In 2012 the photographer Brock Elbank embarked on a series of portraits to celebrate the beauty of freckles. The result is an intimate collection of freckled faces, each with a story to tell. Although freckled skin or, to give it its proper name, ephelides, is most common in white people with fair skin and red hair, it occurs in people of all ethnicities. Freckles intensify with exposure to sun, but these days they are not considered to be a sign of sun damage. They generally appear when a child is about seven years old, and from then on will fade and intensify according to the time of year. Elbank has always been drawn to what he describes as 'visually rich individuals', and for him beauty is 'finding something so incredible that it's unique'. He was inspired to start the series after photographing a friend's freckly son, and has now shot models of all ages and backgrounds from a wide range of countries. 'What I find interesting about the individual characters that I have been fortunate enough to photograph is that many have struggled with their freckles since their infancy, and have either hated them or grown to live with them or even like them in adulthood', he explains. While many of his subjects come to the studio feeling awkward or vulnerable, they leave with a sense of liberation after seeing their portraits. This handsome book, impeccably produced and lovingly photographed, will be treasured by fans of portraiture and the human body, as well as ? of course ? by those with freckles themselves.
