Bubblegum Club

Tag: rule of thirds

  • The starry-eyed fashion depictions of photographer Annie Lai

    The starry-eyed fashion depictions of photographer Annie Lai

    Soft romantic lighting. Colours saturated. Models often captured as if in deep contemplation. Images that display as a fictitious 70s idealism. Near shadow-less representations. A warm arresting memory made clear.

    Annie Lai is a London based photographer best known for her romantically styled editorials for independent, cult magazines such as Teeth, OE and Sicky. Having grown up in a small costal town in China, Annie decided to move to London to study fashion photography at the London Collage of Fashion.

    Annie’s photography has developed to show a clear signature. Whether she photographs her models on location (both inside and outside) or in studio, one is able to identify her creative input in an image effortlessly. An element that makes up her style is the use of very natural and soft lighting choices – when employing coloured filters or gels she uses it as a highlight to merely kiss her model’s features. Another element is models sharing similar features that aid in building this signature style as well as fashion that remains within the same style through various bodies of work. The last elements that builds the foundation of her style are that of shooting frequently from high or low angles as well as abidance by the rule of thirds.

    Annie’s work presents as clean, untampered with and natural romantic fashion depictions that climb straight into your heart.

    As her practice and lived experience in London has grown she has become a cultural traveller effortlessly navigating between the contexts and cultures that form her identity. While Annie currently resides in London and travels to China she has found where her heart lies – behind her lens.

  • Ricardo Simal – Photographing an idyllic state of being

    Ricardo Simal – Photographing an idyllic state of being

    A moment of time captured in a permanent state. Intimate portrayals of fresh-faced youths. Flecks of haziness. A perfect balance of slightly saturated tones is met with vibrancy. Images of nostalgia.

    Ricardo Simal is a Cape Town based photographer who refined his craft by studying at the Ruth Prowse School of Art. Moving to London he assisted highly regarded photographers such as David Sims, Patrick Demarchelier and Mert & Marcus working on titles that include ID, Dazed and Confused, W Magazine, Vogue and Tank Magazine.

    Ricardo’s portrayal of his models translates as near documentary fiction and his viewer experiences a sense that he knows these people intimately. Looking through his body of work is like looking at the documentation and dissection of youth and youth culture with a raw unbevelled edge.

    Engaging with any one of the images crafted with his lens is to become mesmerised and to experience a sense that you yourself know these models. The feeling can be described as looking at portraits of friends from a previous lifetime. His images ooze with emotion even in his editorial stylings.

    Analysing the expanse of his work, it is clear that Ricardo is a classically trained photographer abiding by principles such as the rule of thirds. This choice in itself renders his depictions as natural due to his models appearing within a focus area that is preferred by the human eye. Another technique that he employs is the elimination of distracting objects adding to the captivating quality of his work. Images that appear near shadow-less results in an uplifting mood.

    The aesthetic of his practice can be summarized as raw, honest, sensual and intuitive. Since his return to Cape Town Ricardo has built up an impressive client list consisting of Hugo Boss Eyewear, Woolworths, Esquire, Meso and Russh to list just a few.

    In short, Ricardo’s work can be seen as an idealism. Photographing young beauties within light tonal values and the rules outlined in various photographic principles makes his aesthetic become pronounced. The world he creates is real and unreal simultaneously. The rawness he photographs with adds to the element of a sort of documentary that his work visually displays.