FALL/WINTER 2014
ACHE
FAll/ Winter 2014 004
note from the editor
photography 005
David Cortes
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Laura allard-fleischl
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Kayla Varley
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Collin Levin
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Lauren Withrow
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hollie fernando
Fashion 019
“La Femme” by Manuela Iodice
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“urban Wild” by marisa Chafetz
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“Playing dress-up” by Cindy Benyskiewicz
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Feature: natalia Rivera
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“Empty spaces” by Miron Chomacki
Music 119
What we’re playing right now: Fresh STart
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editor-in-chief
JACKIE LUO contributing photographers
Cindy benyskiewicz Manuela Iodice Marisa Chafetz Miron Chomacki
(p. 001 and 002) photographed by JACKIE LUO styling by LINDA Hamouie makeup by Alice Li model is anastasia @ muse
model management
feature photographers
Collin Levin David Cortes Hollie Fernando Kayla Varley Laura Allard-Fleischl Lauren Withrow cover photographed by Kayla Varley model is Alex Noiret
welcome to issue #10 of ACHE magazine. it’s moving into autumn again. here in new york, we went from ninety degrees to fifty in the blink of an eye, and i must say that i miss the warmer weather. but with the start of a new season comes the promise of cozy sweaters and hot tea, and we finally have crisp fall days to shake us out of our summer haze. this issue, we bring you some of the most talented young people we’ve seen yet, with contributors from poland to the uk to los angeles. they’re doing better than ever before, with some just out of their teens, and i can’t help but think that the times have changed. today, petra collins is curating artwork, olivia bee is holding solo exhibitions, and tavi gevinson continues on her world takeover. it’s the age of the young and irreverent female, and we’d like to think that we’ve featured a few of our own. welcome to a brave new world! as always, ACHE is looking for submissions from artists, designers, photographers, writers, bloggers, musicians, and more. we’re open to adding writers, photographers, and editors to our staff, so let us see samples of your work! to submit, send us your full name, age, city and state/country, and a link to an online website or portfolio, along with five to ten low-resolution samples of your work.
SUBMISSIONS@ACHEMAGAZINE.COM keep living young, keep making art, and keep reading ACHE. love,
jackie luo editor-in-chief
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For Photogenics Magazine MODEL Laura Gosch @ Photogenics Styling Shanacie Tangradi @ The Well LA Hair Ashley Lynn Hall Makeup Dana Delaney Photography Assistant Collin Levin Styling Assistant Angela Urmanita
DAVID CORTES
david is a twenty-three-year-old photographer who lives on the side of a hill in northeast los angeles. he has two cats and two dogs he loves dearly, and he travels every few months to keep his creative juices flowing. we fell in love with the colorful abandon that characterizes his work... it’s all about the pop!
ACHE Magazine: Tell us about yourself. How did you get into photography?
AM: Name a few of your favorite photographers. How have they inspired you?
David Cortes: My brother and I took a trip up the coast, and he let me take photos while we were cruising. I was instantly hooked. I had played around with my parents’ cameras when I was a kid, but I don’t think that I had ever used an SLR until that point. I literally remember the exact moment when I thought to myself that I wanted to start taking photos.
DC: Juergen Teller, Guy Bourdin, Viviane Sassen, and Ben Morris, to name a few of the more notable photographers. I also have so many talented friends who are constantly making beautiful work. The creative community here in Los Angeles (specifically the northeast part of LA) is really making some noise right now. Everyone is pushing forward really hard and progressing in a big way.
AM: What do you aim to convey through your work? Why do you keep shooting? DC: I want to make photos that are exciting, relevant, and unique. I keep shooting because I’m completely and totally obsessed with it. I really could not see myself being happy doing anything else. AM: When did you start, and how has your photography changed throughout the years?
AM: How does fashion play into your work? DC: Much of the work that I make is based around fashion, so it’s really important in my creative process. I work closely with the stylists with whom I shoot to make sure that each piece of clothing is a perfect fit for the concept that I have in mind. AM: In five words, what’s your style?
