A few years ago I wanted to create a gothic wedding fantasy. My aspiration was to get it published in one of the Utah wedding magazines. In hindsight, perhaps that was too ambitious of a thought. Turns out Utah wedding publications are only interested in publishing bright and happy editorials, where everything looks like everything you’ve seen before. This story ended up finding a home at HUF magazine, a publication with a much larger viewership than any of the Utah wedding magazines. So, in the end, you have to do what you feel is the right thing for you, follow your creative calling, and let the chips fall where they may.
Girls' Life magazine "FIRE & ICE" fashion editorial
This is the second issue of Girls’ Life magazine that I’ve had the pleasure of shooting for. I actually photographed the cover story of Jayden Bartels as well. I was so happy to bring on my go-to crew of frequent collaborators and friends on this shoot (see credits) who always make the time spent together extremely fun and enjoyable. The shoot took place at one of Utah’s main attractions for any photo or video production - the epic Salt Flats. It was a fantastic day of shooting, laughing and improvising along the way.
Hair: Jeff Martin / Randi Hieb (Dexterity Salon) | Makeup: Carissa Deppe | Styling: Rachael Domingo | Models: Apio & Aria (NIYA MGMT)
Jeff Landry UTAH Style&Design Feature
It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything on this blog, my apologies. Winters are usually a slower time for me, which gives me a chance to catch up on things, such as posting more blogs. It was wonderful to see one of Jeff Landry’s projects featured in the September 2019 issue of UTAH Style&Design. Jeff has been a fantastic client of mine for a few years now, and it’s always such a pleasure for me to photograph his work. We photographed the Deer Valley ski house over a span of 2 days.
See the UTAH Style&Design online article HERE
NYC September 2018
Some snapshots I took while in New York a couple of months ago. I feel like I will never run out of things to do or see in this magnificent city. All photos take with SONY RX100 V.
Base Jumping
This is a Winter slopes fashion editorial shot for Park City magazine.
Wardrobe/styling: Farasha | Hair/makeup: Paula J Dahlberg | Model: Hannah Tessen @NIYAmgmt
Story: https://www.parkcitymag.com/articles/2018/12/8/base-jumping-step-up-your-layers
Northbound
Last spring I went on a road trip with my good friend and fellow photographer Brandon Cruz. We set off for Seattle, then Portland, continuing down Oregon coast all the way to Big Sur, CA. It was an epic adventure that included several nights spent sleeping in the car. We got the full scope of weather, everything from snow to sunny skies. The landscapes were gorgeous, moody at times, and there to be captured by two happy travelers. Here are just a few pictures from the trip.
Red
Kayla has such a great face, I love photographing her. I was inspired by one of her posts on instagram in which her makeup was mainly composed of red hues. The color red is so powerful and impactful. I always say that a girl’s best accessory is red lipstick. I stand by my statement.
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
It's been a while since I've done a fun fashion editorial. The concept for this shoot was based around having lots of color and somewhat busy locations that would play off the wardrobe. I wanted the images to be loud, poppy, and bright. The crew did a fantastic job helping me bring this vision together, a real pleasure to get to play with such lovely and talented people.
In Living Color
A super fun and eccentric shoot/collaboration with wardrobe stylist, Erin Zachman.
Great Expectations
Here's a little bridal editorial I shot last fall.
Hair & makeup by Paula J Dahlberg | All dresses by Maggie Sottero | Model: Gabriella Calem | Flower arrangement by Teresa Darling | Location: La Caille
The Fog
Salt Lake City was dealt a bad card with the winter inversion phenomenon, but it makes for some moody, epic photos. I took advantage of one particularly horrid air quality evening and risked my life by going on a photo stroll. Here are the results.
La Vie Boheme jewelry shoot
I loved the minimal nature of this shoot. The jewelry designer really wanted a soft, feminine, and organic feel. This was another collaboration with my friends at Farasha. A tiny crew including myself, the model, and two stylists. That's it. Natural light throughout.
