005 INSPADES

Joachim Bergauer Sculptor of Light

Louie Gong

THE EIGHTH GENERATION MOVEMENT

Kelvin Wetherell

NEW ALBUM: THE JACKKNIFE LETTERS

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A Secret Society KIRA HOLTEGAARD DYLAN FOGLESONG COREY SMITH BRYAN DUMAS NUMERO CINQUE $6.99 J U N E 2 0 1 7

DEBUT CD "Plenty of jazz vocalists have great voices.

Many of them explore the treausres of the Great American Songbook. Linda Carone gets full marks for both and makes it all infinitely more interesting by interpreting far from exploited gems from the jazz/blues oeuvre, going right back to the 1920s. Who knew there were so many relatively under-heard tunes?

In the hands of a wonderful singer and a first class team of players, these old songs perform the seemingly contradictory feat of blasting new life into an established genre."

Mark Rheaume CBC Radio

LINDACARONE .COM

NUMERO QUATTRO 008

ALBANY MCCABE “Sleeping With The Lights On”

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JACLYN TRUSS Letter From The Editor

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ALEXANDRA LAFFITTE Transcending one’s inner-darkness

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NATE HILL Swirling scenes of epic proportions

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NIEL PATEL Turn your imagination on end—a portal to the unimaginable

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ANTHONY FASCIONE From film to photography

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LOUIE GONG Seattle shop, Eighth Generation, houses a Native American movement

DORUK SEYMEN Successful photographer shares technique, direction methods and working with celebrities

BANDOS Renegade Treasure Hunters: A behind the scenes look at ‘bando’ photography

DASHA PEARS When minimalism meets romanticism

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MARK MORTON From plumbing salesman to dapper steampunk model

CHRISTINA PARMAKFISCHER She’s a full-time mom and an A-list fantasy photographer

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KELVIN WETHERELL New album completes musician’s unanswered songs

DIMITRIS GLOUFTSIS The PANDA Project: Nature by design

MUKTI ECHWANTONO Romancing the darkness with melancholic imagery

CHARLES MARTINEZ Getting the perfect aerial view with your drone

@inspadesmag

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SERGIO DAVID SPADAVECCHIA Publisher/Creative Director - info@creativespades.com creativespades.com - @creativespades

JEAN-GUY FRANCOEUR How writing and publishing a book can make you an “instant expert” in your field

JACLYN TRUSS Editor in Chief - info@inspadesmag.com ANISSA STAMBOULI Head Writer - info@inspadesmag.com - @astamdesigns

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ALVARO BERTONI - Writer CÉLIA BERLEMONT - Writer GUINEVERE JOY - Writer REBECCA BOWSLAUGH - Writer ALBANY MCCABE - Opening Poet DARIO SPADAVECCHIA - Media Research CHRISTINA DEVEAU - PR & Social Media - @christinadeveau

LIV HANNA Making a big impression with miniature masterpieces

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ANNEKA PRESSTON Big Dreams of Glamneeks

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MARGARITA AKHUNDOVA Capturing obscure moments in the symmetrical, urban scenes of Guangzhou

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CAROL GONG - CHIEF CONTENT AGGREGATOR KRISTINA REESE - COMMUNITY MANAGER

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MORINO YORU Floral nymphs from Japanese photographer

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WINNERS INSTAMEET #6Tourmaria

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Joachim Bergauer Vibrant black and white portraiture that empowers its subjects

@PR0JECT_UNO @THEDARKPR0JECT @THEMYSTERYPR0JECT @THEGRAPHICSPR0JECT @PR0JECT_SOUL @PR0JECT_BNW @SOMBRESOCIETY

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COVER: Joachim Bergauer: InSpades Magazine is designed & distributed by

© All images, text, logo and content of InSpades Magazine or Creative Spades properties is under the Copyright Laws of Canada.

Any reproduction strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Only ever wanted to quiet my thoughts, Cross all the T’s and dot all the dots All noise turned off and the silence creeps in But my mind won’t stop; I can’t seem to win Gonna be a long eight hours Vicious cycle from dusk to dawn So once again tonight I’m sleepin’ with the lights on.

@ albany.new.york - @ the.aimless.muse

Photo by Dasha Pears @dashapears.art Ross Bugden - Sad Piano

Letter From the Editor BY JACLYN TRUSS

You only think as good as you feel

have never made a logical decision in your life.

That may come as a surprise, as we generally consider ourselves to be rational, objective thinkers who weigh options, come to logical conclusions and then make decisions based on facts.

But we don’t.

In fact, every decision you have ever made was an emotional one.

As much as we may reason out any given thing, the moment where our decision-making process turns into decision-made, that thoughtto-action is delivered through your limbic system, the emotional centre of your brain.

Your ability to make a decision is so closely tied to your emotions that it was found that people with damage to the emotional centres of their brains not only could no longer feel any emotions, but they also couldn’t make decisions, even simple ones. They could describe logically and reasonably what they should be doing but found it incredibly difficult to actually make the decision, because, at the very point of choice, logic and reason have no power to decide anything on their own.

The body-brain dynamic is incredible system of interconnectivity. You have likely heard of the term “heart-brain”, as your heart contains upwards of 40,000 neurons that deliver messages to the autonomic parts of the brain that are largely unconscious, but also to the centres of the brain

involved in conscious thought and emotion. This information share with these more “executive” parts of the brain can influence decision-making, perception and emotional responses.

There is also your “gut-brain”, with its 100 million neurons, and it’s often referred to as the “second brain” as it outnumbers the neuron count of the rest of the nervous system outside of the brain. While it has not been found that the neurons in the gut connect to the conscious areas of the brain, with countless and constant messages being sent back and forth between them, that “gut” feeling you’re having has more of a neurological basis than you may be giving it credit for.

We are complex beings with a miraculously complex life support system, and while its functioning still remains mostly mysterious, what is becoming clearer and clearer is that we are not, and never were, logical beings - we are emotional beings and everything we do, every decision we make, is based on how we feel about it.

So, the next time someone tells you to make a rational, logical and reasonable decision about something, feel free to confidently tell them you can’t.

I hope you decide that you enjoy this issue...

Queen of Spades

PHOTO BY NIEL PATEL

SUB S CR IB E www.youtube.com/c/Inspadesmagazine

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BY GUINEVERE JOY

THE “FRAGILE BALANCE”

ALEXANDRA_LAFFITTE

ALEXANDRALAFFITTE.COM

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ith models stripped of the superfluous, their beauty comes to light. Form and figure take the stage and French photographer, Alexandra Laffitte, explores a range of movement with poised grace. Using artistic mediums from lead graphite to ceramics, to fine art photography, Laffitte has found her voice to create the stunning actualizations of human emotion. Unadorned with the accessories of fashion, Laffitte’s models express the same vulnerability of what it means to be human, inclusive of their darkness and flaws.

L

affitte’s featured series, entitled Ombrage, translating to ‘shady’ in English, explores the element of darkness present in all of us. The models are painted and styled with varying amounts of black to represent the different degrees to which we are all affected by sorrow and disappointment, which tint our lives with darkness, effectively blocking out the light. By recognizing and characterizing darkness, Laffitte has found a means of acceptance within herself and others.

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“T

he Ombrage series goes beyond mere appearance to bring out all that the subject refuses to know or admit of his nature and his personality. The series also probes the impact produced by a strong external event, capable of questioning self-image and relationships with others. This work, based on appearance and mystery, aims to shed light on the more or less conscious ambiguity of human nature, the fragile balance between good and evil.”

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ransitioning from black to red, Laffitte’s next series presents the inherent beauty of red haired men and women. The Rouille, or ‘Rust’ series, will express the exquisite charm and morphology of those attributed with crimson tones in Laffitte’s trademark, simplistic style. Soft, classic lighting techniques are used to create her portraits of perfection.

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“M

y photographic work represents a minimalist and refined style, involving a certain staging that combines aesthetics and graphics. Fascinated by the body, my work adapts according to the morphology of the model: an attitude, a posture, a presence with abnormal gestures.”

