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katrina amato

I have been sharing week by week my beach series with katrina and I think this is the last, for now. this was actually the first shot we took and I just thought it felt like such a stylishly serene moment. I told katrina to keep her hair curly that day, because I wanted it to almost blend in with the sand. I don't even know if you can see the way the sand corresponds to her hair, but it totally does. we agreed that her outfit should be simple and I like how katrina just wore a black turtleneck with boy shorts. all she did was lie on the sand and position herself and somehow I caught this moment. its really such an interesting balance between the texture of that sand and her body language. normally, I usually reference some photograph from an editorial I love or a film scene, but I must say I don't know what the exact inspiration for this, was. to pick something specific is quite hard, although I must say looking through photos by camilla akrans and ferdinando scianna triggered something in me. also, michelangelo antonioni's 1960 film L'avventura might have loosely inspired me, as well. whatever the influences were, katrina just did what I wanted her to do and somehow we got a moment that felt very cinematic. maybe I envision something more to myself with this photo, but because I walk on the beach all the time and see such beauty with the sand textures I knew with the right person I could make something out of it. at any rate, I must thank katrina again for taking part in this beach project! we have more to do of course, but this was the perfect noir chic start!

the veiling

katrina amato

for some reason, I keep thinking about my beach series with katrina and all the unexpected photo inspiration we came up with that day. the next one involves her and this beautiful piece of fabric that we decided to bring with us while wandering by the sea. katrina and I both have a mutual interest in ethereal photography. I guess with that term, for us, it simply means..... any kind of moment that feel magical, timeless, and otherworldly. I feel like we totally embodied those terms with this photo. what I love about the ocean is all the natural wind that just occurs and how you cannot control it, you just have to play with it and see what happens. so with that, katrina decided to wrap herself in the fabric and I just waited, to capture the right moment. we took a lot of interesting and unique moments with the fabric, but this one resonated deeply, with us both. I guess its the mystery, the harsh sky, the drapery, and that beach sand that really adds a little something to this photo. whatever it was, we just liked the drama and darkness of it all. sometimes, fabric can be cliche in photography, but I liked how we came up with something that was very complementary to our visual style. on a side note, when I study this image it reminds me of a quote that I continuously think about that says the less you reveal, the more people can wonder. I am not sure why, but I feel like those words match so perfectly with this image. perhaps, you can see that lyrical and visual connection, too!

blown away

photo by saul landell

a couple of days before going to the beach I sent this photo to katrina. immediately, we were both blown away, just because that drapery is captured to perfection and I love how it is color coordinated even though the photo is in black and white. in case you were wondering the image is by saul landell. I had to do a little research to find out more about this photographer, but all I could find is that he is from guadalajara, mexico and I feel like drapery and desert is what he is very much intrigued and captivated by. this is only one of his fantastic images, but I was very much inspired by looking through his body of work. I definitely had him in mind when I was on the beach with katrina. of course, saul landell has something that is very visually appealing, that I cannot compete with, but I wanted to embody that drapery and drama, that he does so well. if you are unfamiliar with his photos I highly suggest checking his work out and even though it is not fashion photography per say, I feel like he captures something that feels very much like a madame grès design. I have no idea if that makes any sense, but it certainly feels like there is a distinct grecian style aesthetic to his photography, which is something that I never get bored of.

a sense of mystery

katrina amato

as promised, I said I would share some of my other photo projects that my friend katrina and I collaborated on. for our second adventure, we thought we would attempt something on the beach. we roughly came up with a concept and just decided to see what would happen. a couple of months ago, I featured a veiled hat that I found for twenty dollars at a vintage store and thought on katrina it would look stunning. I know when I wore the hat it had a different feeling and with her it took on a life of its own. what's great about the beach, is the strong winds and how it can pull things in different directions and with the hat, it did just that and more, especially, with that added material. you can't even see katrina behind that veil and I love the sense of mystery, that it conveys. it almost feels like an italian widow on the beach.....if that makes any sense. however you want to interpret it I just love the body language and the simplicity of this black turtleneck and shorts paired with that veiled hat. katrina did an excellent job with styling this look and I love how its not something you see everyday, but too me, those are always the most memorable types of moments. I have more from this day to share, but for now, this is the uniqueness we came up with. just the right amount of noir chic....don't you think?

behind the veil

photo by mario testino

of course, as always, for our beach project katrina and I decided to create a mood board for our beach day and as always we came up with a lot of ideas. the one I really had in mind with my veiled hat on her, was this photo of model jacquetta wheeler photographed by mario testino. to be honest, I have no idea where this photo came from I just found it on pinterest. too me, it feels like something from the carine roitfeld vogue paris days. it has something that feels very much like her visual style. perhaps, it has something to do with those heels and the way she is walking away from that bus so nonchalantly and mysteriously. however you want to describe it, I just love the noir chic feeling that this photo exudes and for some reason it served loosely as inspiration to me, when katrina wore my veil hat. this is one of those hidden mario testino photos that will forever be one of my favorites. there really is so much perplexity about this photo and to what editorial this even belongs to. I must do some research....either way, a striking image that makes me wonder. I love it when photography can do that to me!

hold the drama

katrina amato

its always fun and interesting when I get to collaborate with friends who share a mutual interest in fashion, style, and photography. my friend katrina is a model and choreographer with a sharp eye for art direction. a couple of weeks ago, we decided to get together and play around, too see what we could come up with. naturally, I thought of a location and katrina brought some dresses. this was just one of the looks she put together and of course to give her black dress by l'agence a rochas olivier theyskens vibe, I gave her my black lace parasol to hold, so that we could add some shadows to the photo. by now, my lace parasol has become my signature as I always seem to use it with my photo projects, but with this black dress, it just seemed quite suiting. I also thought with katrina's strong body language it was the perfect accessory. I always love an element of mystery and with her back to the camera I think it definitely personifies noir chic. I must thank katrina for not only being an excellent model, but for also understanding the elements of what makes a photo eye catching. we have a couple more collaborations to share, but for now this was our first, and I am quite proud of it and what we have created together.

well-posed

photo by victor demarchelier

katrina and I spent a week thinking about what we could do creatively together. naturally, we set up a pinterest board so that we could share ideas and take inspiration. I think that is the beauty of pinterest....in that you can reference anything, save it, and go from there. I go on it all the time and I say for anyone needing ideas it is the best to use. at any rate, I had this photo in mind when we did some photos of her in that black dress by l'agence against that white wall. even though there are no direct correlations, I love the body language that malgosia bela is giving to the camera. I have no idea who designed this black dress, but I love the shape and silhouette. this photo is pure drama....all done so right. katrina has so much expression when she poses that naturally this image came into my head. I could probably stare at this photo all day its just that intense, but I must say it was the perfect inspiration for us on that day. if you haven't seen this photo it is from the fall/winter issue of antidote magazine. you could say its a fall dress, but personally I would wear this all seasons.....its just that noir chic!