Photographer Bootsy Holler captures the world like holding a fragile breath, immediate and intimate. Her images are not mere portraits but fragments of suspended life, moments oscillating between memory and desire, between the familiar warmth of home and the intoxication of a musical scene. Each shot seems to freeze time, transforming the ephemeral into eternity and revealing the secret beauty of daily gestures, fleeting glances, and carefully traversed spaces.
Born in the humid air of Seattle, Holler grew up to the rhythm of dissonant indie and punk chords in a city where melancholy and creativity constantly respond to each other. Her photographs tell the story of this city in watermark—its dimmed lights, rainy streets, improvised concert halls—but most importantly, they capture the intimacy of those who pass through it. Each face, object, and gesture becomes sensitive material, charged with emotion and silent poetry, as if the image alone could restore the vibration of a lived moment.
Her work doesn't limit itself to documentation—it dialogues. She whispers to bodies, places, and memories as one whispers to the living and the absent. Light, texture, and detail are her instruments; composition becomes musical score, and time dilates, suspended, as if each shot contained the eternity of an instant and the very breath of life. There's a rare capacity in her gaze to capture what is imperceptible—the shadow of an emotion, the trace of a gesture, the presence of silence.
Holler's passion for photography began by looking at fashion magazines, initially thinking she would become a designer because she loved sewing and making things. She has been subscribed to Vogue since age 12, and her first photographic inspiration came from Helmut Newton. Her approach balances intuition and planning, constantly guided by intuitive moments that lead to ideas through environment, objects, or incidents.
Her latest book 'MAKiNG iT,' published by Damiani, was presented at Paris Photo 2025. The book explores celebrity, fantasy, and self-invention—a visual journey through pop culture, music, and style. Created between 1992 and 2008, it captures Seattle's indie and post-grunge scene with portraits of Pearl Jam, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, R.E.M., Moby, and many others, exploring what it truly means to 'make it' in an image-centered culture. An event is scheduled for November 22 at the Leica Gallery and Store in New York, featuring a book signing and discussion at 11 a.m. with special guests.
Regarding her artistic philosophy, Holler believes a successful photo is determined by what it makes her feel. "If I don't feel anything for the image, then it's not really successful," she explains. "Then comes balance or movement in the image." She considers black and white photos to have a timeless aspect, while memorable qualities come from how each person connects to an image or story. She constantly seeks beauty in everything and tries to show what others wouldn't notice as beautiful.
Holler emphasizes that beauty in photography isn't purely aesthetic but comes from within the photographer—how they feel about the subject when creating the image and what the subject feels. She believes the idea of beauty varies for everyone, so as a photographer, she always tries to show what she finds beautiful. Natural light is always incredible to her, and nothing beats it, though she appreciates both color and black-and-white photography for different reasons.
One of her most unusual photographs is a documentary black-and-white image of a bride sitting half-dressed in a corset and stockings, smoking a cigarette and holding a red cup filled with beer, with one person pulling her hair with a brush and another moving in the background, all lit by a large window letting in light behind her. When she photographed weddings, this was the image she would showcase, believing that if clients didn't find it incredible and funny, she didn't want to photograph their wedding.
Currently, Holler uses multiple cameras depending on the project, but recently the Hasselblad X2D and her 1960s Rolleiflex twin lens. Her childhood camera was an Olympus XA 35mm compact rangefinder with flash. She describes her relationship with photography in one word as 'passionate' and admits her favorite addictions are creating things, dogs, and coffee.
Holler believes photography plays a major role in our perception of history and understanding of events, noting that while not everyone reads, everyone can take a moment to look at an image and learn. She sees AI as photography's future challenge, as just like photos can be manipulated, anyone can create false narratives using AI. However, she believes true photographers who approach subjects with a point of view will stand out and reach a higher art form.
Among the images that have influenced her, she cites the 'Terror of War' photo of the Napalm Girl during the Vietnam War as having changed the world's perception of war, while Nan Goldin's images in 'The Ballad of Sexual Dependency' changed her own world. Jock Sturges' work deeply moved her, particularly 'Minna Northern California, 1978,' which holds a key place in her personal pantheon.
If she could photograph a historical or contemporary figure, Holler would choose to create a portrait of America's first female president, calling it 'something historic for the future.' Her greatest regret is not photographing more during Seattle's music scene in the 1990s and 2000s, not realizing she was at the center of something bigger than herself. Looking toward the future, if photography could capture emotions as much as images, she would want it to transmit love.
