Animal magnetism
South African photographers Lauren and Liam Cornell take their inspiration from their natural surroundings.
Animal magnetism
South African photographers Lauren and Liam Cornell take their inspiration from their natural surroundings.
Life doesn’t always turn out the way you plan it. Nor do careers.
South African photographers Lauren and Liam Cornell, the husband-and-wife team behind the Searching 4 Eden nude photography project, are perfect examples.
“Believe it or not, we met in 2007 while training animals for the film industry,” laughs Lauren. “As a hobby, we took photos every day, as a way of documenting our crazy life working with zebras, antelopes, baboons and the like. From there we turned our attention to photography as more of a full-time occupation, but at first we still focused on nature and wildlife photography. We had a small wildlife curio business as a sideline, but as time passed, we started to shoot whatever excited us: sports, weddings, products, fashion and landscapes.”
The idea of shooting a nude series was also there, but as Lauren admits: “We had a few false starts, and the only thing we had really figured out were some of the ways in which we didn't want to shoot: no make-up, models or elaborate poses. It was a few days after our wedding, while having a quick skinny dip with some friends and taking some natural photos of us all, that Searching 4 Eden was born. The idea came to life and somehow we knew what we needed to do. That was it. From there on, the series totally engulfed our life in a way that we never anticipated.”
Energy
Whilst it might have started out as just another photography series, it quickly became how the couple lived their life. “All of our time and energy goes into the project,” says Lauren. “Or at least it did. 2022 was something of a sabbatical year for us. After several years of shooting every aspect of our life, I am afraid to say we were feeling a little burnt out. So we took a break. But we have renewed our passion and love for what we are doing, and we are really looking forward to a new set of adventures.”
That includes spreading their wings. “The tone and theme of the series has remained fairly constant since we began,” Lauren explains. “Non-sexual nudity, beautiful landscapes, nature, and natural interactions with the landscape. However, South Africa's attitude has changed towards nudity a lot, and not necessarily for the better. I feel like growing up it was more accepted, whereas now unfortunately - like many activities in the country - it's a safety risk.
“Both Liam and I have always been comfortable being naked socially. We’ve never seen it as a negative thing, unless it impacts on others adversely. But obviously people are influenced by their culture and experiences, and if you’ve never been - pardon the pun - exposed to naturism, I can understand that it might seem alien to you.
“We would never want to offend anybody, so it’s probably a good thing that our favourite beaches and locations are the empty ones. Thankfully, South Africa has a lot of space. To us, the destination is one of the most important parts of the experience. Feeling like we are the only people there is half the fun! So that usually means getting there isn't easy.”
Experience
The couple are obviously keen advocates of the lifestyle. “We’ve both been naturists for as long as we can remember,” confirms Liam. “We highly recommend everyone to try it - in nature, or even in the privacy of your own home. Just let it all go, and just ‘be.’ Feel the sun on your skin, or the snow beneath your feet - wherever you are, just experience it.”
That philosophy extends to their photography.
“We wanted our project to be just as much about the experience as it is about the photos,” Liam continues. “We have only one rule when shooting: everyone gets naked. We found that clothing created too much of a divide between us and our subjects. It’s the fundamental difference and it has changed the whole experience and tone of the series. Suddenly we are all equal, all perfectly imperfect. Nudity just becomes normal.
“The people we shoot with aren't models (although some of them do happen to be models by profession) and in that way they are the inspiration for the shoot. It is their experience that we are there to facilitate and capture.
“We don’t charge the people who shoot with us. Every shoot is an authentic experience with either our friends or someone who has connected with us, often via social media. Real people who share the same philosophies around nature and nudity that we do. Each person who joins us on an adventure has their own reasons for wanting to do it. Some of them were raised in a naturist environment and just enjoy it, others are survivors of abuse or assault. Some are on a journey, learning to love their bodies; others are learning to let go of the shame around nudity. Each person brings their own story.”
Share
Making a living out of the lifestyle is another matter.
“We share everything to our Patreon and OnlyFans subscription pages,” explains Lauren. “That’s how we pay the bills. Vlogs, drone videos set to music, outtakes and photos galore, along with a story of each shoot, are all included as part of the package.
“The destinations we pretty much hunt for ourselves, although we’ll always take recommendations. If we aren’t shooting for the series, we are out scouting for locations. We almost always shoot in some remote location that takes us a minimum of two hours to hike to. We find the further away we get, the safer people feel to open themselves to the experience. And we’re pretty fearless. We’re not limited by the country or terrain.”
Like a lot of photographers of their generation, both Lauren and Liam are tech-savvy. Searching 4 Eden is mainly promoted via Instagram, Vimeo and Twitter, although as Lauren bemoans: “Instagram is effective, but the censorship is a real downer. We have had at least half a dozen occasions when our account has been temporarily suspended. It's frustrating, because we are trying to promote something innocent and beautiful. However, on the whole, social media is still a wonderful way to share our art and connect with people, and we have a really amazing community who support us.
“The feedback has always been really positive around the series. People love it, and relate to it on varying levels. Commercially, it’s been viable for us, but it’s difficult to scale up. Unless we start offering ‘nudist tours’ or some such thing. But that in itself would change what it is we are doing, and what we love about the series. It’s why the support from our patrons is really so important, and why we are so grateful for it: so we can continue shooting.
“Perhaps we live in a happy little bubble here,” Lauren concludes. “I don’t think that outside trends affect what we do so much, because of the nature of the series. We need to cover our costs and make a reasonable living from it, but we aren’t trying to ‘sell’ anything as such. Instead we are trying to show beauty in the simplest aspects of life. In essence, we are anti-popular culture and anti-trend, because these are all things that taint the very thing we promote: the incredible beauty of humanity in our most honest state.”
Back to nature, indeed.
Instagram: @searching4eden_
