AVA THE BOLD ISSUE - FEBRUARY 2015
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T H E C O V E R ”We Are Golden” by Ale Jimenez starting on p. 82
AVA AVA magazine is a independent photography magazine based in Norway. AVA is created to collect people’s photographic talents and share them with the world!
THE BOLD ISSUE - FEBRUARY 2015
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Maria Pasenau www.pasenau.format.com Mikkel Walle www.mikkelwalle.com Rebecca Fexby www.rebeccafexby.com Kristina Lang-Ree www.kristinalangree.com Ida-Marie Fiskaa www.idafiskaa.com Maja Johansson www.majajohansson.me Alexander Thorsen www.alexanderthorsen.com Migle Golubickaite - www.migleg.eu Franey Miller www.franeymiller.net DP Models www.dpmodels.no Ronny Danielsen www.ronnydanielsen.no Ale Jimenez www.dcstudiovisual.tumblr.com Joelle Rosen - www.joellegrace.com Victoria Art
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EDITORS LETTER Hello, Welcome to The BOLD Issue. We had ambitions of this issue being our best yet, both in terms of quality and commitment. It is the biggest issue we have created, and we are extatic to share it with you! We have 11 exciting editorials and two exclusive features with american photographer Franey Miller and Ronny Danielsen. For our feature with Ronny Danielsen we showcase his self-started model agency, DP Models, along with his thoughts around working as a photographer. Complimented with a imageseries shot by the AVA-crew. We also had a talk with four of the models in his agency and asked them some questions about their modelling. In this issue we also present two new ”AVA-contributors”, Rebecca Fexby and Miglè Golubicaité. They both have editorials in this issue and we are stoked to have them deliever pictures to two of our upcoming issues aswell. (Read more about becoming a contri-
butor on our facebook page)
This is our third issue since AVA started up again, and we are thankful for the growing interest around our magazine. We hope you take the time to enjoy ”The BOLD Issue” and stay tuned for news concerning upcoming issues. Be Bold! - The AVA Crew
THE BOLD ISSUE w h a t ’s i n s i d e
ASTRID LOOK GOOD F E AT U R E LIGHT KNIGHT LEAVING NO TRACES F E AT U R E INTERVIEW THE UNKNOWN WE ARE GOLDEN A M E R I C A N AT T I R E WAITING BLOOD ORANGE WINGSPREAD IRL
MAJA JOHANSSON MIGLE GOLUBICKAITE FRANEY MILLER VICTORIA ART KRISTINA LANG-REE RONNY DANIELSEN DP MODELS IDA-MARIE FISKAA ALE JIMENEZ MIKKEL WALLE REBECCA FEXBY JOELLE ROSEN ALEXANDER THORSEN MARIA PASENAU
Astrid PHOTOGRAPHER MAJA JOHANSSON MUAH EVA-LENA JOHANSSON MODEL ASTRID LAMMERS NORD-STRØM AT ARTS.DK
GOOD LOOKS PHOTOGRAPHER MIGLE GOLUBICKAITE STYLIST AIDA IVANAUSKAITE MODEL ROJUS KRISTIJONAS AT ELITE STOCKHOLM
FRANEY MILLER Franey Miller is a Brooklyn-based photographer. She moved to New York from Louiseville 6 months ago and admits she is addicted to coffe and loves anything outdoors. You call yourself “a photographer of sad girls”, why is that? I guess because a lot of the girls I shoot look sullen in photos. I was trying to think of a bio for my site and thought “hah, sad girls. that would be funny”. It’s kind of a joke. What is the most surreal thing that has happened to you while photographing? I usually am on the floor / ground while shooting and in the summer I have dirty knees 24/7. I think the best feeling ever is being all grimy after shooting (then showering like, an hour later) Do you have a “dream shoot”? If you could choose any location, model and styling, what would you do? I have a lot of dream shoots, but I think one I’ve been wanting to do lately is at a buffalo farm. So into crazy locations. What fascinates you about photography? I guess that when cameras first were invented people thought that photography wasn’t art because it told the truth about what was in the photo, it was just a depiction of reality. I like how fashion transcends that theory and makes photography into an art form, because my favorite part of fashion photography is definitely the art that’s put into it.
