Holly in Red

Steven Perdikis

Is it red, though, or is it just crimson? Where do the semantics of language and the science of colour collide? I don’t really know, but most people would say the dress is dark red.

This part of the shoot with Holly was us, again; driving around for a location to shoot. We found a paddock with what looked like a shearing shed from … some time in the past, no gates.

We pulled in and were met with a wonderful selection of texture, broken glass, rust, and rotting timber. Perfect for a nice dress to be ruined, as was our plan.

However; we forgot to bring scissors (or a knife), so we progressively ruined this dress with hazardous bits of broken glass we found on the floor of the structure.

These images are not in sequential order, unless of course, you have the assumption that time flows in reverse and fabric can mend itself .

The dress was picked up from a second hand store so many years ago, and finally, we had the opportunity to use it (and destroy it).



The lighting I used is a bit harsh, given the day was sunny, and we were only partly undercover. I need to be more comfortable to be “darker” in my exposure and let more natural light seep through.

I was keen on firing a flash up through the timber slats from below, but a quick survey of the land below the raised platform suggested it wasn’t a particularly hospitable place to go and try such things, so I didn’t.

Thanks to having my location history turned on, I can always go back in time in my calendar / maps activity and trace our way back to this place in the world, which has rather a lot of potential based on its texture and character.

The only bad thing about such a location is that it was very likely private property, and if the land owner was around or didn’t consent to such activities as photography (or perhaps they’re a dress maker and would hate to see us ruin a garment) – I can’t say for sure what would happen.

In any case, we got away with it, and we got away with these images.

We had a lot of fun ripping up the dress, and I think dresses should be made to be destroyed, or decay rapidly over time, if only to remind us of our own mortality.

Nothing lasts forever, and that’s something that i hope to explore more in my future photographic adventures. I hope you’ll be along for the journey, as it certainly won’t last forever for anybody.

As usual, images shot on my various Nikon mirrorless bodies with various mirrorless lenses, and lit by a combo of sunlight and my trusty Godox Ad200 lights, which I absolutely love.

They’re the perfect light.

Blog Archive