ALTAR logo by Glenn Alderson featuring an ornate letter A with a hidden camera, symbolising photography, identity and self-discovery.

Rituals of Being Human

The Places We Return To

ALTAR is an ongoing fine-art photography project exploring identity, intimacy, vulnerability and the private rituals that shape who we are.

It is about the places we return to—physically, emotionally and within ourselves.

Rather than beginning with a fixed concept, each series begins with a person and five questions. Their answers guide the location, atmosphere and direction of the photographs. The result is not intended to be a traditional portrait or a performance for the camera. It is a collaboration: part observation, part conversation and part personal ritual.

The people photographed are not being asked to become characters. They are being given space to reveal something honest—strength, softness, desire, uncertainty, transformation or contradiction.

ALTAR is interested in what exists beneath the roles we perform for everyone else.

 

THE GALLERY

A collection of individual stories, connected by the experience of being human.

Some images are quiet. Some are confronting. Some explore sensuality, nudity or power. Each series is created with trust, collaboration and the full consent of the person photographed.

 

THE FIVE QUESTIONS

Every ALTAR collaboration begins with five questions.

There are no correct answers and no expectation to arrive with a fully formed idea. The questions simply give us somewhere honest to begin.

From those answers, we create something personal together.

 

 

MY THOUGHTS

“Many of the photographs in this series explore tension between different versions of ourselves. This image feels different. There is no argument taking place here. No judgement. No performance. Just two versions of the same person sharing the same room and the same light. Sometimes healing isn’t becoming someone new. Sometimes it’s simply learning to sit beside yourself.”

I’d like to point out that the thoughts and feelings I write about these images are my own reflections, not those of the model.

When creating these works, whether during the shoot itself or later while editing, I often find myself exploring my own emotions, experiences, and perspectives through the image. The photographs may feature another person, but the interpretation and meaning I describe are often a reflection of where I am in life at that moment.

 

 

ALTAR

FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

A clothed woman and a nude version of herself share a quiet moment around a single lamp. Neither dominates the space. Neither disappears. The image explores the possibility that self-acceptance is not about choosing one version of ourselves over another, but allowing them to exist together. MUSE: Ferine

~ Meeting Myself ~

A clothed woman and a nude version of herself share a quiet moment around a single lamp. Neither dominates the space. Neither disappears. The image explores the possibility that self-acceptance is not about choosing one version of ourselves over another, but allowing them to exist together. MUSE: Ferine

A nude woman stands before a window while another version of herself watches from behind the glass. The image explores the small distance that often exists between who we are and who we allow ourselves to become. The separation is visible, but it is no longer a barrier. My Thoughts “Many of these photographs explore conflict between different versions of ourselves. This image feels gentler. The two figures are not opposing each other. They seem curious. One has stepped forward while the other remains behind the window, watching. The distance between them is small, but meaningful. Sometimes transformation doesn’t happen all at once. Sometimes it arrives one step at a time.”

~ The Distance Between Us ~

A nude woman stands before a window while another version of herself watches from behind the glass. The image explores the small distance that often exists between who we are and who we allow ourselves to become. The separation is visible, but it is no longer a barrier. My Thoughts “Many of these photographs explore conflict between different versions of ourselves. This image feels gentler. The two figures are not opposing each other. They seem curious. One has stepped forward while the other remains behind the window, watching. The distance between them is small, but meaningful. Sometimes transformation doesn’t happen all at once. Sometimes it arrives one step at a time.”

A woman studies herself while another version waits in the reflection. My Thoughts: Identity is not discovered. It is continually created. Muse: FERNE

~ Becoming ~

A woman studies herself while another version waits in the reflection. My Thoughts: Identity is not discovered. It is continually created. Muse: FERNE

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Some people perform for the world. Others simply exist within it. The morning coffee tastes the same whether anyone is watching or not.

~ Morning Ritual ~

Some people perform for the world. Others simply exist within it. The morning coffee tastes the same whether anyone is watching or not.

Not every act of confidence is loud. Sometimes confidence is simply standing still, comfortable with who you are, without needing to explain yourself to anyone.

~ Comfort In My Own Skin ~

Not every act of confidence is loud. Sometimes confidence is simply standing still, comfortable with who you are, without needing to explain yourself to anyone.

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Some people spend their lives seeking approval. Others quietly step outside those expectations and build a life on their own terms. Photographed in the fading light of an old cottage doorway, this portrait reflects a confidence that doesn’t ask to be understood. It simply exists.

