Untitled Portraits

Ian Kenneth Bird captures intimate photos of adolescence
By Alex James Taylor | Art | 20 September 2018

Having made his name through intimate portraits of the London skate scene, Wolverhampton-born photographer Ian Kenneth Bird was soon picked up by fashion behemoths McQ and Dior Homme – shooting the campaign for Kris Van Assche‘s SS17 Black Carpet collection – eager to tap his intimate portraiture of adolescence.

Bird’s latest project sees him complete his third photo book, Untitled Portraits – following previous titles Don’t Know What I Want But I Want It Now and Archie. Taking a considered approach to casting, this new black and white photo series sees Bird photograph sixteen male subjects in a studio setting; developing on previous projects by bringing these faces “into a slightly more formal environment.”

“It’s a series of studio based portraits with a focus on casting and hair,” Bird tells us. “[I worked] closely with men’s hairstylist and groomer Michael Harding and Bruce Usher designing the publication and posters. I wanted to build on previous personal projects and cast and shoot people I found interesting but in a more considered way, this can almost be seen as an extension of my first publication Don’t Know What I Want But I Want It Now.”

GALLERY

Untitled Portraits is printed in a limited-edition run of 200 copies, available online.
Follow Ian on Instagram.


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