“I think the best feeling ever is being all grimy after shooting. Then showering like, an hour later.�
What is your favorite photography-related childhood memory? When I was eight years old, my family vacationed in Palm Springs, California, and my dad gave me a little yellow 35mm underwater camera. That’s when I started to take photos, and I remember most clearly taking pictures of the ocean and the water in the pool. Even still, water is a big part of my work. What interests you the most, fashion or photography? Neither- if I didn’t shoot fashion I wouldn’t be a photographer.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I can’t really think ahead to the next week, so thinking about where I’ll be in 10 years is really intimidating. Check back with me then! How do you get inspired? Do you have a favorite photographer? I get inspired by getting out of the house, listening to music, walking around New York City, and having good conversations with my friends. I try not to dwell on other people’s work, but I think my favorite photographers are Tim Barber and Ryan McGinley.
Light Knight PHOTOGRAPHER VICTORIA ART STYLIST VICTORIA NOZHENKO MODEL TOLIK SACHIVKO
leaving no traces
PHOTOGRAPHY KRISTINA LANG-REE M O D E L A R U N E J AT D P M O D E L S
We had a talk with entrepreneur
RONNY DANIELSEN about photography & his model-agency:
DP MODELS Photography by Mikkel Walle
When did you get the idea to start a model-agency? I startet DP models around 4 years ago and I got the idea through my photography business. I worked with models on a regular basis and had a pretty large network of people around me, so I thought it made sense to start my own business, instead of always renting through other agencies. After the idea had landed in me I got a a little cocky one night on facebook and shared the idea. The next morning I woke up to lots of attention around the post, so that basically was a commitment to going through with it. The rest is history! How do you combine running DP, and working as a photographer? The combo works out great. Customers who use our agency often know what they want, but not always WHO they want. To help them finding the right face and expression for their task, I find that my experience as a photographer really helps. One model is right for one task, one for another. I would love to spend even more time on both the agency and my photography, but i already spend alot of time doing both things! They work around each other and I would say the split is about 50/50, but the difference is I can never take time off with the agency. There are so many more people invloved there. On the other hand I can mix and move my photography assignments to fit my life to a larger extent, since it´s more about myself. This is not a nine to five job, its a lifestyle! How does the agency find models? The last two-three years people have started to send in pictures and expressed request to become a model with us more then they did, but we still do scoutings. We search for interesting people where they usually are. We for-example scouted Vilde at a local music festival!
THE NEXT MORNING I WOKE UP TO LOTS OF ATTENTION AROUND THE POST, SO THAT BASICALLY WAS A COMMITMENT TO GOING THROUGH WITH IT.
Is there a diffrence to how you recruit guys and girls? Yes, to some extend. The girls often have a specific wish of becoming models, and are more aware of how it works. The guys are more needs to be scouted and ”told” that they could be a potential model. They are not always so aware of their looks and what makes a good model. The girls are often also quite a bit younger than the boys when they are concidered to be in their ”primetime” as models. This means we as a agency will make sure the parents or guardians are involved more in their modeling careers, and decisions and agreemnts are taken care of along with them. Being serious and professional in that matter is very important to me and the agency. We also have a working cooperation with several other model agencies both in Norway and in other countires, to make sure the models that have potential can be as sucsessfull as they want. Working together is important, both for us and the model. Is there competion between the agencies? Off the record, or on the record? Haha, no just kidding! There is a market for several agencies. In being a photographer and running an agency I shoot myself in the foot on a regular basis by displaying the work of competing photographers and ”advertising” them. But
I feel we are all in the same boat. I think you learn more by working together and learning of each other. The competitors will take a look in my �store� and I in his. That way we can carry the load togehter. And I feel the same way with the agency. What kind of assigments do you do the most of as a photographer, do you do mostly fashion? I work mostly in music acctually! I love taking pictures of cool people, but dont really concider myself to be a portrait-photographer, so music-photography is a cool middleway between the two. There are also some shared eastehtic elements from fashion photography in music photography. So I do mostly music and commercial stuff, fashion comes second, and I am okey with that. Fashion is really time-consuming! Dont get me wrong, I love doing it, but I simply dont
have the time. My main passion is music photography. Are you a musican yourself? What do you do other than work? I do play the guitar and I did play in a band once, but never turned out a rockstar. Everybody wants to be a rockstar, right? Haha! Outside of work I spend most of my time with my girlfriend. I have finally found the love of my life, and I try to spend as much time with her as I can. But I also like to travel! Traveling with a camera is so much fun. Its easy to get to know people and you always have an excuse to get into conversation when you have a camera in your hands! I travel both in work but also for pleasure. Not so long ago I traveld to Cuba for example and ended up creating a photoseries from there!
