Chris Isner is a figure photographer based in Los Angeles, working in long sessions of natural light — on tile floors, against linen, in the hours either side of noon.
His work occupies a quiet middle ground between portrait and form study. The bodies in his photographs are not subjects so much as geometries — a shoulder against a wall, the long line of a thigh, the way a foot turns when no one is looking.
Trained as a sculptor before he picked up a camera, he prints almost exclusively in silver gelatin and platinum. Editions are small. Sessions are private. The mood is closer to a life-drawing room than a fashion set.
He travels three or four times a year for commissions — Cartagena in spring, Madrid and Granada in early autumn — and otherwise can be found in a converted garage off Sunset, the door open to the lemon tree.
All sessions are by application. A short conversation comes first; there is no shoot until both parties feel easy.