Jan 2016

Moab Desert | Movement + Light in Photography

So this is the thing. I’m obsessed with three things when it comes to photography: movement, light, and film. I’m not terribly original. In fact, I think most photographers are obsessed with the same three things. Nonetheless, I really truly can’t get enough.

[I’m also obsessed with a crucial fourth element — authenticity — which I do believe that my portfolio showcases… *however* since the woman featured in these pics is a model, I’m not super sure that authenticity applies in this case. Still, I love these shots :)].

I was down in Moab with my favorite collaborators (Bryce Johnson, Emily White, Robyn Cage, Carley Throgmorton) working on our fashion film Reverie, and while the crew was prepping and doing their thang, I stole model/actress Shona Kay for a few rounds with my Contax 645 + some Portra 160 medium format film. We had maybe ten minutes — if that — and I only shot these 25 or so images, but when I got the film scans back, I swooned. Drooled. Grinned. They were exactly what I hoped to capture: movement + light, on film. And, actually, as I review these, I believe there IS in fact authenticity in Shona’s graceful, beautiful lines as she walks, laughs, and dances. I love that.

I just… I dunno. This shoot still makes me proud. Inspires me. Sure, yeah, it’s a model and it’s perfect light, and that’s rarely the case when I photograph unless the client is really committed to getting idealized shots (i.e, shoot at 6am, travel to places like this, etc). So, these few minutes, for me, were a treat — a chance to play in a fantasy world where all the factors came together to create something I call magic.

If you’d like to see a few behind-the-scenes images from our filmmaking, be sure to click here!