Jewelry designer: La Vie Boheme | Styling: Farasha | Model: Lianna Michelle
TWOISM
At this point in my career I really want to challenge myself by doing something different as much as I can. I tend to carefully plan out all of my shoots in advance, putting a lot of thought and effort into the pre-production process. With this particular editorial I challenged myself to be less organized and more spontaneous. I had a general idea of the direction of the shoot, but I didn't have all of my exact locations scouted or specific scenes in mind. I also wanted to be more free with the way I lit my subjects, trying out new techniques and being less careful. The editorial was mainly an opportunity for Samantha Furden to get some wardrobe styling experience, I think she did a fine job. My dear friends and frequent collaborators Paula J Dahlberg was once again on makeup duties and Chad Seale provided his magic touch on hair. I couldn't be happier with the models we chose for this project. This was my first time shooting Allie Jo Holman, who proved to be not only experienced but mesmerizing, and Mitch Allen was the perfect brother / lover / ambiguous relationship partner in crime. A huge shout out to the young and talented designer David Hong for lending us a big chunk of his collection for the shoot. I also challenged myself by spending A LONG TIME putting the editorial together as far as post photo processing layering goes. I really wanted to give the photos a dirty, grungy, punk vibe, very New York 1970's. I hope you enjoy TWOISM.
FARASHA Fall/Winter 2017 Campaign
Vanessa Di Palma Wright started her company, Farasha, around the same time that I decided to dedicate myself full time to photography. We connected in the early stages of our brand building and have had a working relationship ever since. I am always extremely happy to collaborate with the Farasha crew, this is our latest project together.
Monochromatic Metamorphosis:
Production/Styling: Farasha | Hair: Tricia Snow | Makeup: Jillyn Leone | Model: Kerry Kalu
Life in Mono
A recent fashion editorial and collaboration with my friend and hair stylist Chad Seale. KUED channel 7 documented this shoot as part of a feature they did on Chad for their show VERVE. Rachael Domingo did a fantastic job styling the wardrobe with assistance from Phoebe Davenport. The makeup duties were flawlessly executed by the incredibly talented Paula J Dahlberg. Gabriella Cale is a fresh face to watch, she is signed with NIYA management.
Yellowstone
I can't believe it took me 25 years to get to Yellowstone, but it finally happened just a couple of months ago. Wow, what a magical place. I was blown away by the diversity and beauty of the landscape. Some of the areas, especially the geysers, were truly otherworldly. I tried to take atypical photos while there, not wanting to replicate the obvious images that you could easily find via a Google search. I focused on color and texture. I think the most important thing you can do as a photographer is to show you how YOU see the world from your own unique perspective.
Golden Girl mini-editorial
I've been wanting to photograph Savannah for a while. I felt like I needed to come up with a concept that was natural to her, something suitable. This shoot is all about warmth - the warm days of summer, the golden hour, and the natural feminine beauty. The landscape I chose provided a nice, non-distracting backdrop along with complimentary colors to the outfit from Free People. We did not work with a stylist of any kind, just the 2 of us.
Dexterity Salon NAHA Shoot
I teamed up with my friends at Dexterity to create a hair collection for the NAHA Salon Team category. This was definitely a team effort. The idea kept evolving up until the day of the shoot. We're all very proud of the work we did and all of the people who helped us bring this to life.
Dexterity team: Jeff Martin, Randi Schneider Hieb, Calla Hoover, Chelsey Frost, Sasha King.
Models: Nate Ries, Katy Kamahele, Mikal Moore, Calla Hoover, Jim Derrick.
MUA: Kristen Packard.
STRENGTH
"Phillip is truly an artist. I had been wanting to work with him for quite a while after having seen shots of his in a friend's portfolio, and then reviewing his website. The opportunity arose when I needed bridal photography prior to my wedding and unique fitness shots for my portfolio following my participation in a bodybuilding competition. I am SO glad he and I connected. His work is more than comparable to any spread you might see in Vogue or W magazine. Phillip thinks conceptually and seeks to tell a story with his art rather than taking a simply beautiful photograph (which he also does). I let him take the reigns with both shoots and the photos are so much more than I imagined they would be! I highly recommend him and his work as a standout addition to one's portfolio."
-Camille Nugent
The Aftermath
I love doing personal, meaningful work. This shoot is so special due to the circumstances surrounding it. This is Travis. Travis has been wanting to do a portrait session with me for some time now. A couple of months ago Travis found out that he has cancer, and just like that, everything changed. Luckily Travis has a 95% chance of beating this awful disease, but this news has given our shoot a sense of urgency. Travis wanted me to capture him before all of his hair started to fall out, well, his hair started coming out in clumps in the shower the night before the shoot. Travis has never been in front of the camera, his state was nervous and uncertain. I wanted to capture the raw emotion of what he was feeling, but I also wanted to create some GQ-style images and make him feel his best. Travis was really wanting to get some light & shadow stuff as well, which I'm always happy to do. I'm very proud of these images and our experience doing this shoot is a memory I'll never forget. Photography is such an intimate, vulnerable experience at its best. Putting the subject at ease, establishing a trust and creating something they will cherish forever is what I strive to do each time I step behind the camera.
