Ellis, Unplanned

Some of my favorite shoots were never planned. Ellis asked if I had plans for the day, I asked if he wanted photos, and that was all the planning we did.

We spent most of the afternoon along the Wolf River Trail, using whatever the woods offered: fallen logs, open fields, and the sandy banks along the water. Ellis gave me a different version of himself every few minutes, sometimes serious and still, sometimes completely unable to keep a straight face. We finished in the city against painted brick, where his black knit cap held its own against all that color.

Looking back, that is the part I love most. Nothing about the day was scripted. One question turned into another, and Ellis trusted me enough to follow it wherever it went.