—Alexandra Laffitte

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION In November 2015, she was one of the finalists at the Picto Prize for Young Fashion Photography, which earned her a publication in the magazine L’Oeil de la Photographie.

Laffitte won the third prize at the Canson Art School Awards in March 2016.

LAFFITTE IS INSPIRED BY: Erwin Olaf Tim Walker Joel-Peter Witkin

FAVOURED STUDIO SETTINGS: Shutter Speed: 1/125 second Aperture: f11 ISO: 100 Image quality: Raw file Software: Live View with Capture One. Laffitte works with Capture One while shooting and Adobe Photoshop for post-production and retouching.

LAFFITTE SHOOTS WITH: Camera Body: Canon 5DS Lenses: Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 and Canon 50mm f/1.4 Camera Bag: Lowepro Studio Flashes: Broncolor and Profoto

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ALEXANDRALAFFITTE.COM

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ATE HILL

BY GUINEVERE JOY

IT’S ALL IN THE TWIST “THIS SERIES IS VERY SPECIAL TO ME AS IT WAS SOMETHING THAT REALLY CAPTURED THE IMAGINATION OF A LOT OF PEOPLE.”

NATEHILL

NATEHILLPHOTOGRAPHY.COM.AU

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S

ometimes it’s okay to be a little twisted.

At least, that is what freelance photographer and digital manipulator, Nate Hill, believes and it would appear that many agree with him.

His series, Twisted Landscapes, has been shared widely around the globe on a number of high profile sites and blogs. His swirling artworks are undoubtedly captivating; taking stunning scenery and turning it on end, is certainly an interesting spin on landscape photography.

“This series is very special to me as it was something that really captured the imagination of a lot of people. It is something unique, which I feel is difficult to do in this digital age,” admits Hill, “This experience really gave me a lot of confidence in what I am doing and producing as an artist.”

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Native to Melbourne, Australia, Hill is a lover of landscapes, particularly the Australian coastline, which boasts a perfect palette with its earthy tones: clean, warm sands and blue-green ocean. “There is such a vast supply of beautiful scenery that also changes depending on the season,” remarks Hill, “With that canvas to play with, I love the idea of capturing a landscape and then going on to create something that perhaps people haven’t seen before or to encourage a different perspective. Clouds mark images with something unique to a specific place and moment in time. I am drawn to patterns and clean lines, but at the same time, I love forms that have unique imperfections.”

However, even with all that pristine beauty, both perfect and imperfect, the picture is still not complete - not without Hill’s personal “spin”. After taking a landscape image with his DSLR and editing it in Photoshop,

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Hill then imports the image to his iPhone where he can “twist” his landscape in an app called RollWorld. With an option of six adjustments, this free app allows you to “roll” the horizon of the image into a tight ball, giving it the look of a small planet or, with a reverse warp, you can roll the horizon into a large ball and create a spiralling vortex of sky as the centre. Once his twisted landscape is set, Hill inserts a solitary 3D figure of a person into the frame, in order to give the piece scale and a sense of realism.

To keep his stock full, Hill is always taking pictures, ensuring a massive supply of landscape images that can feed his free-flowing creative process. While he may sometimes have a strong concept that he desires to bring to life, more often than not, he is simply experimental. “It’s always fun to see what comes out once you give a new landscape a spin,” jokes Hill.

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Shooting with Pentax K-x and iPhone 7 as his primary camera bodies, Hill shares the settings for two of his images before they were edited to join his Twisted Landscapes series: “You Are Here” Lens: Pentax smc DA 50mm f/1.8, as it’s “fast, sharp and brilliant in low light” Aperture: f/1.8, Shutter Speed: 1/6000, ISO: 200 White Balance: Auto “Existence” Lens: Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM: “My Sigma is a great all-rounder: I use it for landscapes and also when I’m creating macro images.”

Focal Length: 40mm, Aperture: f/32, Shutter Speed: 30 seconds ISO: 200

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One of the largest challenges that Hill feels photographers face today is differentiating themselves in a world where everyone has a camera on them all the time and considers themselves a photographer.

“In this digital age it is so easy for an individual to share their work with the world, but with this comes a competitive saturation that makes it difficult to stand apart, so I keep searching for new ideas and concepts. I love the challenge of working out an editing style while putting my own ‘twist’ on it.”

In kind, Hill’s next project will be curving in a somewhat different direction, combining his digital art with his other passion: creating music.

“It’s still in its infancy,” reveals Hill, “But I’m hoping and planning that there will be an exhibition once completed.”

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Patel’s

Portals I m a g i n a ry w o r l d 8 6

“I like my paintings and photos to look like dreams and fantasies.”

Niel Patel’s digital creations are out

of this world. His manipulations expertly blend disparate concepts, creating dizzying arrangements that have a remarkable way of turning your imagination on end.

Surrounded by the idyllic sugarcane fields and forests of Gujarat, India, Patel edits these surreal images as a form of meditation.

“I love being in nature,” he tells INSPADES, “For me, image editing is a way of relaxing, a way to take my mind off of this world and a chance to create my own world.”

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BY GUINEVERE JOY

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The artistic collection of Patel reads like a science fiction novel, blessed with an imagination so free it can envision alternate realities with striking detail. Within Patel’s portfolio, there is a common theme of oceans, mountains and cities, witnessed by the presence of a solitary figure. In one image, a skyscraper-studded city lays quietly submerged underwater, as a woman in scuba fins, accompanied by a small scatter of jellyfish, floats high above the cityscape, gazing serenely toward the surface of the water, fixed in some unknown purpose.

Patel has a f lair for fusing shapes and forms of different realms, creating a portal to surreal combinations reminiscent of a dream state. Often blending cityscapes with natural scenes of pristine beauty, Patel has found a way to harmonize seemingly disconnected landscapes into a unified image, deep in its complexity and mired in a sense of awe. An example of this can be found in his image of a solitary figure sitting contemplatively

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on a rocky ledge, while crisscrossing skyscrapers fill the negative space above, connoting a definitive cubist influence. Part of the magic in Patel’s images is his ability to use colour effectively to create cohesive blends. Often using neutral or warm tones, Patel’s collection has fluid visual consistency with golden hues, resonant of an endless summer afternoon.

Patel’s creative process involves choosing photos and then experimenting. His editing process can take from thirty minutes to two hours. He likes to play with different techniques, sometimes successful the first time around, sometimes with more than one take, using different filters and effects to achieve his desired results. For his digital art, his tools of choice are PicsArt and Alien Sky on his iPhone 6. Some of his digital creations are stylized portraits as well, such as his series of portraits of women’s faces, with clouds merging with the model’s features, perhaps suggesting a blend of peaceful, yet piercing, reverie. Patel explains, “I like my paintings and photos to look like dreams and fantasies.” They certainly do.

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Not only a digital artist, Patel also paints watercolour portraits and landscape scenes. Although very different, these two mediums both come from the same well of Patel’s creativity, affording him a broader sense of composition and design. According to Patel, the advantage of being a watercolour artist is that it has already expanded his imagination and creativity, so when it comes to creating digital art, he can easily imagine how the finished piece will look, and which colour tones and backgrounds will enhance the piece.

With an explorative sense of creativity, Patel ’s inventive work ref lects his innermost contemplations.

When an artist finds a way to express their thoughts and feelings through their creations, it forges an emotional exchange between both artist and viewer. For Patel, this binding of experience is much like his artwork, different worlds coming together to coalesce within the space of a single image.

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BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

Anthony Behind the Scenes with

FASCIONE “The city life in Toronto will always be source of inspiration for me. I have never come home without a full SD card.”

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ANTHONYFASCIONEPHOTOGRAPHY

ANTHONYFASCIONEPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

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elcome to Toronto, Canada’s largest urban center, and talent hub, where films like the Resident Evil series and Suicide Squad have littered the downtown areas with Bat Mobile chases and post-apocalyptic sets. As a seasoned player behind-the-scenes in the Canadian film and television industry, Anthony Fascione has had no shortage of learning experiences in the world of film. As a freelance photographer, the ability to observe technical arrangements and gain backstage insight into the industry’s production sets has given Fascione a deeper insight into his own creative process.