What kind of models is popular now? There is most definatly different trends. Last year everyone was suppsoed to be very nordic and light, everybody was asking for it! But now suddenly a more exotic look is more in demand. It may seem like it could turn on a dime sometimes. A model can be in high demand for four to five months, then nothing‌ Its an international thing. We pay attention to international trends, and try to stay with the times. Models with more of a unconventional look has gotten in high demand over the last few years also, and I must admit finding them is not always easy. Spotting a classic pretty person is easy, but that is not always what you are looking for, and then you have to be more visionary and imagine how a person might work in unconventional way. How do you see DP and yourself evolving futher on? As an agency we got alot going on. Some details I can’t spill quite yet, but there is exciting things in process! We do however wish to become the biggest agency in our region, and if that takes two or ten years it does not really matter, we will achieve it! As a photographer I am also positive. Each year the assigments get cooler, bigger, and I get more contacts. I love to embark upon challenging tasks! I love being a photographer, taking pictures, and will never stop.
“MODELS WITH MORE OF A UNCONVENTIONAL LOOK HAS GOTTEN IN HIGH DEMAND OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS(...) SPOTTING A CLASSIC PRETTY PERSON IS EASY, BUT THAT IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.
represented by
When and how did you end up in DP Models? - It´s about 3 1/2 years ago, when I was 13 years-old. I was at a local music-festival and Ronny from DP came over to me, and he asked me if I was interested in joining his model agency. I had never thought about being a model before, so I was completely clueless about what to answer. But I ended up joining! Did you have any ambitions about becoming a model? No, I had never thought about it before. I was very young at the time. I have an older sister
DP MODELS
photography by ida fiskaa
vilde
who had taken some pictures of me, and encouraged me to become a model, but my self-esteem was not very high, so I didn’t do anything about it. So I was really surprised when Ronny asked me!
other girls that I knew very well, I had to walk with two big dogs, and since I am scared of dogs, that was a strange experience! It didn’t feel very classy, haha! Looking at the pictures now brings back good memories.
How have your experience as a model been so far? It has been very exciting and I’ve learned a lot! I remember my first shoot, I was so excited and curious about how the pictures would turn out. I’ve gotten to know a lot of new people, and it’s cool if you meet them later, on a different shoot! My favorite shoot was for Bello, I was there with three
Do you have plans working as a model in the future? I haven’t planned so far ahead, since I am still in high-school. But I’ll take it day by day, and see what happens. I really like it, and since I earn some money on it too, I won’t quit yet. But for now, its just a hobby.
marcus represented by
When and how did you end up in DP Models? I’m not quite sure about when, but I believe it’s about a year ago. A hairdresser named Kenneth suggested I should drop by DP and check it out, and here I am. Did you have any ambitions about becoming a model? The thought had crossed my mind, but it never became anything more than that.
