Fashion & Art

  1. Member Spotlight: Marc & Louis Photography

    | Member Spotlight
    September 11, 2012

    Our member spotlight of the week is Marc & Louis Photography from Zurich, Switzerland.


    ASTONISH: You two are quite the dynamic duo: Gian Marc being the lighting expert while Marie-Louise handles the camera. What did the two of you do before you met, and how did you meet?

    MARIE-LOUISE: Our first date was 1995 in a cinema, arranged by our parents. They knew each other for more than 30 years and thought that we would be a nice couple… It was a perfect match! We had a lot in common like movies, music and good food, but we never thought about photography at that time. In 1999, NIKON released the first digital SLR camera and we started to take some pictures as every tourist does. It took us almost 10 years to recognize that we want to go for fashion photography. Together we had a very steep learning curve as each one of us concentrated on a separate area: Gian Marc does all the lighting and technical stuff so I can focus on directing the models and taking the pictures.

    ASTONISH: Your photography has a very distinctive style, often times tells a story and sometimes provocative, and very much so fuels the imagination. What are the sources of inspiration for your art?

    To access the complete article and view all of the stunning images, please sign in. Not a member yet? It’s easy to join ASTONISHWorld!

     

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  2. Feature: Photographer Lee Malone

    | Feature
    February 17, 2012

    Featured Photographer Lee Malone
    The Irishman with an Eye for Detail and Beauty
    By Sarah Kelly, ASTONISH Berlin

    Malone first fell in love with photography while in the dark room developing a roll of film from his first true love, an old film SLR camera. Though he was attending Ballyfermont ART College for Graphic Design at the time, he was also honing in on his interest in photography. With a wide variety of experience, from documentaries to portraits to high fashion editorials, Lee has chosen to focus on fashion photography, bringing a fresh and creative perspective to the field.

    After having the honor of asking Lee a few questions, I got the feeling that he is definitely a very cool, down to earth sort of guy. I mean who wouldn’t like a guy who HAS to listen to music all the time, especially while he shoots… and not only for himself, but to make the models feel at ease!

    Every artist has his or her own technique in creating the perfect outcome. Not only does Malone draw out his pre-shoot compositions for the perfect combination of vibrancy and movement, but he also throws in a black and white print here and there amidst his color – just to keep things interesting. We can certainly appreciate Malone’s desire for challenge, like how he prefers to use analogue over digital because it creates a strong necessity for attention to detail in every shot he takes. Lee Malone loves Paulo Nutini, the Black Keys, his Canon, and desires a trip to New York ASAP. He is also lusting for a new Hasselblad camera in the near future.

    Malone also was part of the premier print issue of ASTONISH Magazine. His spread “Make Believe” with stylist Sara O’Connor, makeup artist Julianna Grogan, hairstylistDeirdre Lawlor, and model Caroline Davis (Morgan the Agency) was inspired from a Zoltan Tombar fashion film that he fell in love with. He recreated the film in a fashion editorial format, which was done wonderfully.

    For more of his work, visit: http://www.leemalonephotography.com

  3. Feature: Photographer Charles Lucima

    | Feature
    February 17, 2012

    Charles Lucima
    Written by Rachel M. Lee

    We live in a world where 14-year-olds carry around $1,500 SLR cameras around their necks and iPhone users with an Instagram app call themselves photographers. Where does that leave the traditional photographer or the fashion photographer? “Take a picture with your Canon or Nikon, and you’re going to get a perfect replica of a scene. But that perfection is so sterile.” Perfection makes Los Angeles-based fashion photographer Charles Lucima feel sick.
    Lucima compares modern digital photos to hand sanitizer. “There’s nothing natural about there being no bacteria on your hand. Likewise, you can get a perfect replica of the exact scene you’ve shot but you’ll have nothing living in it. Then your photo is just dead…its completely lost its human element.

    For all the years of higher education (an MBA and M.A. in Psychology) Lucima racked up for the first 30 years of his life, he has no professional training for what he now calls his trade. Instead, he found it through other means. “The first years of my professional career I spent my time catching up. I figured I didn’t know anything so I’d better hurry up.”

    Lucima describes the earlier part of his career as the technical aspect. “At the rudimentary level, it’s technical and qualitative, there’s a scientific aspect to it that I learned simply by reading everything I could on the Internet.” He then describes the second level as one that cannot be described by words. “It’s simply another way of expressing human beauty and art that transcends language.”

