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Stephen Carroll

About Stephen Carroll

Cinematic, high-contrast scenes built with amateur models

Stephen Carroll is a full-time fine art photographer based in Reston, Virginia. He works with amateur models to create images that tell a story and carry an emotional impact. His academic background in philosophy and art history often shows up in his work, but his love of cinema is the most visible influence in his high-contrast, low-saturation narrative style.

Recurring themes in his work include male and female gender roles, couple and family relationships, and the voyeuristic nature of photography. He explores art as a mirror of the soul, interior versus exterior, and water as a metaphor for the dissolving power of emotion. Most of his images include one or more people, since his main goal is to address the nature of our human condition.

  • Barefoot woman in a long pale dress runs through hay and rising smoke inside a wooden barn
    A barefoot woman runs through smoke and sunlight in a barn in a Stephen Carroll photograph.
    A photograph by Stephen Carroll. A barefoot woman in a long, pale dress runs across a hay-covered barn floor, her hair streaming behind her. A column of smoke rises beside her, and sunlight from the open door lights the weathered wooden wall.
  • Young woman with long light-brown hair looks aside through a wooden-framed window covered in water drops
    A young woman looks aside through a rain-spotted window in a Stephen Carroll portrait.
    A portrait by Stephen Carroll. A young woman with long, straight, light-brown hair looks off to the side through an old window with a dark wooden frame. Drops of water cover the glass, and one hand rests on the lower pane.
  • Older man with a gray beard in a dark sweater seen through glass covered in water droplets on a black background
    An older bearded man seen through water-beaded glass in a Stephen Carroll portrait.
    A portrait by Stephen Carroll. An older man with a gray beard and a dark turtleneck looks off to one side from a black background. Fine drops of water on the glass in front of him scatter the light across his lined face.
  • Woman with closed eyes and wet hair whose face is split by a vertical band of rippled distortion
    A rippled band of water divides a woman’s face in a Stephen Carroll portrait.
    A portrait by Stephen Carroll. A woman with closed eyes and wet, slicked-back hair is lit against a black background. A vertical band of rippling water runs down the center of her face and stretches the features on the right side into wavy lines.
  • Woman in a red dress holding red balloons stands atop a tall ladder in a plowed field under a cloudy sky
    A woman in a red dress holds balloons atop a tall ladder in a Stephen Carroll photograph.
    A photograph by Stephen Carroll. A woman in a red dress stands at the top of a very tall ladder in an open field and holds a bunch of red balloons above her head. The red stands out strongly against the blue sky and its textured clouds.
  • Woman with wet hair leans over a lake and drinks from her cupped hand as the sun sets behind her
    A woman drinks from cupped hands at a lake at sunset in a Stephen Carroll photograph.
    A photograph by Stephen Carroll. A woman with long, wet hair leans over a calm lake and lifts water to her mouth in her cupped hand. The setting sun glows on the horizon, and her dark reflection spreads across the rippled surface below.
  • Woman in a floral dress sits in shallow water, her reflection mirrored on the glassy surface below
    A woman in a floral dress sits in shallow water above her reflection in a Stephen Carroll photograph.
    A photograph by Stephen Carroll. A woman in a floral summer dress sits in shallow, glassy water and looks down. Her reflection mirrors her pose almost exactly, and soft, pale light and distant trees surround her.
  • Barefoot woman in a lace dress walks through bright beams of sunlight across a hay-strewn barn floor
    A barefoot woman walks into beams of sunlight inside a barn in a Stephen Carroll photograph.
    A photograph by Stephen Carroll. A barefoot woman in a short lace dress walks away from the camera across a hay-covered barn floor. Bright beams of sunlight pour through gaps in the wooden walls and silhouette her against the glow.
  • Face with closed eyes floating at the surface of calm water, mirrored below in pale light
    A face floats at the surface of still water in a Stephen Carroll photograph.
    A photograph by Stephen Carroll. A face with closed eyes rests at the surface of very calm water, with its reflection directly below. Soft white light and a thin line of distant shore leave the scene almost empty and quiet.
  • Face lit by thin side light at the surface of black water, with its reflection below
    A side-lit face rests at the surface of black water in a Stephen Carroll photograph.
    A low-key photograph by Stephen Carroll. A face tilted upward rests at the surface of black water, lit only by a narrow side light that picks out the nose, lips and eyelashes. The reflection below it fades into the surrounding darkness.
  • Girl in a striped dress sits on a rock in a river with arms around her knees, her reflection in the water
    A girl sits on a river rock with her arms around her knees in a Stephen Carroll photograph.
    A photograph by Stephen Carroll. A girl in a striped dress sits on a flat rock in a river, with her arms around her knees and her gaze lowered. Green trees line the far bank, and her reflection lies across the still water below.
  • Woman in profile with wind-blown hair surrounded by streaks of falling rain against a dark background
    A woman tosses her hair through falling rain in a Stephen Carroll photograph.
    A photograph by Stephen Carroll. A woman in profile flips her wet hair to the side as rain streaks across the frame. Strobe-like light freezes each drop as a white line against dark foliage and gives the image a sense of motion.
  • Man in a long coat and hat carrying a briefcase climbs a very tall ladder under a blue sky
    A man in a hat carrying a briefcase climbs a tall ladder in a Stephen Carroll photograph.
    A photograph by Stephen Carroll. A man in a long dark coat and a brimmed hat carries a briefcase in one hand as he climbs a tall wooden ladder set on a grassy rise. The ladder rises into an empty blue sky, and the scene reads as a surreal, staged image.
  • Ten people in dark clothing wade into a lake with their backs to the camera under heavy gray clouds
    A group in dark clothing wades into a lake under heavy clouds in a Stephen Carroll photograph.
    A photograph by Stephen Carroll. Ten people in dark clothing, seen from behind, wade side by side into a wide, calm lake. Heavy gray clouds fill the sky above a thin, wooded shoreline, and a pale band of light shows near the horizon.
  • Girl in a floral dress with folded arms stands in a field before a weathered white farmhouse and bare trees
    A girl stands in a field before an abandoned farmhouse in a Stephen Carroll photograph.
    A photograph by Stephen Carroll. A girl in a floral dress and black boots stands with her arms folded in a rough, grassy field and looks off to one side. Behind her, bare trees surround a weathered white farmhouse under an overcast sky.
  • Profile of an older man with a white beard facing an animal skull against a black background
    An older man faces an animal skull in profile in a Stephen Carroll portrait.
    A portrait by Stephen Carroll. An older man with white hair and a full beard is shown in profile at the left of the frame. At the right, an animal skull with traces of fur faces him against a black background, and the lighting highlights the textures of skin and bone.
  • Woman with wet hair looks down in falling rain with one hand on her shoulder against dark leaves
    A woman with wet hair stands in falling rain with her hand on her shoulder in a Stephen Carroll photograph.
    A photograph by Stephen Carroll. A woman with long, wet hair looks down as rain streaks past her in the light. One hand rests on her shoulder, and dark green leaves fill the background.
  • Woman in a red polka dot dress leaps with outstretched arms and legs above tall grass under a stormy sky
    A woman in a red polka dot dress leaps above tall grass in a Stephen Carroll photograph.
    A photograph by Stephen Carroll. A woman in a red polka dot dress leaps through the air with one leg stretched behind her and one arm reaching forward. Tall green grass fills the bottom of the frame, and a dark, stormy sky makes the red dress stand out.
  • Barefoot woman in a red dress plays a violin in a harvested field beneath large clouds in warm sepia tones
    A barefoot violinist stands in a harvested field under towering clouds in a Stephen Carroll photograph.
    A photograph by Stephen Carroll. A barefoot woman in a dark red dress plays a violin in a field of cut stalks, with a few dry corn stalks at the left. Large clouds fill the sky, and warm sepia tones give the scene a vintage, theatrical look.
  • Woman with long wet hair seen from behind, standing waist-deep in a dark pond with her hands near the water
    A woman stands waist-deep in a dark pond with her reflection below in a Stephen Carroll photograph.
    A photograph by Stephen Carroll. Seen from behind, a woman with long, wet hair stands waist-deep in a dark pond, her hands resting near the surface. Dense green trees fill the background, and her pale reflection ripples in the water below.

