Risée Chaderton’s gallery at first look appears eclectic and widely inspired, drawing on a variety of composition skills and production techniques. In reality, Risée is driven by a desire to share her range of perspectives with a growing audience in Barbados and abroad.
PD: There is often some tension in the depiction of your subjects. Whether it’s the deep contrasts of colour and light or acute perspectives or steamy composition, such dramatic portrayal seems to represent your passion expressed through photography.
Risée: I am always pleased when people see as much passion in my images as I pour into making them. I like to communicate, it is a large part of my personality. Life itself is a conversation and sometimes you are an active participant, sometimes you're the fly on the wall. Through photography I like to make my viewers into that fly on the wall, voyeurs if you will, to the conversation.
PD: “All the world’s a stage..” goes the famous quote, and I’m struck by your Josephine Baker reprise.
Tell us about the passion in producing these and other works. Are you the art director as well?
Risée: I am also art director although I've never given that title much thought. I have a vision and I pursue that vision and see it through. Often, because I work with ordinary people more often than professional models, I'll resort to humor and toddler level silliness to elicit the reaction I want.
I'm not above acting out to get my way.
PD: So much for "ordinary people" by the way. You clearly have an eye for latent character, and the right scenario for revealing it in every personality.
Risée: A wonderful woman, serene and beautiful, when I saw her I was immediately struck by how much she reminded me of a queen, the strength of Hatshepsut and the poise and beauty of Nefer Nefru Aten Nefertiti.
"I will admit that being interviewed is difficult for me, photography feels intuitive, something that extends from me like a series of deep breaths and in turn I breathe the character of my subject to be expelled again in the images I produce."
Let me close with a view to the future if I may. What's next for Risée Chaderton?"
"I continue to evolve and that evolution leads me to new people and new opportunities, no one can speak of the future in concrete terms but I can assure you that my future includes learning and growth". >>>