“The time I spend on set has allowed me glimpses of lighting and setups that inspire my imagination, especially after seeing the finished result on the screen,” Fascione told INSPADES, “It’s easier to envision the creative process.”

With a postgraduate certificate in Visual Effects for Film and Television, it’s no surprise that Fascione’s creative profession now contributes to the expansion of his personal photography. In fact, it wasn’t until he began a career in film and television that Fascione felt compelled

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to purchase his first camera: “Seeing the entire production working together like an orchestra just to put something on the 2D screen of a monitor, was fascinating to me.”

Once a camera was in his hands, Fascione voraciously seized learning opportunities in his environment by observing and educating himself as he worked with an array of photographers with different styles. Through film noir, he found a taste for contrasting light, and in the genre of horror film, he discovered an appeal for the beautiful imagery found in shocking and unconventional arrangements. Other times, Toronto itself has served as muse for the exploratory photographer, who scouts the streets for opportune moments.

“The city life in Toronto will always be a source of inspiration for me; it has all the things that make up an amazing image, just happening, at any given time,” affirms Fascione, “I have never come home without a full SD card and I’m a firm believer that we are all photographers—but only some of us pick up cameras.

Since his establishment as a photographer, Fascione developed a keen interest in portraiture as a means for capturing “diffused and subtle emotions.” Moved by the aesthetic and conceptual style of famed American portraitist, Philippe Halsman, Fascione is “humbled and in awe” of Halsman’s ability to “utilize bizarre psychology to reveal traits of his subjects.”

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“My goal is to capture something unique and expressive, which will hopefully motivate the audience to feel something intended,” Fascione says of his work.

In Fracture, a collaborative piece achieved with model Julie Karn (@julie_karn) and makeup artist Petra Pi (@petra._mua), Fascione chisels beauty from “an otherwise cold and stoic” façade. The lens becomes a masonry tool for sculpting the “stonework” of the subject’s visage, achieving a stark yet alluring aspect. Maintaining a dark set while shooting is paramount, as Fascione relies on a single mobile light to achieve his desired contrast.

“One of my favourite lighting techniques is using a handheld LED or fluorescent light (such as a ring light) with my left hand, and shooting my camera with my right,” reveals Fascione, “I will then move the light around and find exactly what angles and distances the light works best with on the subject.”

In addition to his experimental portraiture and headshot work, Fascione’s freelance photography also includes weddings. “The most difficult aspect of my work would have to be shooting an event or wedding where I have no control over the light source,” he admits, “It’s hard to become creatively stimulated when you are stuck using the same settings over and over again just to make the photos ‘work’.”

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Camera: Canon 60D, “It tends to work fast and efficiently. It's also very reliable and relatively lightweight for manoeuvrability.”

Lens: 18-200mm, “It gives me a wide range of play with depth-perception.”

Editing Software: Lightroom and Photoshop Tips for Using Flash: “Bouncing a flash or using it combined with a constant light—or even daylight, are ways to get a properly exposed flash photo.”

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While using flash is an option, Fascione prefers techniques that don’t look “generic or boring”, something that could have been taken with the use of a cellphone’s flash. For events with inconvenient lighting, he prefers to “get extremely creative in order to get something truly unique.”

In the coming months Fascione is looking forward to cultivating his “Artists Within Art” project, an initiative featuring Toronto’s artists “within their chosen form of media,” captured self-referentially within their work, such as a painter shot within the frame of a painting.

“My position as creative director and photographer of the project would involve wrangling the different artists and immerse them in a situation that would accurately reflect their chosen art. The real goal is to not make it seem as if a photo was taken candidly, but rather that the camera never existed, and the final image is just captured art in various forms. This will involve breaking the 4th wall on set and, at times, letting the audience become completely aware of the behind-the-scenes. We are currently in the pre-production stage of this project and are hoping to have it finished by the end of summer 2017.”

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Eighth Generation

BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

Louie Gong

“Exploring cultural art was a way to re-enforce my connection to community and to the collective history that I share with my broader Native community.

By incorporating Chinese themes into my art, I’m exercising my mixed heritage in a bold way, and challenging the notion that broader society has—that we should fit into a single taxonomy.”

W

hether it be in the realm of fine arts, public speaking or education, the name of Louie Gong resonates widely.

Raised in the Nooksack tribal community in the Pacific Northwest, the versatility found in Gong’s creative style emulates his highly mixed heritage of Nooksack, Chinese, French and Scottish.

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With a unique and progressive aesthetic, he first drew attention for his memorable designing of custom shoes, leading to the award-winning short documentary, Unreserved: The Work of Louie Gong, that featured his work in 2009.

Since then, Gong’s reputation has risen steadily, eventually leading to the launch of his Eighth Generation store in Pike Place Market, a bustling shopping centre in Seattle. In 2014, Gong launched The Inspire Natives Project, an initiative that engages Native American artists by offering entrepreneurial opportunity, under the Eighth Generation brand.

We spoke with Gong to discuss the success of his Eighth Generation store, the community hub that the shop has quickly become, and the movement that inevitably sparked once their doors opened in Pike Place Market.

Through Eighth Generation and The Inspired Natives Project, you enable Native American art entrepreneurs to gain recognition for their creative expression and designs. Have you noticed a change in the Seattle community towards Native American culture?

We have visitors to our store that have heard a radio piece or seen a print article where the tagline ‘Inspired Natives’ has been used, and they come in repeating it. Some people raise their fists when they walk in the store, saying ‘I’m here to support “Inspired Natives”.’

People are used to digesting information in

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quick sound bites and, because we want to reach mainstream consumers, we’ve had to develop our game in that area. We know that a sound bite is not the solution, but it’s a way to get people engaged, to get them into the store, get them on our website where we can complete the narrative about why it’s important to support cultural artists, rather than supporting businesses that just take cultural art from cultural artists.

Why is it important to preserve cultural ownership over Native American art, and what argument would you present to the average person looking for a “Nativeinspired” product, as opposed to an “inspired Native” product?

The first argument I would present is the natural environment. Art is like any natural resource. If we allow big companies to keep taking and taking from it without nurturing the environments that are creating it in the first place, eventually we destroy that resource.

Second, cultural art has been a tool for communication. When someone who is not from a community takes design elements from a particular cultural art style, and then re-arranges them so that they look good aesthetically, it’s equivalent to taking a word in English and rearranging the letters so that they look good aesthetically; what you end up with is gibberish, and that contributes to the delusion of the cultural art form as a tool for communicating about our experiences.

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It must be frustrating to walk by fast-fashion shops and see “Native” patterns on clothing.

The impact of appropriation is not just hurt feelings; it has real economic consequences as well. Every time you see a fake ‘Native’ pattern on a product at the mall, that represents a missed opportunity for a cultural artist.

If there’s a demand for Native-inspired products, consumers will continue to go to the non-Native company that’s appropriating the art. One important way to ensure that that change happens is for Native-owned companies to step up and start producing the apples to apples alternative to products that feature appropriated cultural art. That way, consumers have an alternative.

We also need to be doing the consumereducation piece effectively. That’s something that Eighth Generation takes on. In doing that and reaching a broader audience, we’re helping to create economic opportunities for other Native artists.

You discovered your love for art as an adult and have a background working as a family therapist. In your experience, which is your preferred form of communication for addressing social issues: verbal discussion or visual arts?

You have to be able to do both. I think that when you’re trying to address an issue, there is no one solution that will work for everybody, and so it’s important to have a broad range of tools in your repertoire. For me, I really like using the combination of art and words to be able to, first,

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engage people around the issues that I think are important, and second, to lead them down a pathway where they feel ownership over their developing perspective on issues.

My goal is not to be didactic with words or with my art, but more to spark curiosity around the issues that will help them develop their own opinions.

