Irina Agaronyan - Gallery Curator

Good Afternoon! Let me introduce you to Irina Agaronyan. Art consultant & Gallery Curator extraordinaire. Not only is this lady incredibly talented, intelligent, and extremely good looking (I may be a little bias :p ), she's also my bff/soul sister/brother from another mother. Irina has some great advice for fashion photographers wanting to exhibit.   

Tell me a bit about your gallery/work history

"My obsession with the arts began to rapidly develop in my late adolescent years. At the naïve age of 17, I made the decision that I would become an artist, only to quickly learn that my creative skills were far below what I had hoped. To suffice my obsession with art, I began working part-time in a local art gallery on the Mornington Peninsula, and I never looked back. I have now been working in the commercial arts sector for close to ten years. My roles have included manager, curator, arts administrator, art consultant and writer. Although these positions have often been demanding, they are always incredibly satisfying and creatively stimulating. Everyday I am astounded by the creativity and dedication of Australian artists. Being part of their creative journey is truly a pleasing and inspiring experience."

How do you feel people respond to fashion photography in galleries?

"Unfortunately, it’s not often that commercial galleries in Australia choose to exhibit fashion photography, and I struggle to understand why. Often I believe that gallerists fear exhibiting ‘fashion photography’ as such, as it may interfere with the ideals of fine art, but this is not entirely accurate. In many ways, fashion photography is its own entire genre, and any explorations into this field are always met with great excitement from the public. People adore fashion photography. Its attraction lies in the unfamiliar and the glamorous, the quixotic and unfamiliar."

Who is an interesting fashion photographer that you have worked with?

"I was lucky enough to work with Sonny Vandevelde, who is also one of my favourite Australian fashion photographers. His work possesses such an incredible sense of vitality, energy and colour, but most importantly movement. He captures the fashion industry in its entirety in each photograph. I’ve also always found that Sonny’s work creates a fascinating dialogue between camera and model; a differing side of the industry that viewers would not often see."

What is some advice for fashion photographers wanting to exhibit in galleries?

"Firstly, create a great looking website that is up to date.  Gallerists will always use a search engine to learn more about your practice, and an easy-to-navigate website will make the research a pleasurable mission. Secondly, do your research on both the gallery and gallery owner, and make sure that the gallery you choose to apply for is going to benefit your career.  Thirdly, write an engaging application. The application doesn’t have to be long or complex, but it should include your career and education achievements, your contact details, and a short cover letter. It is also wise to include 3-4 images of your best work. Do keep the images to low resolution or under 250kb, as most galleries only allow a certain amount of data to be received. Finally, don’t give up! If you believe in your creative ability, you will undoubtedly find a gallerist that does too – even if it takes a little while."

Peace & Love

K

Val Marisa - Freelance Designer

Happy Friday!! I hope everyone has had a fantastic week, and has multitudes of adventures planned for the weekend. 

I’d like to take a moment to shine the spotlight on Melbourne Freelance designer Val Marissa. I’ve been fortunate enough to know Val for quite a number of years, watching her grow creatively and produce some beautiful work. A graduate from Whitehouse, I recently sat down with Val and had a chat to her about life, career, and what inspires her. 

Tell me about your freelance work, and how it got started?

"I graduated from Whitehouse hoping to start up my own label, however with the birth of my beautiful son I decided to concentrate more on exclusive one off garments. I found that a lot of my friends were getting married, and there was a real niche market for wedding and brides maid dresses. When my son was born, I also got really fascinated with kids wear. After making little things for him I realised that there is an even bigger market in children's wear, especially boys clothing."

What inspires you?

"I live in the hills up near Olinda so am constantly inspired by nature and my natural surroundings. My sewing room is great, it gets the morning sun that beams through the branches of the tress, and looks out onto all the wild life we get around here. My little boy is also obviously a big inspiration, especially in terms of children's wear."

Who are your favourite designers?

"I went to uni with two girls named Kate Brook and Kajsa Kvernmo. They have started up a label called APOM (A Part of Me) which is trendy, neat, and at the same time a little bit edgy with the prints they use. I love it! I also really like Gorman and the classic feel of Chloe."

Who is your fashion icon?

"An all time favourite icon of mine is Edie Sedgwick. I love everything about her!"

What are your future career aspirations?

"I want to eventually start up a children's wear label, putting together the practically of the clothing whilst displaying the playfulness and personality of the child. You know...like having pants with actual pockets for them to put their little treasures in!"

Photographer- Rupert Laycock

Model- Lauren Nicholas

H&MUA- Jordanna Hiban-Moss

Stylist- Stanley Does Style

Sahhh cute!!!

I can’t wait to see what’s ahead for Val. Judging by the photos of her garments, I would say big things! 

Peace & Love

K

Hello & Welcome!

Firstly, let me introduce myself. My name is Katelyn, I am a 25year old fashion photographer and writer currently residing in my home town of Melbourne. I drink copious amounts of tea, am a self proclaimed book worm, love to travel, am the Queen of really horrible (hilarious) dad jokes, I live in Toorak with flatmates and a cute little King Charles named Sadie, but most importantly I am extremely passionate about photography! 

I have worked as a photographer for Modelling agencies and studios, but now I work for myself yay!! I get to meet some pretty interesting and amazingly talented people in my industry. I’d like to use 'Silk Shutter' as a platform to showcase fashion photographers work, mine included, and document my collaborations with different creatives in the industry. I’ll be posting interviews with industry professionals such as fashion designers, models, stylists, makeup artists and gallery curators. I’ll be taking you on intimate tours into their studio and working spaces, offering fellow fashion photographers tips and advice, scouting and sharing beautiful shoot locations, reviewing products, and most importantly having fun! This blog will be an exclusive look behind the scenes of the fashion industry, with the spotlight being on the talent that makes the industry truly phenomenal. 

So….how about I show you some of my work! At the end of 2011 I entered an image into the fashion category of the “Pedestrian Rayban Photographer of the year Awards”. After two months waiting with baited breath, I received a phone call telling me my image had made it into the finals!!! I was then asked if I would like to fly to Sydney for the party where they would announce the winners. After a few too many ciders, the time had finally arrived. “The winner of the fashion category is…..KATELYN REW!!!!”. I staggered up on stage, recited the most unprepared speech never written, and hopped down clutching a massive bag full of new camera goodies, and a beautiful crystal trophy. To this day, that was one of the happiest moments of my life! 

The winning photo in question was taken in an extremely luxurious and exclusive location, the pool in my backyard. My friend had come over to hang out, and I made her jump in and whip her hair back and forth (before Willow Smith made it cool). I then overlaid a few patterns, played around with opacities, and voila!! 

In fact, I quite like playing around with patterns, especially clouds! This image was shot on the French Riviera (in Nice to be exact) ooh la la!

I also like to get young woman to whip their hair around...a lot

I lived on the Gold Coast for a little while working for a modelling agency, spending my days on the beach, and doing a lot of location shoots! I have fair skin, I wore a lot of sunscreen. 

And now for some more long legs, overlaid patterns, and inside out umbrellas. 

Sometimes I photograph men, but I much prefer woman. The opposite of my sex life aye aye aye, see what I did there ;) 

Anyhoo, I hope you like my work! Please feel free to follow 'Silk Shutter'. I'm super excited for what's to come, and the journey this project will take me on.

Peace & Love

K