MILK BATH

THE SEPTEMBER 2025 MONTHY THEME

MILK BATH

There is just something about water. Water is life. I have always been drawn to the ritual of bathing. A candle, a book, a little incense, music playing low and mellow. I’d sometimes as bath salts, essential oils, bubbles and milk. I would mix a touch of organic almond milk with my favorite bath salts or oils. Baths have been a solace , a safe place for me to unwind, to rest, maybe have a proper breakdown & cry in peace. When my personal appreciation of the transformative power of a bath intersected with my adoration of making photographs a love affair ensued.

with elizabeth messina

Our SEPTEMBER 2025 theme & project is MILK BATH because I want to share something that has been so meaningful to me, personally & as a photographer. Adding MILK to a small body of water creates a beautiful and sublime layer, similar to thin cotton or tulle. It’s there but you can see through it. It’s this space of seeing and obscuring that is of particular interest to me. Visually this dichotomy is beautiful. The transparent veil of milk can also provide protection and comfort to your subject. A MILK BATH is also rooted in ritual. Drawing a bath for your client, preparing the space, the simple and typically private experience of bathing, is transformed into an experience. I have found this to not only be a bonding and lovely moment, it also lends itself to some truly interesting and in my opinon beautiful image making.

ELEMENTS YOU’LL NEED

OPTIONAL ADDITiONS

TYPES OF MILK TO CONSIDER

ALMOND MILK

OAT MILK

hazelnut MILK

CASHEW MILK

HEMP MILK

COW’s MILK

I LIKE TO EXPERIMENT WITH MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF MILK. YOU’LL NOTICE EACH MILK HAS A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT TONE. SOME TYPES OF MILK HAVE A BLUE OR GREEN CAST, OTHERS A WARMER FEEL. THE TONE CHANGES DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH MILK YOU ADD AS WELL. LESS MILK GIVES A MORE SUBTLE TRANSPARENT LOOK. MORE MILK IS MORE OPAQUE. I ADD IT LITTLE BY LITTLE UNTIL I FIND A DENSITY THAT FEELS RIGHT. I TYPICALLY USE ORGANIC MILK IN ALL OF MY BATHS. I DO NOT WANT ANY FOREIGN CHEMICALS OR ADDITIVES. MY HOPE IS THAT MY SUBJECT HAS A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE & I DON’T WANT RISK IRRITATING THEIR SKIN OR EYES. ALSO, YOU SHOULD NOTE, IF YOU USE FABRIC, A DRESS OR ROBE, THE FABRIC WILL ALSO EFFECT THE TONE OF THE WATER. THERE ARE SO MANY BEAUTIFUL OPTIONS AND COMBINATIONS. I LOVE HOW SMALL CHANGES CAN ILLICIT A VARIATION IN TONE, DENSITY & COLOR. HAVE FUN WITH IT, YOU CAN ALWAYS ADD MORE WATER TOO.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT IS TO PHOTOGRAPH SOME TYPE OF VESSEL WITH WATER & SOME MILK OF YOUR CHOOSING, WITH OR WITHOUT A SUBJECT, WITH OR WITHOUT FLORALS. I AM AWARE THAT YOU MAY NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A BATHTUB (I DID NOT FOR MANY YEARS.) IF THAT IS THE CASE, TRY FILLING A LARGE BOWL WITH WATER & MILK. YOU CAN PLACE SOME FABRIC IN THE BOWL OR ANY OBJECT OF INTEREST TO YOU. OBSERVE HOW THE DENSITY & TRANSLUCENT QUALITY OF THE WATER CHANGES AS YOU ADD MORE MILK. EXPERIMENT WITH YOUR F-STOP & YOUR EXPOSURE (THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG HERE). YOU CAN EVEN PUT YOUR MORNING COFFE IN A CLEAR GLASS & SLOWLY POUR SOME CREAM IN & WATCH AS THE TWO ELEMENTS INTERTWINE AND BECOME ONE. PHOTOGRAPH THE PROCESS. IF YOU DO HAVE ACCESS TO A BATHTUB, BUT NOT A WILLING SUBJECT, TRY A SELF PORTRAIT. LET YOUR IMAGINATION RUN WILD. PHOTOGRAPH SOMETHING WITH MILK. YOU COULD EVEN GO DOWN NEAR THE OCEAN’S EDGE OR A LAKE IF YOU ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO LIVE NEAR A BODY OF WATER & SEE WHAT HAPPENS IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS LESS CONTROLLED.