Parkas and portraits—an impromptu shot became the hero image for WIRED and landed on the Communication Arts shortlist.
These Women Came to Antarctica for Science. Then the Predators Emerged/ wired
For this WIRED assignment, the photo editor reached out after seeing some personal work I’d done experimenting with textures to obscure identity. One of those images used a shower curtain to distort the subject’s face, and we both loved the moody, surreal feeling it created. I tested a few different materials to refine the effect and settled on a direction that felt right. I wanted to bring in cooler, icy tones—pulling inspiration from a scene in True Detective where characters are surrounded by frozen walls in an ice cave.
The day before the shoot, I connected with Jane Willenbring to discuss wardrobe. I suggested she bring something that felt fitting for the cold, like a parka, if she had one. On the day of the shoot, we leaned into the art direction we’d planned, creating a series of portraits that felt atmospheric and otherworldly.
During a quick break, I asked Jane to try on the parka, just to see what it might add. As soon as I looked through the lens, I knew we had something special. That image became the hero for the story and ended up being shortlisted for Communication Arts—a moment that reminded me how experimentation and small creative risks often lead to the most exciting outcomes.