DP MODELS
How have your experience as a model been so far? It’s been cold! Once I was in Bymarka in Trondheim, we were supposed to have summershoot, but it was about -10 C, and a lot of snow everywhere. I’ve also been on a shoot where I had to be in the water, and I remember it because it was very hard standing in the water for such a long time. But luckily the temperature was alright. But all in all,
it has been a lot of fun, and I’ve met many new, interesting people. Do you have plans working as a model in the future? I’ll take it one day at a time, since I’m studying at law school and working, I don’t have a lot of spare time. But I ‘m at a couple of shoots when I have the time, and I thinks it’s a lot of fun.
mari represented by
When and how did you end up in DP Models? It started with a photoshoot with Alexander Thorsen. Later I visited a friend in Oslo who knows someone in Heartbreak Model agency. I didn’t even know we were going there, but all of a sudden we were outside the door, my friend rang the doorbell and ran off. Then someone opened the door, we talked and I joined Heartbreak, who work in collaboration with DP Models. Did you have any ambitions about becoming a model? No, not really. I had been on a couple of shoots before, but
DP MODELS
never thought about joining a model agency until my friend tricked me into it. How have your experience as a model been so far? I’ve only had positive experiences so far! I think it has been very fun, and have already been doing a lot of different shoots. People have said to me that being a model contains a lot of body pressure, but I haven’t experienced it myself. Last year I was on a shoot in Røros, and spent two days there with the stylists family, which was very cosy and nice. I also had a shoot with Kristina (AVA), where we
went in the ice cold water at 4 AM, with almost no clothes! Do you have plans working as a model in the future? I am a very down-to-earth person when it comes to modelling. Of course, it’s super fun, and if I get an opportunity, I’ll take it. No intentions to stop modeling any time soon!
nikolai represented by
When and how did you end up in DP Models? It was in october 2014. I was at work and a random lady came in asking me if in a modeling agency. And then a college of mine tipped me about DP Models. I checked it out, and Ronny was very on board with it! Did you have any ambitions about becoming a model? I did some work as a model before I joined DP, and that is actually a funny story. Me and my aunt was on a vacation in Paris. One day I was walking around in the streets, and I remembered a friend of mine that really loves
DP MODELS
men with dark skin. And I told her I was gonna take a picture with the first dark skinned man I saw. I met a guy and took the picture, but then he asked what the picture was for. I felt a bit embarrassed to tell, but told him, and he asked to see the picture. When he saw it, he for whatever reason asked if I had ever heard of Abercrombie and Fitch. He wanted me to live in Paris and work for them, so I went to an interview and go the job! How have your experience as a model been so far? Oh well, I have a lot of memories. Once I had a dead swan around my neck, I’ve had dripping candle
lights on my arms for two hours, been packet in plastic wrap and so on. But it has been fun shoots! I also had one shoot where I had inc in my mouth, underwater, and it was freezing!
Do you have plans working as a model in the future?
I like to have my opportunities open. It’s fun to meet new people, people who have an eye for detail and art. Of course, I think it’s cool to be taken pictures of, but I don’t want to put something else away to become a model.
the unknown PHOTOGRAPHER IDA-MARIE FISKAA MUA & STYLIST EMILIE AASEN BORRESEN M O D E L R U N A R AT T R E N D M O D E L S
WE ARE GOLDEN PHOTOGRAPHER ALE JIMENEZ MUAH MARIO RODRIGUEZ T O TA L L O O K M A R I O R O D R I G U E Z ASSISTENT STYLING AERDNA CLAUS MODEL INGRID KASER PRODUCTION MARIO RODRIGUEZ DESIGN & DC STUDIO
AMERICAN ATTIRE PHOTOGRAPHER MIKKEL WALLE M O D E L R E B E C C A L AT T R E N D M O D E L S
waiting PHOTOGRAPHER REBECCA FEXBY MUAH CECILIA SARIN STYLIST ANGELIOA OLAI ASSISTENT NIKLAS AXELSSON
BLOOD ORANGE PHOTOGRAPHER JOELLE ROSEN CLOTHING LOTUS BOUTIQUE MODEL KATIE CONNER
WINGSPREAD PHOTOGRAPHER ALEXANDER THORSEN MUA & STYLIST JEANETTE HANSEN M O D E L L I N N B AT D P M O D E L S
IRL_ PHOTOGRAPHER MARIA PASENAU MODEL NIKOLAI A AT DP MODELS
AVA