DC: I started taking photography seriously during my sophomore year in high school. My old work was abstract and mostly based in fine art. Although my work is different now than it was back then, I feel like there has always been this underlying direction or aesthetic to my work.
DC: Colorful, graphic, energetic, balanced, and precise.
AM: Who are you as a person and as a photographer?
DC: I’ll let you know when I’ve reached it. I want to keep shooting and making work that is interesting and thought-provoking.
DC: I don’t think that I have an exact answer for either of those questions, and that’s alright with me. I am constantly changing personally and creatively. I think if someone were to look at my work, they would be able to come to their own conclusion about the kind of photographer that I am and the kind of work that I make.
AM: What is your top moment as a photographer? Where do you hope to take your work in the next year?
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For Photogenics Magazine MODEL Laura Gosch @ Photogenics Styling Shanacie Tangradi @ The Well LA Hair Ashley Lynn Hall Makeup Dana Delaney Photography Assistant Collin Levin Styling Assistant Angela Urmanita
For La Monda Magazine MODEL Sarah Brannon @ LA Models Styling Keyla Marquez Hair and makeup Melinda Love Steele
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For Astonish Magazine MODEL Hannah Bogdan @ Photogenics Styling Annabelle Harron @ Margaret Maldonado Hair Ashley Lynn Hall Makeup Dana Delaney Set Design Andrew Cortes Digital Tech Philip Martin
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For Astonish Magazine MODEL Hannah Bogdan @ Photogenics Styling Annabelle Harron @ Margaret Maldonado Hair Ashley Lynn Hall Makeup Dana Delaney Set Design Andrew Cortes Digital Tech Philip Martin
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For Sicky Magazine MODEL Alex Long @ Nous Styling Keyla Marquez Hair and makeup Melinda Love Steele
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For Ladygunn Magazine MODEL Rima Vaidila @ Next LA Hair and makeup Melinda Love Steele
For Cake Magazine MODEL Cailin Russo @ Wilhelmina NY Styling Jessica Wu Hair and makeup Georgia Mitropoulis
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For Cake Magazine MODEL sofya titova @ LA models Styling Keyla Marquez Hair and makeup Rachelle Games
For Cake Magazine MODEL corrie Lejuwaan @ Vision LA Styling Keyla Marquez Hair and makeup Melinda Love Steele
view David’s website at DavidMCortes.com
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Top Eyedoll
la femme
photographed by manuela iodice styling by cristina landi makeup by silvia gerzeli model is deborah parcesepe @ esprit
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Corset Christian Lacroix
Dress Francesco Longo Shoes Zara
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Dress InvitroLab Glove Vintage Ring Bernard Delettrez
Top Zara Culottes La Perla
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MODEL holly rose @ next
Laura AllardFleischl
meet laura. currently a twenty-three-year-old photographer in london, she was born and raised in new zealand. she ditched the mountains and coastlines for concrete skylines last year, moving to london after a road trip through the states. she now works full-time shooting for companies like nasty gal and publications like elle uk.
ACHE Magazine: Tell us about yourself. How did you get into photography? Laura Allard-Fleischl: I was given my first camera at age three. Big, blue, and plastic. I guess I just never stopped. AM: What do you aim to convey through your work? Why do you keep shooting? LAF: I shoot because I enjoy it, and it’s something that, at this point, I can imagine getting joy from for a long time—it’s a pretty limitless path in terms of potential for growth and development, so it’s hard to tire of it. What’s conveyed differs from shoot to shoot. However, I always try to maintain a personable element with my photography. I want everyone involved to feel like their contribution shines in the final product. I find it’s often more satisfying to let a shoot evolve with the day as opposed to having every inch measured and pre-planned, and I like for it to be a collaborative process, not just the stagnant vision of an individual. AM: When did you start, and how has your photography changed throughout the years? LAF: I started as a toddler, and I feel like I shoot a higher usability ratio nowadays! AM: Who are you as a person and as a photographer? LAF: Let me get back to you on that one; I’m still working it out myself. AM: Name a few of your favorite photographers. How have they inspired you?
