This one is my favorite from the recent mirror session.  There is something that is incredibly simple in this photograph, enhanced I think by the basic black and white treatment.  But then again, in many ways I find it complicated and it takes me a moment to absorb because you don’t quite expect the boy in focus to be upside down and the only ‘normal’ position are his cute feet.  

Life reflected in art is my best way to describe this 

Another photograph from the recent mirror session.   It wasn’t long after Mum pulled off his clothes it became apparent that the young man wasn’t so happy.  I think it was because the mirror was probably too cold for him and we should have warmed it with a hair dryer first.  Luckily I work quick and managed to grab a few good captures with him while he was naked and much happier!  

As folks know I’m always looking for ways to create a different look for my clients and I’m constantly looking for new ideas and inspiration.  I’m not someone that uses silly prop’s or anything like that so when Heather and I started to discuss a shoot that we had scheduled for Bryson we both started to get excited about using a large mirror and sitting her son on top of that.   Before they got there Amy and I carried the large mirror from the entry way into the main studio area.  We then setup a black backdrop behind, making sure it was super tall so there was no other light entering the top at the frame.  After setting up one of my BrittDome  lights in about the center of the mirror I borrowed Mr Jester and used him as my lighting model.  

As soon as the clients arrived we decided to give it a go, taking extra special care with this young man as we positioned him on the mirror.  Luckily he was an age where he was sitting up and he seemed quite interested in his reflection below him.  All in all I really liked the results, especially when he was looking at me through the mirror with his head slightly down.

I decided to create a new blog that’s primary focus is the new studio that I’m going to open.  Over the last couple of years I have spent much more of my time photographing people and it occurred to me that I really enjoy it.  To me there is something very special about being able to capture that instant of time, that fleeting moment, a facial expression, a certain glint in the eyes.  And its not just about a person, its about relationships and the people they love.  Broadly speaking I call this my ‘life’ photography.  And then what I really love, is the expression that I get when I delivery a big print to a client with one of their kids on it.  That moment, watching their reactions has to be priceless. 

So to this end I decided to open up a studio to extend the current services that I offer.  There is still much work to be done to get it ready and I’m sure its going to take me longer than I hope, but the goal is to get it complete, along with launching my new web site by late summer 2007.  Time will tell if that happens on time.   Until I get things setup I’m not sure how much time I will spend here and of course I still need to keep my current blog, Image and Word active.  I think I will involve that to focus on my travel and just live in Seattle.  Time will see.

More on the studio and why I decided to open it at some other time.  Cheers,

Phil Holden