I came across the work of photographer Olivier Valsecchi via the great blog 500 Photographers, which aims to introduce its readership to the work of some of the most exciting contemporary photographers from around the world. I've discovered a lot of great stuff through them.

I've always loved portraiture in all mediums, probably in part because the act of taking portraits of other people makes me feel awkward. I love taking photographs but generally, I stick to subject matter that is inactive and inanimate. I'm okay with taking spur of the moment photos of people at parties and on the sly while wandering around, but as soon as my subject is actively aware and participating in a formal photograph I just feel insecure and unsure about what I want to do. Something to work on I guess.

Valsecchi's Dust series (2009) is an interesting middle point because although it's technically portraiture, he's using the body almost as if it's inanimate or secondary. In his work, the body is a surface over which to bounce light and powder. The results are stunning and the physical bodies look quite abstract to me. Brilliant idea.

The above image is from Valesecchi's website and can be found under Dust.