Olivia Gay is a French photographer, whose documentary work is centered on female issues. She's well known for her series "The Prostitutes" (1998-2002), "The Models" (2004-2005), "The Waitresses"(2000), "The Cashiers" (2006), and "The Workers" (2007-2008).
I chose her new work Les Africaines to show off her exceptional talents in environmental portraiture. The one of the woman and her baby against the blue wall is -in my view- the best in the series; expressive and the juxtaposition of the colors are just right...however do explore the rest of her work here.
On a tangential note, portraits such as Olivia's raise some issues for photographers. Are model releases required for such portraits, and how does one go about photographing people in similar situations? I will be posting on these questions soon...so don't miss it!