~ No Permission Required ~

Some people spend their lives seeking approval. Others quietly step outside those expectations and build a life on their own terms. Photographed in the fading light of an old cottage doorway, this portrait reflects a confidence that doesn’t ask to be understood. It simply exists.

We carry many versions of ourselves through life. Some are visible. Some are hidden. Some live only in memory, waiting quietly in familiar rooms until we are ready to acknowledge them again. This image explores the relationship between who we present to the world and the parts of ourselves that never truly leave. My Thoughts & Feelings: I’ve always been fascinated by the idea that we never become a single person. Instead, we collect versions of ourselves. The child. The teenager. The lover. The artist. The broken version. The healed version. They all remain with us. Sometimes we encounter them unexpectedly in old photographs, familiar songs, or quiet moments alone. This image feels like meeting one of those earlier selves and realising they never really disappeared.

~ Between Chapters ~

We carry many versions of ourselves through life. Some are visible. Some are hidden. Some live only in memory, waiting quietly in familiar rooms until we are ready to acknowledge them again. This image explores the relationship between who we present to the world and the parts of ourselves that never truly leave. My Thoughts & Feelings: I’ve always been fascinated by the idea that we never become a single person. Instead, we collect versions of ourselves. The child. The teenager. The lover. The artist. The broken version. The healed version. They all remain with us. Sometimes we encounter them unexpectedly in old photographs, familiar songs, or quiet moments alone. This image feels like meeting one of those earlier selves and realising they never really disappeared.

This image reminds me that none of us arrive at this moment alone. We carry every version of ourselves with us. The hopeful one. The wounded one. The curious one. The fearful one. The version that wanted to give up. The version that kept going. For much of my life I believed growth meant leaving old versions of myself behind. The older I become, the more I realise they still walk beside me. They helped build the person sitting here today. This image feels less like conflict and more like acknowledgement. A quiet understanding that every chapter, every mistake, every triumph and every scar still belongs.

~ All Of Me ~

This image reminds me that none of us arrive at this moment alone. We carry every version of ourselves with us. The hopeful one. The wounded one. The curious one. The fearful one. The version that wanted to give up. The version that kept going. For much of my life I believed growth meant leaving old versions of myself behind. The older I become, the more I realise they still walk beside me. They helped build the person sitting here today. This image feels less like conflict and more like acknowledgement. A quiet understanding that every chapter, every mistake, every triumph and every scar still belongs.

Suspended between who we were and who we are becoming. In the stillness of familiar walls, reflections emerge. Memories linger. Older versions of ourselves watch from the corners of rooms we thought we had outgrown. Sometimes transformation doesn’t happen with noise or certainty. Sometimes it happens in silence. My Thoughts This image reminds me of the different versions of ourselves we carry throughout life. The person we see in the mirror. The person other people remember. The person we are trying to become. I often think about how much of our lives are spent moving between identities. Not dramatic transformations, but small shifts that happen so slowly we barely notice them until one day we realise we are no longer the same person. This image feels like standing in that space between past and future, quietly taking stock of who we are.

~ A quiet moment ~

Suspended between who we were and who we are becoming. In the stillness of familiar walls, reflections emerge. Memories linger. Older versions of ourselves watch from the corners of rooms we thought we had outgrown. Sometimes transformation doesn’t happen with noise or certainty. Sometimes it happens in silence. My Thoughts This image reminds me of the different versions of ourselves we carry throughout life. The person we see in the mirror. The person other people remember. The person we are trying to become. I often think about how much of our lives are spent moving between identities. Not dramatic transformations, but small shifts that happen so slowly we barely notice them until one day we realise we are no longer the same person. This image feels like standing in that space between past and future, quietly taking stock of who we are.

 

BECOME PART OF ALTAR

You do not need to be a model.

ALTAR is about real people, lived experience and the parts of ourselves that do not always have a place to be seen.

If the project connects with you and you would like to explore your own story through photography, you are welcome to get in touch.

Tell me your story

ABOUT THE ARTIST

ALTAR is the fine-art identity of South Australian photographer Glenn Alderson.

After more than twenty years photographing people, I became interested in what happens when photography moves beyond simply recording how someone looks.

ALTAR gives me the freedom to explore who people are, what they carry and what they choose to reveal when they feel genuinely seen.

This work is slower, more personal and led by connection rather than performance.

 

CONTACT

For collaborations, exhibitions, print enquiries or other conversations about the project:

Get in touch

Instagram · DeviantArt

 

This website contains artistic nudity and mature themes. All participants depicted are consenting adults aged 18 or over.

“I’ve realised I don’t photograph genres. I photograph what it means to be human.”

GLENN ALDERSON