Michael Mapes anatomical approach in photography
Art

Michael Mapes anatomical approach in photography

Michael Mapes anatomical approach in photography
Entomological Portrait of thousands of individual specimens consisting of dissected photographs and prints combined into a collage. Michael Mapes anatomical approach in photography

Michael Mapes anatomical approach in photography
Portraits made by Michael Mapes look like creepy entomological pictures carefully dissected, cataloged and combined into a collage. But this is not the dry anatomical approach, but in-depth study of the human personality. Professional photographer Michael Mapes uses hundreds of images in his work. Michael calls his art works «specimens», he captures and “preserves” the individual and the typical features of the person with whom he had to work. Before to get started, Michael spends a lot of time with a person, an object of the future “research” trying to know him better. If he is not interested in the identity of the person, he will not take pictures.

Michael Mapes anatomical portraits
Entomological Portraits by professional photographer Michael Mapes. He places fragments of shots in glass vials, plastic bags and capsules…

Michael places numerous fragments of shots in glass vials, plastic bags and capsules, puts them under a magnifying glass and skewers on the pins as dried insects or plants for a herbarium. And in his collection there are handwriting samples and fingerprints, bottles of nail clippings and hair samples as research objects.

Michael Mapes anatomical portraits
Entomological approach in creating collage portraits. Art work by professional photographer Michael Mapes

Michael Mapes anatomical approach in photography

Michael Mapes anatomical approach in photography
Detail. Specimen No. 18
Michael Mapes anatomical approach in photography
Specimen No. 18
Michael Mapes anatomical approach in photography
Work by Michael Mapes consists of photographic prints, misc collage materials, insect pins, pinning foam, glass vials, magnifiers, gelatin capsules, specimen bags, human hair, fingernail, sand, and even dirt
Michael Mapes anatomical approach in photography
Specimen No. 07
Michael Mapes anatomical approach in photography
Face Entomological Portrait
Michael Mapes anatomical approach in photography
Exhibition of Portraits

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