thing to me. That’s how that typically works.
I’ve shown my work locally and the reception has always been interesting.
Some love my art and I’ve had some really great conversations with people who see and appreciate it.
I’ve also observed others who realize the images are nudes before they even get close. They quickly avert their gaze and alter their course – as if something terrible might happen to them!
Of course, Facebook doesn’t allow nudes at all and Instagram isn’t much better, so social media is very challenging to artists who work with the human form.
Fortunately there are sites like Model Society where beautiful images of the human form are welcomed and celebrated.
Being male presents it’s own challenges.
The female form is preferred when it comes to artistic nudes, and I totally get that. The female form is lovely. No argument from me!
Male nudes just aren’t as widely accepted. I get it.
Additionally, a lot of women are hesitant to work with a male photographer. I get that too.
Fortunately, all these challenges, real or imagined, can be overcome.
For myself, I can’t not create. There’s something that just calls me and pushes me to keep going.
Thankfully, there are those who are called to work with me for whatever reason – and the same applies to them; there’s just something that calls them and pushes them to create.
That’s one more thing that makes art so magical.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
You ask about “My Work”.
It’s funny because I’ve never considered myself a “photographer”. I resonate more with the term “artist”, and yet, that too falls short.
So, what is my work?
My work is to coax the frightened human spirit from behind the facades of society, the masks of religion, the pretense of false concepts, and to memorialize the incredible beauty of the liberated soul.
It is my hope that people will find a piece of themselves through my work. That they’ll bring their authentic essence to the fore and be ashamed no more.
The more noticable aspect of “my work” is to create stunning images of the human form.
The body is God’s original art.
It deserves to be honored, loved and cared for.
Our bodies are amazing vessels that allow us to enjoy our journey through this earth and often we spend the bulk of our years fighting it, wishing it were different, and admiring someone else’s far more than our own.
I believe that loving our bodies completely is a big piece of living a satisfied and fulfilling life.
It’s a tragedy to go through life feeling like one has to hide the very thing that enables us to have this life experience.
I’ve often thought about a question found in Genesis.
God found Adam and Eve hiding because they had learned they were naked.
God asked “Who told you that you were naked?”
It’s a valid question.
I find it a ironic that after centuries of worshipping God and trying to get back to that position of pure communion with the creator, most humans are still running around in abject and utter fear of their “nakedness” being discovered.
Nude – it’s our most natural state… and we’ve been taught to fear it… hide it… cover it up so no one can see it.
It’s no way to fully live.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
You gotta do you.
It doesn’t matter what your medium. You’ve got to find your own reasons and your own way.
My advice?
Try things. Try lots of things. Keep trying things.
Find your own style.
Look at other artist’s work. Pay attention to what lights you up.
Create what YOU love.
Don’t create for likes, or to sell, or because your mom thinks it’s what you should do.
Your art is always for YOU.
If others love it, that’s nice but it doesn’t matter!
Pricing:
- If you’re called to work with me, reach out and let’s set something up!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @seductivelightphotography, @ateliervictoriatx
- Other: https://modelsociety.com/Photographer/r-pedersen, https://modelsociety.com/Model/robert-p
