Elliott Wilcox is primarily a fashion and sports person portrait photographer, working for some of the big names, Converse, Nike, Urban Outfitters.  In his website (Elliott Wilcox, s.d.) the first thing you see is people, people standing, people jumping, people in your face. Saturated colours. Moody glances. However, as you work down the page, past all the glitter and the glamour, you come across three very different pieces of work. More personal, although absent of people.

Courts is a series of images of sports courts. They are hyper saturated with colour, while remaining quiet and reflective. The walls show multiple marks were the ball (and bodies) have hit. The energy of the players has been transmuted into these tiny marks.

Walls shows climbing walls, or rather the close-up details that you would probably only usually see if you were close up and personal with them, hanging on. If you saw one of the images out of context mots people would not know what they were. They are abstract patterns, areas of light and shade. But with the minimal context given by the title they make sense. I can imagine (with terror) balancing on a point, clinging to the surface. The sheer strength required to do so.

There is a third piece Inhalers where he pictures the inhalers used to treat asthma, enlarged and isolated against a blue background, seemingly hanging in mid air. They show traces of life in the dirt and lipstick. They are lifesavers to many people.

The contrast between this work and his commercial work is startling. They use the same techniques, large format, highly coloured images. They tell about the person in their sheer absence of people.

Reference:

Elliott Wilcox (s.d.) At: https://www.elliottwilcox.co.uk (Accessed 08/07/2020).