Twin contributor Mari Sarai shoots the
world’s coolest celebrities and models. So what happened when the Japanese photographer asked some of them to pose for a book of nudes? Playful, slick and downright hot, Naked is a girl’s own take on Helmut Newton’s glamazons.
Twin asked Sarai to tell us a bit about the project:
How did the book come about?
One very famous Japanese editor, Masa Sugatsuke approached me to make an all-nude book in June 2009. That’s how the project started.
A lot of the women in the book are models – how did shooting Naked feel different to a normal fashion shoot?
Shooting subjects naked is very different from a normal fashion shoot. There’s no clothes anyway. I shoot with a very minimal team when I shoot for Naked. I focused on our privacy and intimacy for this project.
How did being a female photographer affect the kind of nude images you ended up with?
Just adding one more spice for my style and name, that’s all.
A lot of the photos are in black and white and project a strong and tough take on femininity, was that on purpose?
It is on purpose and it’s my style.
How did you go about approaching people like Alice Dellal and Twin’s own Celestine Cooney?
I have shot with Alice Dellal before and we knew each other. Same with Celestine Cooney. We are friends and so it’s a very comfortable situation.
What’s been most people’s reaction to the book?
People just love it. And so many people want to take off their clothes for me now. It’s brilliant!
Is there going to be a follow-up to Naked?
Yes, I have already started shooting for Naked II. I have photographed 10 people including Janice Dickinson.
Mari Sarai’s Naked goes on show at the Blackall Studios, EC2A 4QS from September 14 – 20 and at Doors Showcase, EC2A 3DU September 21 – October 13.
marisarai.com
blackallstudios.com
doorsshowcase.com