LAF: I don’t really have any particular favorites; I admire the work of a lot of photographers but generally find my inspiration comes from places other than photographs. AM: How does fashion play into your work? LAF: The majority of work for which I’m commissioned is fashion-based—lookbooks, campaigns, editorials. I’ve been shooting some music work, too, recently, which is cool, and I find there are a lot of parallels between the fashion and music worlds, so it’s easy to bounce between the both. AM: In five words, what’s your style? LAF: Changes every day, bit weird. AM: What is your top moment as a photographer? Where do you hope to take your work in the next year? LAF: Hm, that’s tough! Every shoot I’ve ever done has been a unique adventure, and it’s hard to put them all side by side and pick one above the others. Salvation Mountain was pretty spectacular, though, surrounded by nothing but desert for miles. It’s a bit of a mad place. I drove out with two models and spent the day scrambling up and down this huge, psychedelically colored, man-made shrine in about forty degrees Celsius, full sun. We almost got into some trouble on the way back to LA, as we technically should have had a permit to shoot there (and the guys at the highway checkpoint were pretty suspicious), but we talked our way out of it.
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For Nasty Gal MODELs Cassandra @ next and Davia @ La Models
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MODEL Kim @ IMG
MODEL Katya @ Img
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For Catalogue Magazine MODEL Grace @ Models1 Stylng Kylie Griffiths Hair and makeup kamila siemiatkowska
MODEL sophie @ img Hair and Makeup olivia @ glasshouse
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For Popseecul MODEL teresa oman @ D1 styling Jules Kosciuczyk Hair and Makeup Marina Keri Art Direction Pia Hakko and Pelin Yasar
For Popseecul MODEL lydia @ models1 styling Kyanisha Morgan Hair Patrick Forini Makeup Kamila Siemiatkowska Art Direction Pia Hakko and Pelin Yasar
view Laura’s website at allard-fleischl.com
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Urban Wild Photographed by Marisa Chafetz styling by helen rendell model is julia cumming
Coat Adrienne Landau Swimsuit Malia Mills Shoes Model’s Own
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Coat Adrienne Landau Shawl Adrienne Landau Underwear Relique
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Coat Adrienne Landau Bra The 9th Street Haberdashery Slip Malia Mills Underwear Model’s Own
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Coat Adrienne Landau Romper brownstone cowboys
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Models Faith and Filip
Kayla varley kayla’s one of our favorite la girls, a twenty-two-year-old california native who lives and breathes photography. she started shooting at the tender age of thirteen and attended the art college center of design in 2010. her focuses are fashion and portraiture.
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ACHE Magazine: Tell us about yourself. How did you get into photography?
She loves to laugh. I think Kayla as a photographer is much more animated than Kayla as a person.
Kayla Varley: I got into photography when my father bought me a really small camera for Christmas one year. I think it had four megapixels. I remember one moment in particular—it was kind of an, “Oh, shit!” moment. I took a photo of a flower and just got obsessed. I still am. I grew up in a really small town where everyone just shrivels up and doesn’t do much with their lives after high school, so I knew I had to leave, and photography was my escape. I left Bakersfield just shy of my eighteenth birthday and never looked back.
AM: Name a few of your favorite photographers. How have they inspired you?
AM: What do you aim to convey through your work? Why do you keep shooting? KV: I always try to find the human connection, the emotion in all of it. When I first started shooting, I always said I wanted people to feel me and understand me because I was taking these really introspective self-portraits, I still take them, but now when I’m shooting, I really, really just want to connect, to anyone. I always want to feel the other person. I keep shooting because I have to do it. It’s my heart and soul, and if I don’t, I feel empty inside. I can’t not shoot; it’s what keeps me going when I’m sad, and it’s what keeps me from going crazy most of the time. Knowing I have my own escape—that’s what gets me through the low points. AM: When did you start, and how has your photography changed throughout the years? KV: I started shooting when I was twelve or thirteen... it’s definitely a lot different. Back then, I was going through a lot of angsty teenage feelings that I was trying to express with my self-portraits. I’d say it was much darker back then. My photos and my perspective are a lot happier and lighter than when I was a child. It’s now less about me and more about the people with whom I interact. AM: Who are you as a person and as a photographer? KV: Right now, in my head space, Kayla as a photographer and Kayla as a person are sometimes blurred. But, for the most part, they are two different people. When I have my camera in front of my face, I’m looking through a fantasyland that I create in my head. I know it’s not real, but I’d like to think it is, when I’m dreaming. Kayla as a person is quiet and reserved; she is extremely neurotic and anxious.
