As I was looking through local artists, I stumbled upon Sarah Marie Miller—a woman with a serious talent for photography. I found her on the Louisville Artists Directory; oddly, her bio there states that she also does woodcutting and screen-printing, though there are none on her website. Her photography is creative and original, and she’s skilled with several different techniques, like emulsion, shown in a few of her Polaroids. A few of my favorite pictures from her multiple series are included.

Here, the colors Miller incorporated with the dress and the bathroom walls and sink are unreal, and they bring such a vintage and dreamlike look to the picture, especially under such harsh lighting. In her spin, Miller’s arms seem to disappear and the dress and face are a blur. She almost looks like a doll. The candid mirror reflection of her face, as the only part that isn’t blurred, is striking.

The first thing that catches my eye is the contrast between her bare skin and the white sheets and white ground. I like her position because at first it looks awkward but then you see how natural it makes her look, like it’s not posed. The wallpaper in the back is very interesting—not only the design, but also how it’s put on the wall. Then there’s the angle, which brings us down to a vulnerable level and completes the photo’s bare, exposed mood.

The series that goes along with this picture is filled with all kinds of different styles and photos, so choosing the best out of them proved difficult. This picture has a girl in the center of the frame with a candidly happy look on her face; everything around her is blurred, but it all seems to be blurred towards her as if something is coming to her, part of the photo’s story. Blurs are hard to pull off, but this definitely works: the photo is given emotion and background.

Polaroids are always eye-catching pictures in portfolios because they automatically have a cool effect, but this picture would look good even if it weren’t a Polaroid. Featuring the light blue sky and the orange and red field, the colors are vibrant and seem to go together really well. The subject is a girl who looks like she’s dancing in the foliage, and all this comes together really nicely to give off a carefree vibe.

Photography can be a fascinating, emotional art when done creatively. I highly encourage anyone to check out more of this up-and-coming artist’s work on her website.