Phoenix — A Shoot About Rebirth, Resilience and a Little Bit of Fire

There are some shoots where you turn up with a camera, take some beautiful photos and go home. Then there are shoots that feel like something a little more.

Phoenix was definitely the second kind.

I had the absolute pleasure of photographing this collection for Liana at Zen Hair, created around the idea of the phoenix: rebirth, transformation, resilience and rising again.

As it turns out, that theme hit all the feels. There was something about photographing for a woman who had poured so much creativity, thought and emotion into her work, while creating imagery around the idea of becoming something new, that felt strangely familiar.

🔥 Burn it down. Start again. Become something new.

That's the thing I love about photographing creative work. Yes, I'm there to create images that show the hair, colour, styling and technical skill. But I'm also looking for the story underneath it all.

What does this collection feel like?

How do we make someone stop scrolling?

How do we create an image that doesn't just show beautiful hair, but makes you feel something?

For Phoenix, we played with shape, movement, colour, texture and light to create something that felt strong and a little bit unapologetic.

There were definitely moments during the shoot where we weren't quite sure if everything was going to work. Like my first test shot that made the image look like an American High School Senior photo session. 😱😂

That's often when the good stuff happens. When I'm forced to use my knowledge, my soul and my fear of getting it wrong, I dig deep and get in the zone.

You try something. It doesn't quite work. You change it. You move the light. You change the pose. You push the idea a little further.

Suddenly... there it is.

That's one of my favourite parts of being a photographer. The bit where an idea that existed in someone's head suddenly becomes something you can actually see.

Phoenix was a beautiful reminder that creativity isn't always neat and predictable.

Sometimes you have to get a little uncomfortable and trust the process.

Sometimes you just have to throw a bit of fire 🔥🔥🐦‍🔥 into the mix and see what happens.

I'm so proud of these images and incredibly grateful to have been part of bringing Liana's vision for Phoenix to life.

Perhaps that's why this shoot has stayed with me, because the Phoenix isn't really about starting over.

It's about everything you've been through becoming part of the person you are becoming.