"I would like to be able to take a photo of a dream." - Helene Cixous

This quote sets the tone for this photograph taken in a San Francisco studio. The image is dreamlike, indistinct, and fleeting, capturing the essence of our dreams. Close, yet out of reach, recognizable yet fuzzy, waiting at the edge of reality and fantasy to draw us ever closer to the elixir of beauty. This mood can be set in many ways, but this image --shot on film--was made using a light backdrop and a colored filter to give both a washing of light on the back and a silhouette affect on the lower body. Although I generally do not like images of the nude using soft focus, it is the only way that this image works to create the desired mood. A sharp focus just does not have the desired mood, even though the image is otherwise identical. The halo effect of the light reflection off of the light skin also adds to the dreamlike quality. In general, I prefer to photograph the body in the outdoors, but the ability to control light and backgrounds makes the studio a place to revert to when seeking simplicity.

P. Miller

Sculptures is just that--two strong pieces of art sharing the same space and the afternoon shadows. The lines and textures flow together to become one and the same, the steel draping Wendy in it's shadowy embrace.

"Molded to perfection, hard cold iron around my soft warm skin, flowing with sultry strength and the fervor of my soul."

The sculpture garden at the Henry Miller Memorial Library just south of Big Sur, California is the location for this image. The sculpture garden is a place to play, and reflect on the local beauty, as it lies just off of Highway 1 in a large redwood grove. Henry Miller's spirit, books and musings inhabit the grounds, and his larger than life presence lingers here to be absorbed and celebrated. Stop here if you are in the Big Sur area--a place loved by the native Indians for centuries, and by everyone who has had the pleasure of visiting here. Ventana and Post Ranch are just around the corner for the lover of luxury and wonderful State Parks are nearby for the camping crowd. Henry Miller would have certainly approved of the use of this memorial garden to celebrate the beauty of the nude female form, as he was a lover of all things beautiful.

P. Miller

"Straw Woman" is an abstraction--a figure muted by the silver and bronze shafts of straw covering her body and camouflaging her outline from the casual gaze. The straw is covered with seed-pods, promising new life and abundance when awakened by the addition of life-giving water. The camouflage serves as a protection from the threat of harm, but also can represent the vast potential power that is unleashed when the camouflage is pushed aside and the true  nature and energy residing there is now available for all to see and appreciate. This does describe the power of the feminine to often remain obscure, but then emerge as a powerful and positive force for good, and adds beauty and grace to life. The straw, to me, represents the potential for a full flowering of creativity, that is only realized by looking beyond the obvious to the beauty that lies beneath.

This image--"Straw Woman" was taken on a small working farm in Inverness, California--on the seacoast north of San Francisco. It is included in the images in the book, "Humanlandscapes-Interpreting the Human Form," which in a wonderful gift book for all lovers of the human figure in art.

P. Miller

"Zion Meadow Dance" is an image taken just outside of Springdale, Utah near the entrance to Zion National Park. The body is partially covered with a sheer sheet, billowing in the soft breeze which lifts the hair like an "untethered mane". The splendid scenery, the beautiful human form, and the joy of health and movement are captured in this fabulous natural setting. Zion Park is a special place, and like Yosemite Park in California, qualifies as a open air cathedral. There is a sense of celebration and a physical beauty that is transformative. Linger here until dusk and the magic of golden light and elemental earth speaks clearly in the canyon that has been formed over eons of time by the Virgin River. Hike into the "Narrows" in the Fall when the river is low, and experience a reverence usually felt only at a sacred site. If you have not visited Zion Park, put it on your "to do" list, and don't rush the experience. Stop at the IMAX theater near the entrance and enjoy the movie filmed there, as it is well worth the time and money. Zion is one of my favorite places on earth and this image feels just right to celebrate one of my favorite things on earth--the human body!

P. Miller

" After the Bath" is an image from the "Senses" section of the book"Humanlandscapes" and brings to life the phrase from the text that observes the body is "caressed by the light." Photographically, it is an example of selective focus with a shallow depth of field, the silk garment on the arm of the chair is in focus as it leads the eye to the soft focus of the body in the natural light coming through the windows to the right and left, creating the glow. The soft afternoon light flooding through the windows of a  beach house in Pacific Beach, California provided the compelling location.

The bath has been a ritual since Roman times and is relaxing, restorative and sensual. The act of soaking in the warm water, releasing the tension and cares of the day, and rising restored to slip into a loose and comfortable garment is about as good as it gets! It reminds the brain and skin about the pleasures that are waiting to be experienced each moment of time.

"After the Bath" captures this feeling of sensuality and self confidence that is the essence of the feminine touch.

