Yesterday the rather chameleonic Yume Ninja came over to my humble abode for a quick shoot and some damn good food. Although based in Los Angeles, Yume and her partner are visiting the UK over the Christmas season. We had planned to shoot more, including teaming up with Sohui, however snow and fail had left poor Sohui stuck at a bus stop twiddling her thumbs.
I have, for some time, been very interested in the work of Paolo Roversi, particularly when in combination with the genius of John Galliano. Working predominantly with polaroid film, natural lighting and a technique of using long exposures with Mag-Lite flashlights to pick out his subjects creates a otherworldly effect that has become his trademark. Roversi is particularly inspiring when considering his popularity within the fashion industry; although a very traditional and artistic photographer, he has worked with the most "fabulous" names within the "fiercest" magazines. It fills me with joy to see work such as his, and similar photographers, rather than those concerned purely with modernity.
In order to obtain a similar, surreal effect using digital photography, I used a lensbaby composer on my 5D MkII. The lensbaby allows the photographer to select a particular point of focus and blur other points, which is great for this kind of style and experimentation. Yume styled herself, and did her own fantastic makeup; which was all inspired by John Galliano's Frozen Ukrainian Brides, which has to be one of my most adored collections ever..
I do love feedback on my work, so feel free to leave a comment!