What role do you believe art plays in helping people reconnect with, or further explore, their cultural roots?

I think when people start to explore cultural art, they find out that the cultural art is not just marks made on a paper—they’re systems of communication that have developed over thousands of years. Practicing cultural art and learning about cultural art is a good way to start engaging with cultural values.

For me, exploring cultural art was a way to reinforce my connection to the community and to the collective history that I share with my broader Native community. By incorporating Chinese themes into my art, I’m exercising my mixed heritage in a bold way and challenging the notion that broader society has—that we should fit into a single taxonomy.

What a lot of mixed [heritage] people don’t understand is that connections to the community aren’t something that you’re entitled to by birthright. If you grow up in a context where you don’t have connections to your community, it doesn’t mean that you’ll never have connections to your community, you just have to go and put in the work. That’s

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something that’s been required of Native people, who have been disenfranchised from their own culture and community in many ways, and that’s something that I’ve certainly done.

Can visual arts contribute to healing and reconciliation between Indigenous people and the groups that initially colonized them?

I think art is an important tool for engaging people around diff icu lt topics because it’s more accessible; however, as artists, I think we need to be careful that art doesn’t become a proxy for progress. It requires additional work beyond creating images that symbolize reconciliation. Art alone is not the solution, and it needs to be one part of a much larger effort.

Whereas in the past, a lot of my work around this issue was motivated or energized by outrage, now I realize that although outrage can be an important part of trying to make a difference, creating a strong Native-owned alternative and then packaging the information in a way that is palpable to mainstream is even more important.

In the past, we were approaching this contest of ideas in a rudimentary way—it was like checkers. Over the years we’ve become more sophisticated, and now we’re playing chess, which is a longer game too. We’re focused on long-term outcomes and not just satiating our need for some sort of retribution.

Sharing the Eighth Generation Message In Pike Place Market where our store is located,

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there are 10 million people a year that visit from all over the world. About 1% of the U.S. population are Native, and it’s probably 85% nonNative people visiting our store. People that have not been exposed to Eighth Generation before are attracted to the aesthetic and that gets them into the store; now we have an opportunity to engage them in the message about our business practices, using a soft, strategic touch. Obviously, not everyone connects to the ideas that we are sharing, but I think that the way we start engaging people through the art, vibrant colours and music in our store, and follow that up with a well-rounded narrative about the work that we do, is pretty effective.

We have to choose people that represent the Eighth Generation brand really carefully because we represent more than just an aesthetic or a product with quality—we represent a movement.

What projects are you currently working on and what’s next for Eighth Generation?

We’re looking to launch as a wholesaler sometime in 2017 and we’re also always broadening our range of product offering in our home decor category.

I work seven days a week. I’m having some success right now, but it’s come at quite a cost. I’m 40-years-old and always have been family focused, but I don’t even have kids yet, so that’s one of the most surprising things to me. I’m looking to step back a little from the intense grind of entrepreneurship so that I can make some of the other things that are important to me—just as a human being— happen, including family.

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BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

Doruk Seymen Meet Istanbul’s Most Desirable Photographer 56

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“One of the most important things is to communicate to the model exactly what you want. If any of the criteria are missing, technical knowledge is just a theory and cannot be put into practice.”

DORUKSEYMEN

DORUKSEYMEN.COM

In

the world of artists, many dream of supporting their lifestyle through their craft; working a job that one loves and that pays the bills, tends to be a fantasy felt across the board. For Turkish photographer Doruk Seymen, labour led to luxury, and a career was built on his creative endeavors.

“I didn’t receive education in photography—I graduated from a faculty of management,” Seymen admits to INSPADES. Despite his selftaught introduction to the art form, Seymen has since established himself as one of Istanbul’s elite photographers.

In the past, Seymen has accumulated an impressive list of clientele, shooting high profile celebrities like Jessica Alba for Hello Magazine and fashion models Coco Rocha and Georgia May Jagger—daughter of The Rolling Stones’ frontman Mick Jagger.

Working with Turkey’s national newspaper Hürriyet in 2009, Seymen embarked on a 65-day train tour through the country. “Those 65 days built up many of the tactics and techniques of my photography,” he recalls. After the journey, Seymen discovered new ways to fulfill his imagined projects, combining creative vision with technical knowledge. “It contributed to my talent,” he says of the entire experience.

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In Dom and Abdal from Syria to Gaziantep, a photo exhibition orchestrated for the Council of Europe and the Zero Discrimination Association, Seymen’s unique approach marries documentary photography with strategic direction. The series explores the Dom and Abdal, a group of people related to the Roma, who are often faced with discrimination and are currently caught up in the crisis of Syria.

Even as refugees in a Turkish camp, the Dom and Abdal are still pushed to the fringe of the camp’s society.

Using lighting equipment to manipulate the outdoor environment, Seymen’s series captures the Dom and Abdal in their scant lodgings— natural settings with arranged poses.

“This could be a different t y pe of documentary photography,” Seymen reflects, “I immediately intervened in the scene instead of waiting for it to happen. I previously planned what and how to photograph.”

Yet while he dictates the arrangement of each shot, Seymen manages to accurately portray the lives of the Dom and Abdal in the camp— carefully positioning moments that document reality in an artistic way.

Seymen goes on to explain that, whether shooting professional models or subjects like the Doma and Abdal, “one of the most important things” as a photographer is to clearly communicate one’s vision to the model: “If any

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of the criteria are missing, technical knowledge is just a theory and cannot be put into practice.”

In addition to profiling current issues for international organizations, Seymen has also worked with renowned speakers like model and beauty activist, Winnie Harlow. When Seymen arrived at Harlow’s hotel for the shoot, accompanied by the magazine editor, time and space were limited. Describing the experience, Seymen shares: “Despite all of these difficulties, Winnie’s confident and comfortable manner has carried the photographs to another level. Winnie is a rather successful, expediently self-assured, beautiful and impressive woman. It was really joyous to shoot with her. The combination of black and white on skin turns indefinable beauty into a living truth. She is one of the first three people who impressed me most during my shoots.”

When he’s not working with A-list clientele, Seymen plays with experimental photography.

One of his current projects is a reinterpretation of food photography with a cynical twist, “definitely not colourful or appetizing photos,” he jokes. Through his titled “dark food photography”, Seymen protests the vibrant style associated with food photography. “We are leaving the gloomy days behind and welcoming summer. I frankly don’t like summer,” he says of his inspiration behind the series.

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Seymen’s personal work also includes collections like Dark Art and Inner Silence. In MICTLANTECUHTLI, a compelling series of a painted man beneath a starry sky, Seymen’s expert use of light creates a visual balance, despite the darkness surrounding the subject.

Working as a professional photographer, Seymen is able to grow and cultivate his art each day, saving the most exquisite ideas for his experimental photography, where his technical expertise can fulfill his imagination with accurate representation. Currently, he is taking online courses through the New York Institute of Photography to further develop his art.

In the future, Seymen hopes to absorb travel photography into his repertoire. “After widening my social media network a bit more, I plan to coordinate with people from various countries to shoot their lives or living environments.”

While each goal Seymen sets has been attained, his eye is steady on the horizon with ambition spreading indefinitely, promising future works of unspeakable success.

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The Light Sculptor from Salzburg “I was able to deal with the light well and make pictures that met the beauty of the people in a respectful way.”

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WWW.BERGAUER.CC

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oachim Bergauer

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It takes

a sensitive eye to arrange luminescent light for a black and white image, to capture the various shades of grey and translate them into texture and charisma within the world of two-tones and contrast. Despite the challenges of black and white photography, Austrian artist Joachim Bergauer draws a veil of vibrancy over his monochromatic collection with remarkable aptitude and ease.

“Contrast photography is a form that I have preferred for over 30 years,” says Bergauer, whose predilection is made clear by the distinct lighting choices of his portraits.

With a “main focus on human photography”, Bergauer spent six years scouring the globe for striking portraiture, finding countless telling faces in places as remote as Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands off the North Atlantic coast of Africa.