After living in New Orleans, Chicago, and Bordeaux, he returned to his roots in rural Virginia. He first built custom homes, then wrote short fiction, and now constructs fictional photographic tableaux. Apart from some technical classes, he is essentially self-taught in the art of photography.

“For me photography is a psychological journey, looking outside to understand what’s inside.”

His images are licensed for book covers through Trevillion Images and Arcangel Images. He is known for his cinematic style and ability to tell stories through a single photograph. Critics have praised his work for its depth, meaning, and emotional impact, calling it “music for the soul.”

He often uses a voyeuristic approach in his photography, adding a sense of excitement and intrigue to his images. He is described as a storyteller, a scene director, and a great model picker. His work continues to inspire and captivate viewers around the world.

Q: What defines Stephen Carroll’s photography style?
A: His ability to create cinematic, narrative-driven images that carry deep emotional impact. His work blends a love of cinema with philosophical themes, creating high-contrast, low-saturation scenes that tell stories and explore the human condition. He is known for his voyeuristic approach and his skill at directing scenes and working with models.

Where is Stephen Carroll based?

He is based in Reston, Virginia, after living in New Orleans, Chicago and Bordeaux.

How did Stephen Carroll learn photography?

He is largely self-taught, apart from some technical classes, and draws on a background in philosophy and art history.

Where are Stephen Carroll’s images licensed?

His images are licensed for book covers through Trevillion Images and Arcangel Images.

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