--- description: In British artist Richard Learoyd’s new portrait series Presences, his minutely detailed life-size prints bring the viewer uncomfortably close, invoking a dichotomy of intimacy and... title: Uncomfortably Close: Richard Learoyd’s, Presences image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta81e5a20d34dc5ae/698788303c1639450f452b97/177-tatiana-with-lens-re.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Uncomfortably Close: Richard Learoyd's, Presences by [Caroline Smith](/author/caroline-smith/) ## Caroline Smith Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 27, 2011 7:45 PM CUT  Tatiana with Imperfect Lense, 2011 Tatiana with Imperfect Lense, 2011Courtesy Richard Learoyd—Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco by [Caroline Smith](/author/caroline-smith/) ## Caroline Smith Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 27, 2011 7:45 PM CUT In British artist [Richard Learoyd](http://www.richardlearoyd.com/ "undefined")’s new portrait series _Presence_s, his minutely detailed life-size prints bring the viewer uncomfortably close, invoking a dichotomy of intimacy and loneliness.more  Thai police officers assist a colleague after an explosion during clashes with anti-government protesters near Government House in Bangkok Feb.18, 2014 Athit Perawongmetha—Reuters Using the most basic form of photography, the camera obscura, Learoyd marries old technology with new: strobe lighting, state of the art optics and Ilfochrome printing to create unexpected voyeurism. “I suppose people see it as alternative process,” says Learoyd, “but I see it as an alternative use of modern materials.” Each of Learoyd’s unique portraits are born through a laborious commitment of both physical and mental stamina. Models arrive at his studio prepared for a full day, and often two, of sitting still under hot lights. “The way I do things is like taking one photograph and the exposure is 8 hours, the whole day is the exposure,” says Learoyd. “There is hardly anybody who works in studios in the context that I do because it’s painful. Its difficult. It’s a brain ache.” Some models have been participating in these marathon sessions for more than five years. “I like to work with the same people,” says Learoyd, “because the process is awkward and difficult and it takes a while to teach people how to do it.” Often, they are friends of friends with the sort of timeless features and style that won’t date the images down the road. In the closed world of the studio, he plays the role of therapist for some, for others he is just an eccentric. But at the end of the day, Learoyd is careful to keep his distance. “I don’t socialize with them,” says Learoyd. “I don’t mingle.” He sees the relationship as productive without the muddied distractions of friendship. The collaboration produces a one-of-a-kind, direct positive print, with no negative. Editing is done as each picture is made: “I decide if something is good or bad, then I live with it.” He destroys the discarded images by slashing them, spray painting them and rolling them up wet. “You have to be brutal with yourself. It’s only you who can make those decisions and I make them instantaneously. ” says Learoyd. Learoyd’s portraits question the ability of the viewer to truly know another person. “There is a closeness people crave from others that is always thwarted,” says Learoyd. “Quite often I think we’d like to merge with others, but there’s always something in between. In this case, its the surface of a photograph.” Learoyd’s _Presences_ will be on view at the [Fraenkel Gallery](http://www.fraenkelgallery.com "undefined") in San Francisco from May 5 to June 25, 2011.  Rachel, 2009 Courtesy Richard Learoyd—Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco  Tatiana with Imperfect Lense, 2011 Courtesy Richard Learoyd—Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco  Phie Nude, 2011 Courtesy Richard Learoyd—Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco  Long Black, 2010 Courtesy Richard Learoyd—Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco  Agnes to the Right, 2011 Courtesy Richard Learoyd—Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3776629/uncomfortably-close-richard-learoyds-presences/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3776629/uncomfortably-close-richard-learoyds-presences/"},"headline":"Uncomfortably Close: Richard Learoyd's, Presences","datePublished":"2011-04-27T19:45:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:41:33.244Z","description":"In British artist Richard Learoyd’s new portrait series Presences, his minutely detailed life-size prints bring the viewer uncomfortably close, invoking a dichotomy of intimacy and...","url":"https://time.com/3776629/uncomfortably-close-richard-learoyds-presences/","keywords":["LightBox","photographer","Model","British","Portrait","Large-Format Photography","Toolbox"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta81e5a20d34dc5ae/698788303c1639450f452b97/177-tatiana-with-lens-re.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Caroline Smith","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/caroline-smith/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta81e5a20d34dc5ae/698788303c1639450f452b97/177-tatiana-with-lens-re.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Tatiana with imperfect lens, Richard Learoyd","caption":"Tatiana with Imperfect Lense, 2011","creditText":"Courtesy Richard Learoyd—Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-lightbox/","name":"LightBox"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3776629/uncomfortably-close-richard-learoyds-presences/","name":"Uncomfortably Close: Richard Learoyd's, Presences"}}]}] ```