    If you were to ask him when he moved from that rudimentary level to the point where he couldn’t explain or prove it anymore, he would say that it was the point he stopped hating photographer Terry Richardson. “It was his photo of Obama that did me in. Technically, it looks like he shot it with a point and shoot, maybe even a disposable camera. But once you get past that, you see that he’s conveying a human element. He made Obama blush and laugh uncontrollably. The fact that he can elicit that kind of a response from the most powerful man in the world, that’s got to say something about him as an artist.”

    Lucima’s pursuit of human element means leaving the grains in his photos or even adding the scratches on a photo to make it resemble an older camera, before all the high-tech gadgets and options are applied to make it look professional. “The reason we have iPad apps resembling polaroid cameras with special filters that essentially put flaws back into a picture is the same reason people still have analog record players in their homes. We’re all nostalgic for a time when things weren’t so perfected,” Lucima said.

    “At the end of the day, it’s about creating a human connection. Even though it’s a solitary experience sitting alone in my office retouching pictures, in some sense it’s a cry out – I’m here, connect with me. I want to connect with you.”

    For more of Charles Lucima’s work, visit www.lucima.com.

  4. Interview with Photographer Hakim Satriyo

    | Interview
    November 1, 2011

    The “I” of the Beholder
    Written by Cameron Lee

    It’s rare in life to be able to astonish. With rules of chance and probability consistently serving up a feast of hot trends that invoke historic character and motif; how do we truly astonish when the past weighs so heavily on our future? Where do we look for guidance into the unknown? How do we create art that is in itself able to justify the term astonish? The unexpected seems some how unattainable in modern society and sadly makes some sense. Art, fashion, and music of early civilizations were in many cases the first of their kind. Without the use of technology to help offer up an array of promotional editorial spreads, videos, blog rambles and more, the past treasures of art and fashion were able to attain a much higher shock value when introduced to foreign soil for the first time. So how do we create this same reaction when media accessibility seems to be closing the gap between the “who’s who” of the fashion forward and the marvels of imitation? Continually bombarded by new facebook pages and look-alike artists, distinguishing the truly remarkable can be a daunting task. Paving a new path for collaboration and the enhancement of the arts, ASTONISH Magazine strives for innovation of creativity, by taking hold of the reigns of chance and probability to provide an accessible foundation for invention and evolution through communication. To demolish convention and celebrate the avant-garde, ASTONISH brings light to the hidden minds that may still lie buried beneath the gloss of luxury publications in hopes of guiding talent towards a higher purpose…to ASTONISH. Love, Lust and Desire paint the pages of our first issue in a theme that calls for its readers to plunge into a collection of exciting and uncertain realms. The affinity of affection, the pursuit of passion and the depths of desire are ignited by the brilliant works of many emerging talents in what can be described as an explosive first issue. Hakim Satriyo, an Indonesian based photographer and stylist whose raw, emotive style graces our front cover had a chance to offer up a little incite on his past, interests and future endeavors.

    ASTONISH: How did you venture down the path of becoming a photographer and stylist?

    HAKIM: I started picking up photography as a hobby when I was in high school. The first camera I ever had was one my mother used when she was younger. I started to use this camera to practice taking beauty shots of women, and when I got to college I asked my parents for an SLR. I was studying product design but always had a passion for photography and fashion so I decided to pursue my hobby. I loved to put together outfits for my friends and I but lacked technical training so I would collect unique accessories and clothing to make my photos more catchy and interesting

    ASTONISH: What can the Americas and Europe learn from your work?

    HAKIM: By publishing my work I hope that I could tell the world that Indonesia has a great quality of art as well as international marketability. I love introducing my beautiful country to the world in hopes that they’ll come here and experience the beauty and warmth of Indonesian people for themselves.

    ASTONISH: What emotion were you trying to capture in the cover image of our first issue?

    HAKIM: What I was trying to create was love, lust and desire of self. I wanted to tell people that if they love themselves first, everything else just falls into place. If they have the desire to achieve their dreams then they will also experience the driving force, lust.

    ASTONISH: Your images have an interesting use of light and motion, what moments/emotions do you favor capturing the most?

    HAKIM: I really don’t like to use that much light in my images, I much prefer dark photos that have an edgy and romantic sensation to them. I am inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting La Belle Ferroniere which depicts a woman with a black back ground paired with warm romantic browns of the wood. While she has a flat facial expression you cant help but get the sense that there is a lot of meaning behind the painting.