KV: Off the top of my head, Nan Goldin, Juergen Teller, Cass Bird, Hedi Slimane, Billy Kidd, Ryan McGinley. I’m inspired by Goldin in the way she documented her life and the raw emotions that are always so prominent in her work. I love Juergen Teller’s and Cass Bird’s fashion work, and it’s really inspired me in the past couple of years. I love how they have such a free-flowing vibe in their photographs. Cass especially so, as she is always empowering women in her work, and I think that’s important. I love the portraits by Slimane and Kidd. They generate such good expressions and beautiful lighting and exposures. And Ryan McGinley is a huge inspiration. He shot me nude for his exhibition Yearbook when I was twenty, and being able to meet one of my idols... it was a trip. I’ll never forget that day. AM: How does fashion play into your work? KV: It used to not play into my work at all! I love simplicity, and my personal style is more about comfort. I like paying attention to lines and shapes, so if clothing fits weirdly, I don’t want to shoot it. I guess I pay enough attention to fashion, but it’s not somewhere I go to get inspired. It’s more of an afterthought, ironically. AM: In five words, what’s your style? KV: I want to feel you. AM: What is your top moment as a photographer? Where do you hope to take your work in the next year? KV: My favorite moment of all time would have to be standing on the beach, shooting my friend Faith, who has the craziest hair. We were shooting, and the wind picked up her red hair, and I snapped it. It felt like another world. I’ll never forget that feeling and all of the other feelings that have come from that moment.
For Live Fast magazine Model Alissa
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For Live Fast magazine Model Alissa
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Model Max Runko
Model Lauryn Holmquist
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Model Annie McGinty
Model Brooke Nesbitt
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MODELs Rembrandt and Sarah
view kayla’s website at kaylavarley.com
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Dress Astrid Dalton Jacket Astrid Dalton
playing dress-up photographed by cindy benyskiewicz styling by anastasia martynova hair and makeup by jimi park model is evangelina rodriguez
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Top Topshop Skirt Mengna Ye
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Dress Astrid Dalton
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Trousers Mengna ye
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Bag ASOS
Trousers Mengna ye
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Natalia Rivera natalia rivera, from barcelona, spain, had her first contact with the fashion industry working as a window dresser and visual merchandiser in the the uk and spain. however, she always felt that she wanted to develop her skill and she started to study fashion design, combining her studies with visual merchandising work. she completed her studies with an award for the best collection in her year and was selected to show her work as part of barcelona 080 fashion inside the modafad platform for her thesis.
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ACHE Magazine: What is the inspiration for this line?
AM: Who is your target customer? For whom do you design the pieces?
Natalia Rivera: The Trip is a collection inspired by a wonderful journey to a tropical paradise.
NR: My target customer is a timeless woman who likes to wear clothes that can transmit a story or a feeling, who likes the quality of the fabrics and special pieces.
AM: How did this concept for the collection develop? NR: I wanted to express a feeling that we normally don’t know to process well. Nostalgia, an emotional state that anchors us to past memories and doesn’t let us see that we can carry on making new wonderful stories. We always think that all that we have experienced before and what has happened is better than the uncertainty of what will happen in the future. For that reason, I chose this topic, a tropical trip made in the past, threw a pastel palette, cut shapes that reminds us of a trip, and added a pleated fabric of brightness, with sequins that shine lights like the sun and reflect like the sea, soft and semitransparent fabrics. Little by little, the imagery takes form with references to memory, prints with European architectural elements, and palm trees with a message that this is a positive union between memories and the now.
AM: Who or what inspires you? NR: I have different inspiration as reference from designers, cinema, feelings, traveling, art… I especially like to go to exhibitions when I’m traveling to discover new artists and new points of view. AM: Where do you hope to take the line in the near future? NR: I would love to continue working in the fashion industry, expanding my work and exploring new markets, and am open to working for other companies and designers.
