in bed

The first time it happened I remember feeling like, ok so here it is, I found it. See, I'm lucky enough to have a lot passion in my life, a lot of activities and interests that truly move me. When I really think about what all those have in common it's you. Everything I have ever done or created in a sense has been to get beyond myself, to tell a truth, to convey an experience, to tell a story, and to connect to other people. 

If you know me you know I am not a very opinionated person, I'm not political, religious, I don't play favorites, and I am always willing to hear someone out. I believe we all serve a purpose and I don't usually care that I may not know what that purpose is.

Do you remember the first novel you read? I mean really read, like it totally took you over and you felt like those characters were real, you knew them, you felt what they felt and when you were done it was almost as if everything that had happened to them had happened to you. There are people out there, in my experience mostly artists, who have figured out a way to do what they do in such an honest way that it becomes 'a truth" not "the" truth "a" truth because I know there are many and I know they change. It is this indisputable reality, it's indisputable because its a feeling, and you can't argue feelings.

This is always what I seem to be reaching for, a way to convey a truth between people, on their wedding day or in their homes. I look for those little tiny glances people share, or the way they hold themselves, the way their bodies interact with the world and with each other.

Since I have begun photographing strangers I quickly realized this isn't an easy task. The moment people feel like they are on display and there is a camera in front of them people shift, they change, and they begin to wonder what they must look like through that lens instead of just letting themselves be seen. I learned right away that being a photographer was not just learning how to use the thing I held in my hand it was mostly learning how to not only interact with people in an organic way but also giving them a space to honestly interact with me in return.

I think it is such a gift when someone lets themselves "be seen" when they put aside assumptions and comparisons and just are who they are for every one around them to take in and love, unapologetically. When I say I want to help people do this I mean it, truly. What an amazing affirmation it is to feel how truly needed and equal you are to everything in your world.

Some of the most magical sessions I have had are in people's beds. There is something very private and intimate about the bed and I think when people are there it becomes easier to breath and relax, to slip into that state that they live in when they are alone or with the people they love. I want to photograph people there in that privacy.

I am lucky enough to attract amazing clients who are wiling to invite me into this privacy, but I know that there are still a lot of people out there who might be a little nervous to be photographed in this way. I want this to support a form of self love, allowing yourself to be seen by someone else in a way that can be given back to you in images that you can keep forever. This could mean you are photographed alone, with your partner, your family, your pet... 

These sessions will be a little different than my normal portrait sessions. They will last between 30-45 minutes and happen completely in bed. There will be a short questionnaire that I ask you to fill out before your session so that I can come to your session with a bit more context. The other thing to mention is that by taking part in this project it is important that you know that I plan to compile these stories and images into some cohesive some day. Right now I am not 100% sure what that means, it could be a show or book, but that is something that you'll be agreeing to when you sign the IN BED SESSION contract. 

If you would like to be a part of this series you can contact me here.

For the next few months I will be in Colorado, Nashville, Asheville, Charlotte, Chapel Hill, London, Manchester, All over Scotland, All over Ireland, NYC, and Saratoga Springs.