“A Fleur De Peau” Directed by Bill Phelps / The Chemistry of Sensuality Project

A personal moment at the book release party in Paris of Fabrice Mabillot’s new book Filles. June 2014

Bill Phelps behind the scenes in Calabria for Conde Nast Traveler

Advance Auto Parts “Love” Directed by Bill Phelps / Mono Agency of Minneapolis
Bill Phelps
Photographer / Director

“In the end, the bedrock of existence is not made up of family, or work, or what others say or think of you, but of moments like this when you are exalted by a transcendent power that is more serene than love. Life dispenses them parsimoniously: our feeble hearts could not stand more.” These are the words of one of the great European travel writers of the 20th century, Nicolas Bouvier – words which I have pinned to my wall next to a Bill Phelps photograph. Bill’s images carry such intimacy and sincerity, you wonder how he manages to experience so many more transcendent moments than the rest of us. Then you encounter him in the field, as I have done in numerous collaborations, and you realize it’s because Bill is a photographer with more than a questing eye; he strips the fat off the soul in images that speak to his profound capacity for empathy. His approach is as immersive and fluid as the water he loves. He sees light with the intuition and depth of an Old Master. His storytelling distills a moment into its different tensions, exposing themes of freedom, compassion, beauty and desire. These dynamics give his painterly instincts the piquancy of a modern abstract, transforming every picture into a passport to a place beyond the everyday. –Sophy Roberts

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Phelps has built an impressive career lending his talents to Italian Vogue, French Marie Claire, Conde Nast Traveller UK, The New York Times Magazine, Fortune, and Interview, and picking up both an IPA Lucie Award and the Grand Prize of Portraits for the World Press Photo. Phelps is also the co-designer, builder and owner of Cafe Moto in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Bill Phelps
Photographer / Director

“In the end, the bedrock of existence is not made up of family, or work, or what others say or think of you, but of moments like this when you are exalted by a transcendent power that is more serene than love. Life dispenses them parsimoniously: our feeble hearts could not stand more.” These are the words of one of the great European travel writers of the 20th century, Nicolas Bouvier – words which I have pinned to my wall next to a Bill Phelps photograph. Bill’s images carry such intimacy and sincerity, you wonder how he manages to experience so many more transcendent moments than the rest of us. Then you encounter him in the field, as I have done in numerous collaborations, and you realize it’s because Bill is a photographer with more than a questing eye; he strips the fat off the soul in images that speak to his profound capacity for empathy. His approach is as immersive and fluid as the water he loves. He sees light with the intuition and depth of an Old Master. His storytelling distills a moment into its different tensions, exposing themes of freedom, compassion, beauty and desire. These dynamics give his painterly instincts the piquancy of a modern abstract, transforming every picture into a passport to a place beyond the everyday. –Sophy Roberts

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Phelps has built an impressive career lending his talents to Italian Vogue, French Marie Claire, Conde Nast Traveller UK, The New York Times Magazine, Fortune, and Interview, and picking up both an IPA Lucie Award and the Grand Prize of Portraits for the World Press Photo. Phelps is also the co-designer, builder and owner of Cafe Moto in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

“A Fleur De Peau” Directed by Bill Phelps / The Chemistry of Sensuality Project

A personal moment at the book release party in Paris of Fabrice Mabillot’s new book Filles. June 2014

Bill Phelps behind the scenes in Calabria for Conde Nast Traveler

Advance Auto Parts “Love” Directed by Bill Phelps / Mono Agency of Minneapolis