Motivated by the desire to “strengthen the strengths of people,” similar to a painter, Bergauer highlights the greatest attributes of his subjects, extracting an empowering image from the individual with his lens in each transient moment of candid expression.

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In his portrait of Hedy, shot in Bergauer’s Studio B in Salzburg, the dark background and rich tones of the subject’s skin create a luxurious visual within the contrast of softly glowing light. The depth of shades induce a compelling image, made striking by Bergauer’s ability to sculpt the subject with strategic lighting. “Studio photography is designing with the light,” he explains. This strategy saves time during post-production, resulting in an editing process that Bergauer usually completes in fifteen minutes.

Since the age of twelve, Bergauer’s constant companion was his camera. “I learned the craft—learning by doing,” shares the selftaught photographer, who developed a knack for photography through media work. When he was twenty-years-old, Bergauer avidly pursued sports and entertainment photography, including the prestigious music and theatre festival in Salzburg, Salzburger Festspiele. Some of Bergauer’s work has also been published in The New York Times.

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In addition to press photography, Bergauer entered the world of advertising, where he quickly found his niche. Working with companies like Ogilvy & Mather and KISKA as an artistic advisor for global campaigns, and having his photography featured in anecdotal advertisements by notable brands like Hasselblad, Bergauer quickly made his rounds within the industry, leading to the launch of his own advertising agency in 2000.

While advertising brought Bergauer a reliable means to make an income with his camera, it also expanded and built on skills for his personal art, especially portraiture. “I used my advertising photography as a base [for learning],” he shares, “So I was able to deal with the light well and make pictures that met the beauty of the people in a respectful way.”

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Applying his experience in commercial photography to images like Fuerte and Katia, which encapsulates his creative f lare and an editorial style, Bergauer has found a way to apply the technicalities involved in his professional photography to his creative work.

With prestigious marketing and advertising awards from organizations like the Salzburger Landespreis, Bergauer has achieved worldwide recognition in a trade where photographers rarely gain the freedom to apply artistry to their commercial work.

Currently, Bergauer is labouring over a book that explores life on leper colonies, a project that he has been following for six years. In the meantime, he continues to show his work at exhibitions and accumulate new techniques in photography, ensuring that his dynamic creativity never “stands still.�

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BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

ailing from the American state of Louisiana, Mark Morton’s instinctive sense of debonair springs from his natural southern charm. Home to carnivalesque cities like New Orleans, it is no surprise that the f lare and vibrant history of Louisiana has swayed Morton’s creative expression with its boisterous rhythm and unshakable spirit.

“I have lived most of my life here and love the food, music, culture and people,” Morton says, “I think that no matter where you live, the environment will influence you. In kind, I am but a southern gentleman.”

With a demanding ca reer as a plu mbi ng sa le sma n, Mor ton inadvertently made his way into hobby modeling in 2014. “At the time, I was involved in steampunk,” he explains, and when a local photographer invited him to partake in a steampunk-gothic Halloween photo shoot, Morton was instantly absorbed into the community.

“I was asked to join the local Meetup group because they liked working with me and they also did not have any male models to work with.” Since that launching point, Morton has continued to “enjoy the adventure.”

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A “Southern

Gentleman” “I have felt like a trailblazer at times.”

MARK_E_MORTON

While Morton found his way into a group he could creatively engage with, the act of incorporating his day job with his hobby proved to be more difficult than he expected.

“There have been many challenges along the way,” admits Morton, “I have been in sales since I graduated college, so I knew how to sell myself, but not in front of a camera.”

Another bump in the road of Morton’s side-pursuit is his age. “As a bearded male model in my mid-forties, I have realized that I am in a microcosm when it comes to modeling,” Morton acknowledges, “I have felt like a trailblazer at times.”

However, with an air of optimism and a career that provides financial stability, Morton has the unique privilege of modeling without the intense, added pressure of turning it into sustainable profit.

“I enjoy modeling because it is a hobby that takes my mind off of the stress of life. It has a type of Zen quality to it. It is relaxing to me,” says Morton, whose gruelling 12-hour work days as a plumbing salesman start at 5:30 am.

Rising to the challenges of modeling, Morton continues to f lex his ambition, by studying YouTube videos that offer insight into how male models pose, while also noting the techniques of other male models that he comes across.

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“I have learned to be more expressive and creative in my shoots,” says Morton, “I have had to stretch myself and try new things that take me out of my normal comfort zone.”

Collaborating with companies like Skycloud Photography and Sheryl Finney Photography, Morton continues to grow his hobby, often modeling as a dapper gent with a pistol in vintage-inspired scenes.

“I love seeing the results of my hard work and dedication,” he concludes, “This is true in business as well as modelling.”

With a widening circle opportunity, it’s no doubt that this southern gentleman is riding on the road to success.

Facebook: Robert Davis Photography Instagram: @robert_davis_photography Website: www.robertdavisphoto.com Facebook: Brad Bradley Photography Instagram: @bradbradleyphotography Website: www.bradbradleyphotography.com Facebook: Sheryl Finney Photography Instagram: @sherylfinney Website: www.sherylfinneyphotography.com Facebook: Harvey Jelks (HM Jelks Photography) Website: www.jelksphoto.com Facebook: PT Photography Instagram: @pickeledtink13 Facebook: Sky Cloud Photography Website: www.skycloudphotography.com

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BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

Jackknife Letters The

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“I’m a passionate, creative chap in love with music, yoga and being a dad.”

S

o began our interview with songwriting musician, Kelvin Wetherell, an articulate and introspectively attune performer from Toronto, Canada. While his talent has brought him through Europe, Nashville and the “Great White North”, collaborating with “top-shelf producers and players” along the way, Toronto is ultimately where Wetherell hangs his hat.

“I’ve played some high profile festivals, classic Toronto clubs and the smallest holes in the wall, and I dig them all,” Wetherell told INSPADES in an exclusive video interview. Wetherell’s choice in venues has proved as versatile as his sound, at times combining the gently melodious guitar of folk with reggae undertones, or embedding blues riffs beneath the currents of contemporary rock or early R&B.

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For someone as harmonious with the musical lifestyle as Wetherell, it comes as no surprise that he came from a household where music struck a prominent chord. Inspired by his father, a drummer who played the length of venues along Toronto’s popular Yonge Street, and a brother who introduced him to Led Zeppelin and The Who, Wetherell never lacked exposure to the innovative sounds that revolutionized the movement of progressive rock.

In addition, Wetherell was greatly influenced

by Bob Marley. He remembers walking by his older sister’s bedroom and hearing the saint of reggae drifting from her speakers.

Having grown up in a rock and roll household, Wetherell was confused when he first heard the music; “I couldn’t understand what was coming out of the boombox until I heard ‘Redemption Song’. The song used to stop me dead in my tracks in the hallway. I would stand outside the almost-closed bedroom door and just listen.”

While listening to music through his childhood was a given, it wasn’t until his teenage years that Wetherell followed in his father’s footsteps. “My musical path first began when, at the tender age of fifteen, metal claimed my soul,” he recounts, “I rocked out on the drums for a few years and played and toured in a signed act before being bitten by the writing bug in my early twenties. I found my voice as a singer/songwriter and have been riding that vibe ever since!”

Recently with the release of his new album, The Jackknife Letters, Wetherell has been focusing on his LSD—“Lead Singer’s Disease”—

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performing and promoting his latest feat. The album was named in reference to Wetherell’s “addiction to the tales of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s inimitable sleuth, Sherlock Holmes.” A culmination of experiences and expression over the years, the album’s conception recalled an aspect of Doyle’s famed character.

“In the organized chaos of his rooms in Baker Street, Holmes kept a stack of unanswered correspondence pinned to the mantelpiece with his pocketknife,” Wetherell explains. Much like the pending replies that Holmes never sent, the sentiments, emotions and songs awaiting response and recognition from Wetherell have at last been addressed in The Jackknife Letters.

