Calatrava Interior

Architecture is not only functional, it’s also beautiful. At least it is to some of us.

A recent opportunity to photograph interiors of the Calatrava Wing of the Milwaukee Art Musuem netted this image.

It’s a HDR version of the central foyer.

Patterns, texture, repetitions: they are what life is all about.  Our lives pass with a texture unique to the individual. Our history, genetics, and education determine the patterns, or route we take through life.  And our character determines the decisions we repeat over and over again.

From overview to detail study the interior view offers detail upon detail for us to pay attention to, and the positioning of the exterior wings changes those patterns by the moment.

Architecture is a metaphor for life.

A whip in the mouth…

Sometimes a moment of whimsy can change an image completely. This young mom had brought along a beautiful silk kimono given to her by her hubby after a Chinese trip.

I have a lot of props laying around — sometimes things from one shoot dont get put away before the next one, other times I leave something out in plain sight to test the mood of a new client or model. People arrive in studio with an idea of what to expect — I like to rouse them out of their expectations where possible and to keep a mood of fun and lightness and experimentation.

The willingness to run with a moment’s impulse — to stay playful and experimental as one gets older is a wonderful and rare thing. I was delighted when young mom picked up this riding crop and put it between her teeth. Her eyes sparkled when she thought about how her husband would react to the image and that single action set the mood for some really great shots.

I like to think that most of the people I work with are friends. But even friends have their secrets. Even friends can be quirky and unpredictable and quite delightful because of the fact that you cannot tell what they will do. I sometimes think that’s a problem with marriages. People expect to get to the place where their partner doesn’t surprize them anymore. I think it’s a shame if we are so predictable that someone knows just what to expect from us.

I don’t mean in the sense of radical changes in character — if I know a person as trustworthy I’d rather not discover that they lie all the time. But unpredictable in the sense of willing to try new things, to experiment, to take whatever life dishes out and run with it — that’s a real and wonderful gift to go through life enjoying — for yourself and for the special people in it.