Within photography I have always had a passion for landscape, fashion, and portraiture. For my Fall Thesis I wanted to create an editorial look book dedicated to urban, creative, youth. Inspired by Hip-Hop culture and lifestyle, I wanted to celebrate the diversity of personal style, expressive to the subjects. My intention for creating these images were to improve on my lighting technique within the studio, practice on-site shooting, and building a network with various models and subjects.

I had a large interest in working with a diverse group of people stemming from different backgrounds and fashion styles. I thought of finding different ways to look for models. I did not want to go through modelling agencies, I wanted to find millennials and everyday people that my audience could connect with. I wanted to veer from high-end, conventional portraiture as much as possible and keep my project real and unrefined. I was on Tinder during my model search and thought I could use it to my advantage as a model search platform. I began searching for a few models and was able to connect with two people: one a photographer themselves, the other trying to enter the modelling business in Toronto. It worked out perfectly then I branched onto Facebook, Instagram, or through friends of friends. Rather than depicting conventional portraits, I wanted the models to be themselves in front of the camera. Each models’ individual styles allowed them to express themselves naturally while also letting me build a relationship with them.

I knew that I wanted to keep my lookbook as minimal as possible. The images are the only thing that really mattered to me. I looked through multiple layout designs online, Majestic Disorder, and other various magazines. As my thesis draws to a close, I have greatly enjoyed the entire process. From the preliminary stages of my body of work, to the final result, my end goal was to produce a series of images that illustrates my love of portraiture and fashion.