Top two images: From “Fill of Love,” the first issue of The Voracity, which explored the theme of
aphrodisiacs. Bottom, left: From “A Princely Feast,” a series based on a fairy tale. Bottom, right:
From “How to Shoot a Wolf,” which was inspired by a World War II-era book by MFK Fisher.
styles while keeping one foot firmly planted in the photographic areas she is known
for: food, interiors, still life and lifestyle. “[The Voracity] speaks very directly to who
she is as a photographer on a larger, holistic scale,” Kebbon says.
The project has also afforded Williams an opportunity to collaborate with stylists
and designers, and to build a network of likeminded, creative people around the
project. “We’ve had designers now who want to come on board just because they
think it’s interesting,” Williams says. “I had a writer who just wrote me and said ‘I’d
really like to do a project with you.’” For each of The Voracity issues, Williams has paid
for the production but the majority of the collaborators have donated their time.
However, after the first issue, Williams and Adams have paid the designers because
their work is more time-consuming and complex, and involves more back-and-forth.
Adams, who used to work as an artist’s representative and is now a marketing
consultant for artists, also notes how much more effective a fully formed project
like The Voracity can be than the traditional test shots photographers produce and
put in their books when they want to get work in a new genre.
“You could always see in a portfolio what is a test,” Adams explains. “If you’re go-
ing to expend the time and effort to do a day of shooting, why not wrap it around a
concept and create [something larger]?”
Kebbon agrees that a fully formed project is more effective than a test shot in
conveying a photographer’s capabilities to clients, and his or her commitment to a
new visual direction. “It’s a collection, it’s not just one image that gets pulled out a
year later after more new work is added,” Kebbon notes.
The project has also shown clients that Williams is capable of leading the way
creatively. “I am now being asked ‘What do you think?’ more,” Williams says. “Being
able to present a whole story start to finish—you produced it, got everybody together, got the designer, [Mason] wrote it—it’s pretty amazing. I think it has given
me a little bit more clout, if you will. People trust me a little bit more because they
see that I’ve been able to bring forth a whole series and a project and bring it to fruition … That’s pretty amazing to get to a place where clients want your ideas and
want you to carry [them] out.”