Around the time that Wetherell began to explore the material that would later form this collection, he and his wife had just welcomed their first child into the world. “The experience of adapting to the new groove of nurturing a human life outside of our own inspired me to both let go of and dig deeper into my craft.”

As revealing as the album has become of Wetherell’s perspective, his performances of The Jackknife Letters bring his sound to a new level.

“My live show is a brave and original experience,” attests Wetherell, “At the gig, folks will experience raw, soulful singing, deep grooves and lyrics, heavy drum and beatbox loops, live-layered vocal harmonies, fuzzy guitars, acoustic guitars, psychedelic sounds, top-shelf compositions and a ton of love and passion—all from one guy! All that, and an amazing sense of community and family.”

Since his album release, two of Wetherell’s

When developing new material, including The Jackknife Letters, Wetherell starts with the basics of sound: “My process as a creator is to listen.

I’ ll stand back and tune in for a minute and let that guide me.

I’ ll then sit down to flesh out the tune on voice and acoustic, settle into writing parts for the songs, and recording them or creating a compelling live show.”

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live performances were filmed with funding from The Unicorn Project, an organization that endorses local Toronto musicians. In addition to practicing yoga as a certified teacher, Wetherell continues to pursue writing and performing as his primary focus.

“My main thing though, is sound,” he maintains, “Nothing gets me feeling more excited and grounded than sitting down with a pen, paper and my guitar and creating something out of nothing.”

With more material coming down the pipeline, The Jackknife Letters have propelled Wetherall forward in his development as a songwriter and musician, resolving the parts of himself that have waited for reply throughout his life.

“Friends ask me how I feel about this record and the live show,” reveals Wetherell, “I answer that this time what’s happened on the outside feels closest to how I feel on the inside. Like Sherlock’s stack, these songs, once unanswered, are my jackknife letters.”

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Dimitris Glouftsis Out of The Fog

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D_FORDESIGN

“I was born and raised in a small Greek town situated among beautiful mountains, lakes and forests. There is an artistic expression in my family which supported my work and fueled my inspiration. Additionally, my hometown is well known for its artists such as painters and sculptors. All these factors made me love art and live through art.”

“After completing my military service, I decided to start my own advertising and graphic design business. The first years were quite amazing and prosperous but, soon after, the Greek crisis hit us and that crippled any financial progress in my country. The positive aspect of that misfortunate situation was that I had more free time to explore and create. I felt the urge to do something more artistic and it was then that I discovered Instagram.”

“Nowadays, things are better for me because the exposure I have gained from Instagram has given me job offers and opportunities that I couldn’t have imagined before. My first Instagram advertising campaign was for a wellknown luxury watch brand. I love to give a different point of view to those brands, to add fantasy and a surreal touch.”

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“Music album cover designs demand a different workf low. It depends on the artist that I am working with and their style. Some of them are open minded and some of them are more conventional. The tools that I always use are the same: Photoshop and InDesign and I simply adjust my design to their style and character.”

“Music and art have always been my alltime favorite passions. I can’t remember a day in my life without designing, creating, playing with sounds and shapes, drawing or listening to music. That’s why many of my photos are inspired from my favorite songs. As for the book publishing industry, my Instagram posts helped some publishing houses to see my work and give me the chance to design covers for their forthcoming books.”

“I have to admit, there were many challenging aspects in my creative journey, such as learning certain special effects or a creating a sense of realism for my images. As soon as I have inspiration, I search for elements to use, such as photos or human figures, to compile the image. The next step is the colour edit and finally, when the photo is ready with the cinematic tones that I have selected and I am one hundred percent sure that I like it, it is ready for posting.”

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“My all-time favorite sceneries include fog and mist. Fog equals mystery, and mystery equals fantasy. A favourite edit of mine is called The PANDA Project, in which a is panda pulling and gracefully eating the yellow road lines. There are 6 different layers in this image: the background forest, the mist, the panda, the road, the yellow road lines and the shadows.”

“My design techniques and style have changed throughout my Instagram years. It’s an ongoing process. Nowadays, I create images that are less surreal but with a moodier feel, as I have fallen in love with the reflections and the moody aspects of nature. I don’t know if there is anything different I should have known back in 2011 when I spontaneously posted my first photo on social media. Things were different then and I love how my work has been progressing through these years.”

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BY GUINEVERE JOY

A Secret Society B_DUMAS - BRYAN DUMAS _DFOGCO - DYLAN FOGLESONG HOWTHEDAYSCOLLIDE - KIRA HOLTEGAARD CANON.COREY - COREY SMITH

All

around the world there exists an uninhabited realm parallel to our own, f illed with forgotten houses, factories, churches and hospitals. However neglected, these sites exist as uncommon museums of sorts.

Abandoned buildings, also known as ‘bandos’, are some of the most interesting material for photographic capture.

There is a special type of photographer who lives to preserve these time capsules through imagery. Known as ‘rurexers’ and ‘urbexers’— rural and urban bando explorers—these daring few risk unstable terrain for the sake of this competitive and niche genre of photography.

Abandonment of a structure can occur for reasons of crisis, but also of indifference.

Sometimes it is easier to just leave and let the rest of the world take care of what remains. In the end, we all abandon our lives, leaving our possessions for others to reclaim.

Tips for shooting Bandos Bring your tripod. Most of the time you will be shooting in low light and your images will have better quality if you shoot a long exposure—rather than boosting your ISO. A flashlight is essential for dark buildings, so always bring it, just in case! You can also use it for light painting effects.

As with all interior images, your wide-angle lens is your best option.

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HOWTHEDAYSCOLLIDE - KIRA HOLTEGAARD

Best Bandos

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It could be said that some of the best bandos can be found in the quieter places of the world.

The further away from civilization, the better the chances for finding well-preserved and relatively undisturbed bandos. Remote locations are also safer environments for photographers; the chances of walking into a squatter’s residence are practically nil when exploring a bando hundreds of kilometres from the nearest city.

“I have found that some of the best abandonments are in the mountains, far away from the city,” Kira Holtegaard, an experienced bando explorer, shares with INSPADES, “It’s tough to say where the best abandoned places are, because I feel that the location of an abandoned building determines its grandeur.”

For an urbexer, the combination of big cities with poor funding and sprawling suburbs—such as Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago and Boston— create the perfect conditions for finding bando gems. Bandos of the domestic sort, are among the most fascinating. Homes turned bando, with all of the trimmings of a family household left perfectly in place: calendars dating back to the 1970s, beds neatly made, a vase of dried flowers on the kitchen table. In some bandos, it appears that the inhabitants left in a hurry, the breakfast dishes still sitting in the sink for who knows how long—all that is known is that they never returned.

With every bando, there is a back-story, but without knowing this story, imagination is quick to oblige. Each bando of unknown origin leaves us only its untold secrets and, often, the haunting question that begs is simple, what happened here?

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Bando Etiquette There are many unspoken rules for bando photographers, one being that the location of a bando is never to be disclosed. If the location of a bando becomes public, it becomes vulnerable to the risks of vandalism.

Furthermore, if you’re going to enter a bando, do so in a way that doesn’t damage the structure.

Find a space between the boarded up doorway, or a crack in the wall, to slide through. If you can’t enter a building without disturbing it, then don’t enter it at all.

Another is to only leave footsteps, taking nothing but what the lens can capture in a photograph. The golden rule of an urbexer is to leave the site completely untouched, unchanged.

Without official claims to property, bando explorers have become the guardians of these secret, remote settings.

“It is very important to not disturb the environment of these places, such as certain acts of vandalism. To the best of your ability, everything should be left, as is, for the next explorer to enjoy.

These places, even though they are abandoned, deserve respect,” Holtegaard imparts.

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HOWTHEDAYSCOLLIDE - KIRA HOLTEGAARD

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Treading Lightly

on the Treasure Hunt

Taking safety into consideration, another guideline for explorers is to always enter a bando with care and caution. Old floorboards and ceilings have a tendency to rot over time and this can pose a particularly dangerous hazard to a curious explorer. It is never worth jeopardizing your safety in an attempt to get that perfect bando shot.

