I first picked up a camera at the age of fifteen when I spontaneously joined a photography class at school - for the sole reason that I was terrible at drawing and though photography would be an alternative. The bug quickly bit and I was soon photographing weekly via forcing my friends into pretty dresses and asking them to stand in the back yard. I don't think much came of those images, but one thing was for certain - my passion to pursue fashion photography was present from the very beginning. I posted a lot of my work on DeviantArt and discovered a lot of young photographers that inspired me as well.
As a singer/songwriter, a lot of my time was spent in front of the camera to begin with (or wanting to get in front of the camera) but I soon discovered that I felt more at home behind it. Of course, I haven't given up on my musical ambitions, but it also meant that I started to photograph seriously. It was in my second year at Music College at I began to work with professional models, make up artists and designers. At my first ever shoot, I had forgotten to charge the battery and we had a total of twenty images in total. Somehow, I had made it work, but it wasn't a mistake I was keen to make again.
Since then, I have worked with designers from all over the world - Italy, Malaysia, US, Thailand and Australia as well. My ambition is to photograph for fashion publications and fashion houses. I've become so attached to my photography career that, what started off as a hobby with a point-and-shoot in my best friend's yard, has now taken over every spare moment I have outside of studies. However, I wouldn't want it any other way.
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This photo-shoot was inspired by a Korean music video called "Monster" by Big Bang. The most dominant lyric for me here was "I love you, baby I'm not a monster". Although the song is almost about an obsessive kind of love, it made me think about the things that turned decent people into monsters - the kind of creature that was created by society. In my collaboration with Black Milk Clothing, I knew that their pieces would be the best to work with something a little bit darker.
The photos were shot with a Canon 7D with a f1.4 50mm lens. I used all natural lighting, as that's my preference.
In the photoshoot, I introduce to people five different 'monsters' that have come from society. Greed - donning gold tights and black leather, whose lust for wealth has resulted partaking in illegal and malicious activities. The American Dream - who distorts reality in order to escape the bleak reality. Vanity - who has neglected everything in favour of their physical appearance. Mother Nature - who has become a bastard of mankind (for lack of a better expression) and can no longer decipher good from evil. And finally, there is the black cat, who is quick to take advantage of the lonely to fill her cold heart, although temporarily. These are all monsters that exist in real life, whether we choose to see them as such or not.
"MONSTER" SHOOT
Model: Ellie Rose Giddings
Styling: Spenser Blake & Laura Cave
Hair: Royals Hair
Make Up: Tara Lawrence
