The Aesthete & Dérive Publication.
Victor and I created these shots in 2017. (Seems like a lifetime ago)
We snapped on a rooftop in downtown Los Angeles and then inside a studio room at sunset.
Victor was fun to shoot with. He could convey a gentle tone (like in the photo with the flower behind his ear) And also a fun Southern California skater vibe. (As you can see above) We just took photos for fun and chatted it up while we did. It was an afternoon well spent.
Take care,
-Oliver
The photo studio Kiya and I shot in had 7 different unique rooms available for rent, and for this session I booked us 4 of those 7.
A room with pink walls, a room with orange walls, a room with yellow walls, and a room with white walls.
Kiya’s IG profile description reads “sweet lil baby with the mean mug”
For the pink room, there was a large window with opaque glass that light from the sun went through before entering, which created a diffused soft light.
The orange walled room lacked windows, so I used the bounce flash to create the light.
As you can tell, Kiya has an eye for aesthetic and brought a great variety of outfits and swimsuits that matched the colors and different vibes of the studios.
This white walled room below was our last stop, and I planned our timing to hit right as the sun was setting. So we had these gorgeous golden beams shining in that she played off of.
Kiya lights up the camera. A natural model who with an innate understanding of how to express without saying words, and how to showcase different aesthetics through fashion and poses.
You can follow Kiya on IG here.
Till next time,
-Oliver
Did someone say something to you when you were young that you held onto? (And perhaps you kept what they said in mind for many years to come and even let it partially define you?) Sometimes I think that adults spend their lives trying to prove the criticisms they received as a younger person wrong.
We don’t have to let the past define us. We can experience the moment, and then let it go.
The camera of a polaroid holds space for a moment that’s occurring, it defines and validates that moment by creating a memory, and then it spits that memory out, releasing it into the universe.
Here are various Polaroids I’ve taken around Southern California and New York using a vintage Sun 600 Polaroid Camera, or by using the Analog Polaroid Photo Printer.
DJ and Model: Karma at the Santa Monica Beach at sunset at the end of our photoshoot.
Stacey Hazen laying on a digital floor from our shoot at the “Happy Go Lucky Exhibit” in New York City.
Palm Trees at sunset off the highway
The Eastern Building in downtown Los Angeles. (Snapped while I was walking through town after a photoshoot)
Dancer/model/singer/actor: Tracy Sokat from one of our photoshoots in NY
A small Flamingo statue casting a perfect shadow
-Oliver