With fences surrounding many properties and signs forbidding entrance, the daring few combine courage with artistry to deliver their edgy photography. To minimize visibility, parking cars away from the targeted property is key, as well as mindfulness once indoors, as some bandos may contain motion sensor alarms. Shooting alone can be particularly dangerous for an urbexer or rurexer, so adventuring with a company of three to four photographers is a common precaution— though a larger group may draw unwanted attention. It is also important to tell someone where you will be exploring, even when moving in groups.

Finding bandos is just as much of the challenge as shooting them. Holtegaard shares, “I do a lot of research to find the places I go to

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and it could take me days, weeks or even months to get an exact location. I usually do research with people I have explored with before that I know I can trust. There are times when I will drive around looking, and then there are times when I am driving to a location and find some abandonment along the way.”

An interesting workaround for gaining access to complicated bandos is the use of drones. If a point of entry cannot be found, then a drone can be used to offer a unique perspective of the property without breaking the unspoken rules.

Drone pilot and photographer, Bryan Dumas, often ventures out in search of impossible locations with his drone at the ready.

Dumas recounts: “One day, I headed up to Bannerman’s Castle in the Hudson Valley. The island, located in a narrow passage on the Hudson River has always served strategic importance since the Revolutionary War. Most recently, it served as a military surplus storage facility until some of that surplus exploded and destroyed much of the main structure. I flew my drone from the mainland over the island to capture some up-close views of this fascinating structure.”

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A Secretive Society

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Although there is an Instagram community of bando explorers, the word ‘community’ is slightly misleading. Bando photographers have somewhat of a secret society. As a highly competitive genre, trust within the group is one of the most valued assets, an earned privilege not to be given casually. In keeping the location of bando sites under wraps, preservation of the settings is more easily maintained, and anyone who leaks site locations or breaks preservation etiquette is not received kindly by the others.

However clandestine, there is a community of elite bando photographers who have earned one another’s confidence to create some of the best bando images to be seen. As shooting in a company is common, a community of urbexers and rurexers does exist in close-knit circles, though an element of competition remains as each artist attempts to capture the best version of a shared location.

For purist bando photographers, shooting an area as it appears naturally is paramount; this means not moving anything or arranging the scene, but photographing the scene as it was found.

Oftentimes the bando itself provides all that is necessary for a superb image: the faded patina of peeling paint, the scattered light through antique stained glass—all provide interesting elements with which to capture the imagination.

Yet while purists of the genre remain, more and more bando explorers are moving toward the trend of styling their images, moving objects advantageously, as well as bringing added props to create special effects such as smoke and light painting.

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Haunting Atmospheres The otherworldly element that haunts bando photography is undeniable. The images have a tendency to lend themselves to the dark side, even if unintentionally. Where once a place was inhabited, the removal of a comforting human element invites fear and unease.

Urbexer Corey Smith experienced this eerie sensation when he visited an abandoned prison in Joliet, Illinois. Coincidentally, the jail had served as the set for Smith’s favourite television series Prison Break.

“It was so surreal being in the filming location and seeing all the spots that I remember seeing in the episodes,” Smith describes, “When capturing the images of the cafeteria, gym, and jail cells, it was as if there was still this creepy feeling of life.” With a humorous note, he adds, “Not many people can say they broke into and out of prison!”

Similar to the prison in Joliet, the absence of life and lack of humanity are felt more acutely in bandos. An example of this can be seen in neglected theatres, with hundreds of decaying seats lined with empty, rotting cushions, seeming to await a performance that will never again be delivered from the vacant stage.

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The Feel of the

Abandoned

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Bando photographer Dylan Foglesong has a more personal connection to bandos. Having lost his mother to cancer and being an only child, Foglesong’s life was punctuated with a sense of solitude. “I felt a sense of abandonment after she died,” he shared with INSPADES, “So when I started exploring abandoned places, I was able to make a connection with the space I was in. I feel like I’m a part of the building itself when I’m inside a bando.”

One of the most memorable bandos he experienced was a deserted art gallery in pristine condition: “The entire bando was immaculate, the architecture was something I’d never seen before in my life. Ceilings painted with fresco technique, beautiful furniture and paintings. The entire place had one hundred and ten rooms and I explored every single one of them. It seemed as if this place would never end. I must have spent hours in there. Since my first trip, I’ve returned to it several times just to take in all the amazing architecture that makes up the building.”

Within the stillness of a bando, one can also find peace. While some bando explorers focus on the darker sides of bandos, creating sinister images that emit darkness, Foglesong’s images have a distinct quality of tranquility.

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Footprints of

the Past

To exist on this planet is to leave traces of our lives and memories; from rural homesteads to industrial architecture, the bando landscape represents an imprint of our history on the earth.

Bandos serve as evidence of our existence, a structural testimony, from faded brick factories of the Great Depression to medieval churches.

As renegade treasure seekers, bando explorers play the interesting role of documenting and preserving these gems of history through visual memory. As we move forward into a new chapter of advanced technology and changing architecture, perhaps these images will preserve a unique and nostalgic reference to our past, leaving those who find it to wonder what our secrets were.

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Marketing Your Art: Write the Right Book

If

writing a book has always been a far off dream on your bucket list, Black Card Books is a publisher that reminds us how authorship can be more than just creating literature—it can be used as an expansive marketing tool that can shape your future.

With a modest amount of pages and a lot of hard work, Black Card Book’s collection of authors that have exponentially grown their careers with the power of the pen and an entrepreneurial spirit.

It was in 2006 when the CEO for Black Card Books, Jean-Guy Francoeur, first encountered Gerry Robert, his current business partner and President of Black Card Books.

“It was Gerry who taught me that you can publish a book and use that book as a marketing

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tool, and that changed everything for me,” Francoeur recalls, “That’s when I published my first book in 2006 and took my business from 300 clients to 3,000 clients in six months.”

Working with professionals and artists of all sorts such as painters, musicians and photographers to name a few, over the years Black Card Books has put over three million people through its weekend course, Publish a Book and Grow Rich. These intensive weekend “boot camps” are hosted in 14 countries across the world, providing the initial launch point for upcoming entrepreneurial authors.

In an exclusive video interview with our INSPADES Channel, Francoeur shares the effective marketing power of authorship, publication and strategic promotion.

“There are a million phenomenal artists today.

The difference between them and the successful ones is marketing—it’s often not talent.”

Jean-Guy Francoeur CEO for Black Card Books

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What does Black Card Books do?

Black Card Books is the fastest growing book publishing company in the world right now, by title acquisition. Just in the last couple of years, we’ve acquired over 800 titles, so when most other publishing companies are going out of business, we’re growing by leaps and bounds.

In the Publish a Book and Grow Rich boot camps, we teach you everything you need to know about publishing your own book and you leave with all the tools to accomplish it on your own. That’s where we find our authors, naturally, but you don’t have to publish through Black Card Books. No matter what direction you go in—with your business, your life, your career or your book, what you’re going to learn in the boot camp is going to be a life-changing start to your book and career.

You can use that book to establish your credibility, differentiate yourself from everybody else who does what you do, and grow your business or your fan base as an artist. Using books as a marketing tool can attract elites, bring prospects to you so you’re not pushing all the time, and can be used to position you at the top of your industry.

What are some of the specific benefits of book writing for artists?

Artists, specifically, tend to suffer because they’re very unique and they feel that that uniqueness—on its own—should be enough to differentiate them from everybody else, but frankly, it’s not. That uniqueness isn’t enough to show the world how different you are, but

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by writing a book is and its efficacy is shown in the results.

Being an artist is a business—it’s being a self-employed business professional. To the marketplace, you appear like everybody else; however, if you’re an author, you instantly differentiate yourself. That’s the power of a book.

I don’t see the honour in being a ‘starving artist’. If you’re an artist, you have a fiduciary duty to put your message out in front of as many people as possible, and to be as successful as possible, for your own sake and for your art’s sake. There’s no better way to do it that I know of than writing a book and using it as a marketing tool.

