Pool ladies contact sheet - small format on aluminium, gloss finish, by Michael Joseph

Pool Ladies (Contact Sheet)
Photo taken in the 1980s
by Michael Joseph

Size: 15 cm (w) × 20 cm (h)
Medium: Aluminium print
Format: Small Format Print on Aluminium
Edition: Later print

A vivid study in repetition and performance, Pool Ladies (Contact Sheet) presents a grid of sequential frames capturing models posed along the pool’s edge. Rendered in saturated red with deep indigo borders, the contact sheet format preserves the raw energy of the shoot — each frame a subtle variation in stance, gesture, and expression.

The composition oscillates between glamour and graphic abstraction. Figures arch, lean, and pivot beneath the angular beams of the poolside structure, their silhouettes intensified by the monochrome crimson wash. The repeated frames create rhythm, transforming individual poses into a choreographed visual progression.

Rather than isolating a single “perfect” image, this work embraces the process itself. The contact sheet becomes both document and design — revealing the incremental shifts that shape a final composition. Editorial markings and frame divisions add to its authenticity, grounding the theatrical styling in photographic craft.

Created during the 1970s, when bold colour treatments and stylised aquatic imagery defined much commercial photography, this piece reflects Michael Joseph’s instinct for merging narrative glamour with experimental presentation. It captures not only the subject, but the act of looking and selecting.

Printed on aluminium, the intense reds and inky blacks gain heightened depth and clarity. The sleek surface enhances contrast and preserves the grid’s graphic structure, giving the image a contemporary finish while retaining its period character.

A dynamic and collectible small-format work, available exclusively through this gallery.

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