In this Q&A, fine art photographer Nanthan discusses what inspired his new portrait series that seeks to explore silence, resilience, and vulnerability in men at their midlife point.
"These portraits are an invitation for men to slow down, to breathe, and to allow themselves to feel without fear of judgement or the need to perform strength."
About Nanthan:
I’m Nanthan, a London-based conceptual fine art photographer originally from Malaysia. My work explores masculinity, queerness, and identity through stark black and white portraiture. It has been exhibited in both London and Madrid, where audiences connected with its themes of resilience, silence, and vulnerability. I use photography as a way to bridge personal experience with wider cultural conversations.
It’s a portrait series about the inner storms of midlife. The work looks at vulnerability, resilience, and transformation at a stage of life often misrepresented as either decline or rebellion. Through black and white studies, the series asks what it really means to carry silence, and how strength can also mean softness. Above all, it is about giving men permission to be seen as they truly are.
In 2018, I lost both of my parents, and it sent huge waves through my life. It made me stop and think about what was next, not only in terms of my future but also in how I could live openly as a gay man. Growing up in Malaysia, I never really had the freedom to be myself, and grief made that silence even heavier.
Two years later, in 2020, I was laid off from the aviation company I had been working with. My life felt like it was turned upside down. But even then, I didn’t let go of my motivation. I wanted to keep going and follow my ambition of becoming a photographer. That decision eventually brought me to the UK for my MA in Photography. All of those experiences shaped the work I do now, and this series grew out of that journey.
I worked mostly with men in their thirties to fifties, people who understood what it feels like to carry the weight of midlife. I wanted the portraits to feel stripped back, so the lighting is sharp and simple, carving out every line and shadow to show both fragility and resilience.
Black and white felt essential because it removes distraction and leaves only honesty. The poses are kept minimal, more about gestures and presence than performance. Post-processing was light, just enough to hold onto the rawness of the moment.
The message I hope people take from this work is that vulnerability is not weakness. Silence can feel heavy, but it also carries meaning. These portraits are an invitation for men to slow down, to breathe, and to allow themselves to feel without fear of judgement or the need to perform strength.
My hope is that this series sparks conversations among men and across wider communities about what midlife really means, outside of the usual stereotypes. If even one person feels less alone when they look at these portraits, then the work has done what it was meant to do.
I am also developing my next series, Bodies Without Labels. This project resists narrow definitions of identity and focuses on the resilience and visibility of queer lives. Through intimate portraits, it explores both pride and vulnerability while addressing the intersectional marginalisation faced within the LGBTQ community. The aim is to show that every body carries many stories, none of which can be confined to a single label or stereotype.
-Nanthan, nanthanphotography.com, London, United Kingdom