    ASTONISH: What is the most difficult emotion for you to create in your shoots and how do you get your models to embody certain moods?

    HAKIM: To be honest I haven’t experienced a difficult emotion to create yet. I always brief the models on my concept for the shoot, and by getting to know each others likes and dislikes we can build a good chemistry for a successful shoot.

    ASTONISH: Between Love Lust and Desire, which do you find the most inspiring?

    HAKIM: The most inspiring? I think all of them. Well, maybe l would say love. I love to emphasize the romantic side and through this lust and desire will arise.

    ASTONISH: How do you fuel your creative endeavors?

    HAKIM: I observe myself, my home, things that surround me like friends, work and also situations that affect my country. I stay in tune with things that are going on in the world and also listening to music gives me a creative boost.

    ASTONISH: Any new project you are working on?

    HAKIM: I’m working on an ad campaign for an up and coming Indonesian designer Nikicio for her latest collection

    ASTONISH: What is your dream come true?

    HAKIM: At the moment I can say that I have made my dream come true. However, I don’t want to stop here. I feel that there is always something better in the future as long as you believe it, and no matter how slow it happens don’t ever give up.

    For more info on work by Hakim Satriyo please check his website at:

    http://hakimsatriyo.daportfolio.com/

  5. Interview with Photographer Robin Skjoldborg

    | Interview
    July 15, 2011

    Interview with Danish Photographer Robin Skjoldborg
    By Lucy Topping

    ASTONISH met up with Robin Skjoldborg in Café Europa, one of the nicest cafes in Copenhagen just a few blocks from Christiansborg Palace. Robin is a Danish photographer who focuses on fashion, advertising, travel, and portraits. He has shot for H&M, BMW, SAS, and other commercial clients all throughout Europe.

    ASTONISH: So how long have you been doing photography?
    ROBIN: Been doing it for about 25 or so years. Lost count along the way.

    ASTONISH: How did it all start?
    ROBIN: It started when I photographed for bands and album covers, concerts, and PR.

    ASTONISH: Anyone famous?
    ROBIN: I worked with many famous Danish bands. One group was called D.A.D. They are very popular in Northern Europe.

    ASTONISH: That sounds like a good start to a photography career. How did you transition into fashion?
    ROBIN: A lot of things just coincided. I started to do photographs for magazines, and then started gaining commercial clients. It was a chain of events, from one thing leading to another.

    ASTONISH: That sounds great.
    ROBIN: I love my job.  Actually, it’s not even a “job”. I call it a lifestyle. It’s my life, well, a big part of my life.

    ASTONISH: Your thoughts on inspiration?
    ROBIN: It is important to get inspiration from different places such as sports, arts, and music. I play in a band too. It’s important to not just do one thing.

    ASTONISH: Couldn’t agree with you more. And what is your major inspiration?
    ROBIN: Travel. Anytime you arrive in a new capitol or country, there’s a feeling of inspiration you get.

    ASTONISH: Your next target destination?
    ROBIN: South America. Brazil.

    ASTONISH: What was the source of your urge to travel?
    ROBIN: My parents and I lived in South Africa for six years. My childhood memory consists of wild animals, going on prides, staying in tents in the Savannah.

    ASTONISH: That’s awesome. Not that many people have those kinds of childhood memories. Describe the fashion and art community in Copenhagen.
    ROBIN: It is a small city and everyone knows each other. It is a good place to network. There are quite a handful of nice and very skilled designers in the industry. There are lots of photographers that are into fashion, portrait, and story telling.

    ASTONISH: Story telling?  As in photojournalism?
    ROBIN: Yes, a lot are photojournalists for international causes. There are about 5 million people in Denmark. There is always the urge to look out into the world.

    ASTONISH: Any words of wisdom for up and coming photographers?
    ROBIN: Don’t be afraid to push yourself to the limits, or else you’ll end up going nowhere. And don’t get lazy!

    ASTONISH: Your life motto?
    ROBIN: Be curious. Keep moving. Enjoy the moment. Live it!

    ASTONISH: Where will we see you five years from now?
    ROBIN: Around the world. Wherever life takes me.

    ASTONISH: Maybe Brazil?
    ROBIN: Yes. Maybe even San Francisco.

    For more of Robin’s work, visit his official website: http://www.robinskjoldborg.com/