Candice Luka ‘Solbao‘ by Luca Helios
The setting of “Solbao” is quite striking. We’re on a patio, bordered by a plate glass partition, and in the distance the vivid blue sea under bright, cloudless skies. It’s simple and appealing, the kind of natural vista one could easily gaze at for hours at a time, day after day. Photographer Luka Helios places a single chair, fashioned from rustic, sun-bleached tree limbs against this beautiful backdrop, and sits his subject in it.
I’ve commented on this particular subject — Candice Luka — once before, and on that occasion I was thoroughly impressed by her beauty and personality. That set was also crafted by Mr. Helios, and much of what made the earlier series a success is present here.
Above and beyond her splendid physical architecture, Candice Luka has a warm spirit and an inviting smile. I haven’t performed a statistical comparison, but I think she’s a bit more reserved with her smile in “Solbao,” but when she shares it with us — #024 and #084 are two prime examples — it’s sincere and very nearly irresistible. And Candice Luka is, as I noted in my previous critique, not the slightest bit shy. She’s confident and proud of her body and we’re treated to numerous explicit poses as well as some high-impact extreme close-ups (#040, #051, #093, and #094 provide a representative sample).
With the summer sun high in the sky, Luka Helios has taken care to keep his model sheltered by an unseen overhang and she’s completely in shadow for virtually all of the pictorial. At times a tiny beam of sunshine kisses her lustrous hair (see #062). I understand the choice, but I can’t help but feel that the uniform shade dampens the tonal palette and the overall mood to some small degree. (A handful of images — #116 through #120 — at the very end of the series are shot in an entirely different setting, against a bright beige background, and they don’t suffer from this effect, perhaps validating my observation.)
A beautiful and charming model, a scenic location, and a wide variety of compositions — from figure studies to eye-popping extreme close-ups — all contribute to the success of “Solbao.” All that’s left for the viewer is to choose his or her preferred views.
Preview Gallery: Solbao
Art Nude Models: Met Art information.
