Ben Larrabee, a fine art photographer based in Darien, Connecticut, is set to launch his first book in early September. This book, Trudie, A Portrait by Ben Larrabee, is a dream realized and brings completion to Ben’s work as a photographer. The book is a compilation of fifty-one black and white and color photographs distilled from over one hundred thousand photos he has taken of his wife, his muse, Trudie. Ben aims to capture her energy. We see Trudie presented through Ben’s vision and sense of aesthetics, and feel the unseen - his energy. For Ben, these photographs are full of personal meaning.

Through the lens of a camera, Ben explores Trudie in everyday life. In ordinary overlooked moments when Trudie might be reading a book, putting on make-up, drying her hair, or simply sitting and standing, he may be drawn to the way she has positioned herself in her surroundings. The surroundings are beautiful from their home in Darien, Connecticut, or on their travels to Nantucket and the Grenadines, to name a few favorite destinations. Their choice of locations also reflects their understated sense of elegance.

These photographs of domesticity allowed Ben to elaborate on ideas he learned from his professor Harry Callahan, and photographers he admired such as Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Weston. Like these photographers, Ben explores the feminine form and formal attributes of fine art photography - composition, line, rhythm, and texture. Doorways and windows may act as a frame around Trudie, or the sparkling surface of a body of water may illuminate and frame her. One can sense the calmness of the water, and also hear the ocean looking through this book. Rocks are another way nature and texture come into play, and sometimes serve as a backdrop to Trudie.

This book invites one to slow down. Perhaps you will be pulled into the artistic process, and you may see the ordinary in your own life with fresh eyes and the beauty in your everyday existence.

Meet Ben, husband and photographer, and Trudie, his wife and muse

How long have you and Trudie been together?

We met in 1988 and married in 1990. We’re celebrating 35 years of marriage this year.

Why is a Trudie your muse?

Trudie is my muse because she sparks my creativity. She inspires me to pick up my camera and create images where she is the subject.

When did Trudie become your muse?

I started chanting with a Tibetan Rinpoche in NYC in 1995. For my spiritual evolution to progress, it came down to answering the question “what’s my purpose on the planet?”. The answer was to pursue my long-time desire to be a photographer. I phased out my identity consulting firm in NYC and started Ben Larrabee Photography, working out of our home. Naturally, I photographed Trudie more. It was a spontaneous evolution.

How do you keep your relationship thriving?

We set aside a couple of hours three times per week for intimacy. We’ve learned an important technique for resolving conflict, “mirroring". Working together has allowed us to appreciate each other’s unique gifts, like Ben’s creativity and Trudie’s ability to get things done. We count on each other. We’re in this together, and we need to keep the boat afloat. And it’s fun to figure out things together. We enjoy each other.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Intimate time with Trudie.

A question for Trudie, what is it like for you to be Ben's muse?

Ben says he married me for two reasons: my legs and the Tokeneke Beach Club.

He’s often inspired to photograph me. It’s during those intimate moments when we’re hanging out and Ben notices me blow drying my hair, putting on makeup, stretching or just lying on the bed when he’ll say….” Wait, I want to get my camera, can you hold that?” or if he already has his camera, he’ll ask me to “do that again”.

He says I seem to have a spontaneous way of positioning myself that gets his attention. It might be the way I place my feet, how I lean on a pillow or sit in a windowsill. He likes how yoga poses organize my shapes and activate my energy.

Does Trudie ever wish not to be photographed?

Trudie loves being photographed by me. She says it’s easy and relaxing, she just does her thing while I explore her with my camera.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Hard work is the most overrated virtue. Work is most successful when it’s not hard, but a joy. When you align yourself with what you’re meant to do, things come easily and effortlessly. When you’re following your bliss, you’re in harmony with your purpose, and it’s not hard.

Do you have any favorite photographs of yours and why?

Poetry Inn no. 1, photographed in 2006. It’s a complex image and I love that all the elements came together so effortlessly; from the way Trudie’s arms and legs integrate with the architecture, the way the vertical lines from the shower doors turn the image into a triptych, the tonal range expressed in the mountains as they go off into the haze, the way the curtains are animated by the backlight. And it’s all natural, unposed. It presented itself to me in a moment when I saw Trudie sitting on the ledge in the outdoor shower. We’re 700 feet off the valley floor in Napa Valley. The only thing I did was ask Trudie to move her head forward so I could see her nose.