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view Natalia’s website at nataliariverastudio.com
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Collin Levin MODEL Ali Collier @ Vision LA Styling Matthew Hensley Hair and makeup Danielle Walch Creative direction Ariel Beesley
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“My mom was a professional ballet dancer, and my father was a sea captain. When they got married, my mom decided to stop ballet for a while to travel with my father as he sailed around the world for work. I was born in the North Pacific Ocean when my father and mother were on their way back to California from Alaska. The name of the boat was ‘the Renaissance.’” ACHE Magazine: Tell us about yourself. How did you get into photography? Collin Levin: I was always interested in photography, even as a kid, but really got into it at seventeen. I took this summer camp where I had to shoot, develop, and print my own black-and-white film. It was great to start on film, too, because I felt like I had to learn about the camera. I couldn’t just put it on automatic and take a photo; I had to learn the technical aspects, which was important. I got into shooting fashion after I went to New York last year. I went with some friends just for fun, and it happened to be during New York Fashion Week. I remember going to Lincoln Center and looking at everyone and saying, “Man, I would love to be a part of this.” After I came back, I set up my first test shoot and have kept shooting ever since. AM: What do you aim to convey through your work? Why do you keep shooting? CL: I mean, I think it depends on what I’m shooting, but I would say that showing some sort of emotion is really important to me, as well as being wellcomposed and aesthetically pleasing. I keep shooting because I do really love it, and I feel as though there is so much more to explore. I don’t like to do the same thing over and over again, so I’m always trying to push myself and figure out different ways of taking a photograph. Trying new things is what excites me and what makes me want keep shooting. AM: When did you start, and how has your photography changed throughout the years? CL: The first time I picked up a camera, I was just shooting objects, and it wasn’t that interesting. I always wanted to shoot documentary photography, but I wasn’t the kind of person who would go up to somebody and take a photo of them.
The first time I shot a model was about a year ago, and that was a big turning point. I didn’t have to go up to a random person and ask them if I could take a picture. I had someone who would let me take photos however I wanted. After that, I started building relationships with different agencies, stylists, and so on, and kept shooting as much as I could. It’s only been a year, but I think I’ve progressed a lot since I first started, especially when it comes to ideas for shoots. In the beginning, it was all rather simple, and the more that I’ve shot, the more I’ve gone and experimented. AM: Who are you as a person and as a photographer? CL: I think I’m still trying to figure all that out, to be honest! AM: Name a few of your favorite photographers. How have they inspired you? CL: It’s funny because I collect a lot of photos as inspiration but only recently started looking into photographers. I really like Mark Seliger, William Eggleston, Herb Ritts, Richard Avedon, Joel Meyerowitz, Stephen Shore, and Martin Parr. AM: How does fashion play into your work? CL: Fashion is fun. It’s always changing and new, so it’s always exciting. Fashion is such an important part of photographing people, too. It can show personality, mood, location, and more, and I always try to be conscious of that while shooting. There is something so beautiful about fashion—it’s romantic, and I love that about it. AM: In five words, what’s your style? CL: Avuncular, Brobdingnagian, Clatterfart, Cygnet, Hobbledehoy. AM: What is your top moment as a photographer? Where do you hope to take your work in the next year? CL: My top moment was just figuring out that photography was something that I really love to do. I don’t know if I have a specific top moment shooting yet or a specific editorial that I really love more than the others—it’s all been a lot of fun. I would say I’m going to just keep shooting as much as possible and try as many new things as I can.
MODEL Ali Collier @ Vision LA Styling Matthew Hensley Hair and makeup Crystal Liz
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MODEL Corrie @ Vision LA Styling Annabelle Harron Hair and makeup Crystal Liz
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MODEL Amanda Griffith @ Next La Styling Matthew Hensley Hair and Makeup Crystal Liz
first, he wanted to go into cooking and was accepted by le cordon bleu. Then, he tried film. finally, a year ago, he found what he really loved... fashion photogrphy.
