PAUL’S PHOTOS || Soroush

Work had been utterly chaotic, in good part because I’d made the decision to hire an insane–but very nice–young man as an assistant. He was 21 and had disappeared in a flurry of guns, drugs and disaster.

The photo shoot with Soroush was like a tranquil island of absolute peace in comparison.

I was amazed to learn that Soroush is 22.  Compared to the 21 year old I’d been working with, Soroush seemed far more self-aware than 22 years warranted.

I left the room and asked Pony to give Soroush a white sheet and a light.  When I came back, this is how Pony had arranged things.

Why a simple white sheet?  I have no idea.  I have no ideas or concepts.  Though with Soroush the sheet kept turning into different distinctive things.  He never questioned it, but tried out different poses until I liked something.

I think it was because he was so refreshingly grown-up that I asked if we could all climb under the sheet together.  The three of us–Pony, Soroush and me–covered ourselves and it was suddenly like we were boys hiding in a secret fort.  I could smell the clean scents of Soroush and Pony and feel their warmth.

I don’t know when I’ve found a shoot so refreshing and pleasant. On a whim I asked him if he knew what “Soroush” meant.

“Yes, I do. Do you know what ‘Paul’ means?”

I told him that I thought that ‘Paul’ meant ‘humble’. This made Pony laugh out loud, and I can’t blame him.

“So, what does ‘Soroush’ mean?” I asked again.

“It means ‘angel’.”

– PAUL MORRIS