P. Miller

"Eve" the giver of life in the creation story, is an image that was taken at Garrapata State Beach which lies on the California coast south of San Francisco between Carmel and Big Sur. The beach is quite beautiful, with mirrored rocks and a waterfall. Garrapata is near the Weston Ranch and the creative center of the western school of photography. The establishment of photography as an art form was, in large part, due to the Westons and Ansel Adams, who lived and worked in the Carmel-Big Sur area for much of their lives. "Eve" celebrates this creativity and the beginnings that are a part of this beautiful landscape.

P. Miller

"Lost memories of restless rushing water echo through the master sculptor's polished boulders and stones. I run my hand over the smooth curves and feel their heat melt into my skin. Engulfed in a deafening silence, I bow to the canyon walls and they to me."

Cottenwood Canyon in southern Utah is a story book picture of the geologic forces that, over eons of time and etched by violence, leave the evidence of creation lying shattered and scattered in chaotic beauty. The remaining silence is now filled with the sweet voice of the songbird, the rustling grass, and the murmur of the sculptoring stream, and the soft breath of the wind. It is in these canyons, the birthplace of silence, that nature speaks most eloquently of our origins.The embrace of the walls and the cascade of light have for centuries prepared for the new life forms that spring from the soil and heal the wound in the earths crust. The human body, like a wildflower, is part of that healing. Cottonwood Canyon is a testament to all these forces and a map in time to inspire and awe the curious.

These are my thoughts as I look through my camera lens. "Rock Maiden" speaks to the emergence of self from the random chaos of time. Where do we go from here? There are no answers, only the reality of now, molded by events and possibilities--waiting for discovery.

P.Miller

“Moonscape” is an image created in the arid desert outside the tiny town of Dixon, NM. Dixon is not visible from the main highway, and it is a rare person traveling between Santa Fe and Taos on highway 68, that stops to explore this little community. As in most of the Southwest, however, beautiful gems are hidden everywhere for those with the time and curiosity to explore.

Our world is experienced through our five senses and contrast and tension lie at the heart of our sensory perception. Hot and cold, soft and hard, bright and dim, chaos and order–all describe this contrast and tension. The extremes define the range of sensations and allow us to quantify the options that fall between. The power of opposites is well known and “Moonscape” speaks to this tension. The theme of chaos vs control, and hard vs soft is well illustrated here. The harsh beauty and chaos of the eroded and windswept soil is confronted by a soft and living form…controlled and smoothly sculptured in worshipful repose. I see this as a metaphor for our world– harsh chaos, soothed by found beauty and healed by the soft touch of humanity.

The image called “Lichen” continues the theme of contrast and tension that form the emotion of an image. Like “Moonscape”, the rough and harsh etchings of wind, moisture, and sun are healed by the fragile contours of superior beauty, thrust against the sky. The accompanying text by poet, Peter Crane, captures this power and emotion well.

…. A thin and salty curtain hung in the air and draped itself about my skin. I lay on a lichen-covered rock that rose into the sky like a breached whale. I reveled in it’s raw and gritty texture and cast my gaze to the heavens, knowing I was already there.

Note that in the text, the woman in the image is speaking to us–the observer–sharing her thoughts and reveling in her power and beauty. The image and text says ” come celebrate with me”. The first person narrative of the text helps draw us into the scene, interpreting and augmenting the image’s visual power. So it is with poetry! I will have much more to say about this later.

The image “Lichen” was taken from an overlook above the Pacific Ocean near Half Moon Bay, a small town south of San Francisco. The ocean fog bathes the area frequently producing a micro-climate where lichen thrives. This image is also included in the “Masterpiece” section of the book ” Humanlandscapes- Interpreting the Human Form”. It is available on Amazon and from the New Mexico University Press. It is also available in selected bookstores.

The first two images, “Moonscape” and “Lichen,” are actually very similar in content–a beautiful female form against a harsh and scared landscape. The feeling between the two is very different, however. In “Moonscape,” the crouched position and the camera angle–looking down from above–both suggest fragility and vulnerability. “Lichen,” in contract, has a feeling of power and lack of fear. Both the open body posture and shooting the image from below, tells us that femininity and beauty are powerful forces. The most important reason for the difference, however, is the camera position.This is where the story is told in a photograph. In designing an image, the first question the photographic artist must ask is- what do I want this image to say?

Next time you are in a gallery or museum, remember to ask yourself–what is the image saying, because the story lays in the position, placement, and expression of the objects in the painting or photograph. Paintings of important people almost always show them elevated above the painter, thus implying power.

So try shooting your pictures from above or below your model, rather than on the same level. For the image to ” work,” however, all the elements of the photograph must be consistent–telling the same story.

P. Miller