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MODEL Jourdan Miller @ Next La Styling Skye Stewart-Short Hair and Makeup Melinda Love Dean
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MODELs baylee and kelsey @ Vision LA Styling Matthew Hensley Hair and Makeup Crystal Liz
MODEL Courtney Paige Nelson Styling Juliana rowlands
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MODEL leila goldkuhl @ next LA Styling Annabelle Harron Hair and makeup Crystal Liz
view Collin’s website at collinlevin.com
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Empty
Spaces photographed by MIRON CHOMAKI styling by AGNIESZKA MIERNICKA hair and makeup by KAROLINA SHUMILAS model is JULIA BIJOCH
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Coat MMC Lingerie Rilke
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Top Por Favor Skirt MMC
Coat MMC Skirt MMC Shoes MMC
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Dress Zien
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Sweater sheinside Dress proenza schouler Shoes zara
Jacket Harley-Davdison Dress Zien
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Sweater Kenzo
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MODEL Sara Skinner
LAUREN
WITHROW
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lauren withrow is a self-taught fashion and portrait photographer from farmersville, texas. at fifteen, she started a 365 self-portrait project that marks the beginning of her photography career. now, at twenty-one, withrow has shot for clients like teen vogue, nylon, and ballad of magazine.
ACHE Magazine: Tell us about yourself. How did you get into photography? Lauren Withrow: I had always been interested in photography due to my interest in being a cinematographer. However, I didn’t have the equipment to make films and instead borrowed my father’s camera and started taking photographs. My first photos were all self-portraits. AM: What do you aim to convey through your work? Why do you keep shooting? LW: I like to have some sort of story behind my images, whether it is obvious or more discreet. I’m into subtlety. I shoot for myself. I don’t really try to please others. If it’s for a client, then my mindset is different. In the end, I shoot because I have a desire or need to do so. It is a way in which I communicate and relate. AM: When did you start, and how has your photography changed throughout the years? LW: I started when I was fifteen, and most of my work has consistently been darker in nature, but it has matured with me. My work is much less about Photoshop and more about reality. I also prefer to create more story-oriented series versus a single image trying to depict a story. AM: Who are you as a person and as a photographer? LW: The same slightly pessimistic eighty-year-old woman dressed in all black. AM: Name a few of your favorite photographers. How have they inspired you? LW: Vincent Van De Wijngaard, Harley Weir, Paolo Roversi, Deborah Turbeville.
My list has shifted as I have grown, but these four have consistently been favorites of mine. I tend to turn to Vincent the most in the sense that he allows filmmaking and storytelling to influence his work heavily. I don’t see too many modern photographers shoot in a way that he does, and it’s really powerful to me. I also find favorites in photographers and artists who are my age, such as Olivia Bee, Mike and Claire, and Andrew Lyman. AM: How does fashion play into your work? LW: Fashion is a major part of my photography, not just in the sense of designer pieces. The fashion that the model or subject is wearing must complete the character or tell a story. I try to give everything a place or a meaning in the photograph, to have it tell a story about the person wearing it. AM: In five words, what’s your style? LW: Stills from an imaginary film. AM: What is your top moment as a photographer? Where do you hope to take your work in the next year? LW: I’ve had some super incredible moments, but I don’t think I can ever name a top moment. Maybe sometime in the future, but not now. In the next year, one of my only goals is to put out a short film. I’ve talked about it for so long and done little films occasionally, but I’ve yet to properly release anything. I’m too selective of my stills work, and the entire process of filming has made me even more selective in what I release.
MODEL Sara Skinner
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MODEL lauren withrow
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MODEL Sara Skinner
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MODEL Ashton @ Wallflower Management Styling Tiffany Hicks @ IA Hair and makeup shane monden @ Wallflower Management Photography assistant/prop stylist shaina hedlund
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MODEL lauren withrow
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MODEL lauren withrow
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MODEL audrey mcdermott @ wallflower management
MODEL heather joines @ wallflower management
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MODEL remy ryan @ wallflower management
view Lauren’s website at laurenwithrow.com
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what we’re playing right now...
FRESH START LOVING YOU Manou
EAST OF EDEN Zella Day WEEKEND Priory
STRANGE ENOUGH VÉRITÉ MAGNETIC Annabel Jones PARASOLS Polarsets
TILL SUNRISE Goldroom (feat. Mammals) SLAM The Gromble GATES Speak
CLASSIC The Knocks (feat. Powers)
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Model CharlottE Styling Hollie Clark Makeup Eliza James
HOLLIE FERNANDO hollie is a twenty-two-year-old freelance photographer in south london. outside of work, she has two stupidly cute fluffy white dogs and likes to cook and read in her spare time.
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ACHE Magazine: Tell us about yourself. How did you get into photography?
AM: Name a few of your favorite photographers. How have they inspired you?
Hollie Fernando: I first picked up a camera when I was about fourteen but didn’t take photography seriously until I was about sixteen, when I made the decision to change schools to study it. I haven’t been driven by anything so hard and found anything that matches that drive since then.
HF: I love following the adventures that photography duo Ryan Kenny and Luke Byrne have, as it really makes me pine for my own and work harder to get there faster. My current favorite pastime, however, is sitting looking through the work of Randy P. Martin and welcoming the feeling of beautiful solitude and love for nature that washes over me every time.
AM: What do you aim to convey through your work? Why do you keep shooting? HF: I hope to create relatable work—work in which someone can get lost, that creates daydreams to hopefully bring a smile to their faces during their boring day-to-day routine. Or even better, that gives them the push to get out of it and seek their versions of the feelings I aim to create when capturing mine. I keep shooting because it keeps me sane. It’s my only creative outlet that produces permanence. The other is consumed by hungry mouths and gone forever in a matter of seconds (most of the time). AM: When did you start, and how has your photography changed throughout the years? HF: I started at college about six years ago where I took a great darkroom photography course that catapulted me deeply in love with everything to do with analog photography. I would say change-wise, I produce work that has more of a message these days instead of endless films of my mates climbing trees. I like to think my work at the moment evokes hidden feelings of wanderlust in people, as I just got back from my first solo traveling experience and have it hot in my blood myself. AM: Who are you as a person and as a photographer? HF: I’m laid-back, but I have strong visions in my head that I like to make sure I capture. The person holding the camera isn’t the same one that most of my friends will know. I take a lot of time behind the scenes preparing my shoots so the special moments occur more often. It’s good to allow them to happen naturally, but at the same time you need to have a degree of control when you’re working with the elements.
AM: How does fashion play into your work? HF: I am inspired by fashion, but a lot less than I used to be. I am more drawn to people with their own unique style now, rather than what’s on trend. To me, it makes people far more interesting. I recently saw a kid around the age of thirteen at a car show who was rocking a pair of worn-out flares and long hair down to his shoulders. I felt so drawn to him because he stood out from the norm and was probably an intriguing person. I am conscious of the fact that fashion can overpower a photo, and I want people to like my work because it’s something they appreciate, not because they like the t-shirt the model is wearing, so my new personal project is all about stripping people bare and showing off the fact they can be beautiful without a style stamp. AM: In five words, what’s your style? HF: Summery, flowy, chilled, refined, Navajo. AM: What is your top moment as a photographer? Where do you hope to take your work in the next year? HF: My top moment as a photographer happens every time someone tells me that they are inspired by my work. Whether it’s that they’ve picked up an old analog camera or planned a road trip, it’s indescribable how that makes me feel. In the next year I am hoping I have released my first book and have found the opportunity to hold an exhibition somewhere—that is a big milestone for me.
Model CharlottE Styling Hollie Clark Makeup Eliza James
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For Girls on Film Zine Model Lera @ Premier Styling cassie walker Hair Roger Cho Makeup tabby casto
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For suitcase magazine Model madi @ Premier Styling Emily beard Hair Roger Cho Makeup tabby casto
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For girls on film zine Model eleanor @ models1 Styling rachel thorn
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For girls on film zine Model rio @ models1 Styling cassie walker Makeup erin kristensen
view Hollie’s website at holliefernandophotography.com
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