Can every artistic task be put into words in a book?

I would definitely say that it could always be done. Your art may not always be able to be put in words, depending on what you’re doing and what your message is—and I understand that—but to put words around it in order to get people to listen to you, that’s important and very doable.

At Black Card Books, and this is key, we’re not recommending that you write a book like Gone With the Wind that’s 600 pages of revolutionary, never-before-seen content. We’re recommending that you write a book that’s 112150 pages on your chosen subject that really makes you an expert.

Being an artist isn’t enough to make you an expert, but being an author does make you an instant expert.

Considering blogs, vlogs and other means for self-promotion, is authoring and publishing a book the new promotional tool for artists?

Absolutely. Clients, marketing, prospects and leads—they don’t fall from the sky. You need to be out there promoting yourself, and you need a tool.

You could take my book, Messy Manager, for example. I’ve turned this book into a homestudy course, blog series, vlog, special reports and a video series. There are so many different ways to use the same content and re-market and repackage that content so that you’re constantly touching your prospective customers and sharing your message so that you can make the impact that you want to make.

There are a million phenomenal artists today.

The difference between them and the successful ones is marketing—it’s often not talent. From a business perspective, the difference between a ‘starving artist’ and a successful artist is the marketing component, and a book is that tool that they need.

“You can use that book to establish your credibility, differentiate yourself from everybody else who does what you do, and grow your business or your fan base as an artist.”

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Does every author have the chance to be successful?

Every author has the potential to be successful, but is every author successful?

Absolutely not.

We have a really good track record. 93 percent of books sell less than 500 copies in their lifetime, but 75 percent of Black Card Books authors become bestsellers well before they even start, and a lot of our authors start their book promotion career with 2-3,000 books already sold. In that sense, our authors are six times more successful than the average author.

The only thing that’s going to make an author a bestseller is hustle—the author’s hard work.

You have to be willing to do the vlogs, special reports, and the blog and video series. It becomes its own job; it’s a big task. You have to be willing to come on media and magazines and do interviews and publicity. Every author we work with has the opportunity to get publicity and to appear in the media if they want, but that doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen by accident. You have to be willing to help.

Roughly 80 percent of boot camp participants initially intend to write a series, but you don’t need to write more than one book if you write the right book—which is key. If you have the right book, you can expand that tool into other products and promotion tools and grow it to other revenue and business opportunities. The book is the center pin of all these different promotions and revenue opportunities.

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What would you tell an artist who is writing a book to boost their career?

I would say it’s a great idea.

John Anthony Martinez and Chuck Rainey wrote a phenomenal book, The Tune of Success.

Rainey is no stranger to success in the music business. He’s toured with artists as big as Aretha Franklin. He’s been in the business for over fifty years, but he still wrote a great book with us. Why did he decide to publish a book at his level of success? Because it’s that extra level of credibility that, even playing with members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, didn’t give him.

Whether you’re just starting out or whether you’re like Chuck Rainey, publishing a book for your career is the right move.

The person you are today when you decide to write a book, and the person you become in the process of writing that book, are entirely different people - it’s a life-changing process.

If showcasing your professional or creative edge is something you aspire to, writing a book can be the most effective means for achieving the attention, credibility and business that you’re looking for. For more information on Black Card Books and their Publish a Book and Grow Rich Bootcamp, you can visit their sites here: blackcardbooks.com publishabookandgrowrich.com

“From a business perspective, the difference between a 'starving artist' and a successful artist is the marketing component, and a book is that tool that they need.�

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BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

“I’m not documenting reality, I’m documenting myself and my imagination.”

DASHAPEARS.ART

DASHAPEARS

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“I do believe that we are constantly surrounded by miracles, but we do not recognize them because they come to us so gracefully and seamlessly.”

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n the waking hours of the morning and the prelude to sleep, a fog of ambiguity rolls over perception, subtly skewing the outlines of awareness. Through the vision of Russian photographer Dasha Pears, clouded dreams condense into droplets of pseudo-reality, allowing the viewer to experience her art as if through a lucid dream. “ I’m not document ing rea l it y, I’m documenting myself and my imagination,” Pears tells INSPADES. Having spent the last f ive years cultivating her conceptual photography, this self-taught artist embeds each image with a unique story, rather than using a series of shots to weave the narrative. In each shoot, Pears aims to draw the marvellous out of the woodwork, “exploring magic and

beauty in ordinary people and simple things.”

Careful not to overcrowd the message of her works, much of Pears’ photography maintains a minimalist air, allowing symbolic props and dreamlike elements to protrude with gentle emphasis. “I do believe that we are constantly surrounded by miracles, but we do not recognize them because they come to us so gracefully and seamlessly,” Pears asserts, a notion that has made its way into her visual style.

With a sense of childlike romanticism, themes of clouds, castles and crowns garnish Pears’ collection. “I like fairy tales,” she explains. Growing up in St. Petersburg, Russia, with no castles or storybook settings in sight, Pears fantasized about being in “a real castle” throughout her girlhood.

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“Clouds mean a lot to me because of their lightness and because when you look at them, they can be anything you want them to be. They are very flexible, their shapes are always changing.”

In images such as Princesses and Castle, Pears fulfills her childhood dreams with the tactful maturity of an experienced adult and the technique of a seasoned photographer, incorporating nature, crowns and castles to achieve a rustic yet regal presence.

Another consistent pattern in the fabric of Pears’ work is the appearance of clouds.

“Clouds mean a lot to me because of their lightness and because when you look at them, they can be anything you want them to be.

They are very flexible, their shapes are always changing and they are constantly moving.”

Reflecting her perspective that magic can be found within the simplicity of life, clouds represent the fluid capability of the imagination to reinterpret situations around us, enabling

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life and destiny to assume malleable forms.

This seed of thought is embodied further in Pears’ Wings, where a man and woman stand together, each holding a paper wing. “Everyone interprets it in his or her own way. For some people it’s a tale of hope and trust, for others it’s a story of a relationship that is destined to fail,” she ref lects. “I usually share my vision of the story with my models, but I don’t tell them my interpretation of it, giving them the possibility to bring something of their own into my final shot.” Just as clouds maintain a theme in Pears’ art, the symbolic meaning maintains relevance across her working experience, where an idea itself becomes a cloud, shape-shifting its interpretation with each interaction of both model and viewer.

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“It didn’t happen in the blink of an eye for me, but as I became confident with my camera, I realized that I simply couldn’t go back to my old office job.”

Many of her photo shoots have been assembled with the help of a team, including a decorator for the props. In one image, Pears involved assistants to toss pages into the air, a feat that could not be accomplished with just the photographer and model in the room.

“Organizing a conceptual photo shoot often demands strong planning and organizing skills,” Pears admits, describing how finding a schedule alone that coincides with all members of the team can be a challenge.

While Pears is currently a successful fulltime photographer, having won photography contests like the Best of Russia 2015, it wasn’t until after the birth of her eldest daughter that she began to “take photography seriously.”

“I had a very stressful job in web communications and marketing, so in the very beginning I had to take photography part-time, while being a full-time mom,” she explains, “It didn’t happen in the blink of an eye for me, but as I became confident with my camera, I realized that I simply couldn’t go back to my old office job.”

Since then, Pears has resiliently pursued her goal of developing as an artist. From her home in Helsinki, Finland, she continues to define her artistic voice, while collaborating with an illustrator to “create a new imaginary reality” for her characters. If this is the calibre of her work without a “clear” style, we can’t wait to see what photography emerges once she has distinctly fine tuned her artistic trademark.

Favourite Photographers: Rodney Smith, Tim Walker, Paolo Roversi, Richard Avedon Favourite Painters: Painters of the Dutch Golden Age, Hieronymus Bosch Equipment: Camera: Canon 5D Mark III Lenses: 50mm 1.2 and 35 mm 1.4 Currently exploring vintage optics with her camera, including a Helios lens

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BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

S

tep into the mystic and glide through worlds where fairies, elves and fantasy reign.

With imaginative scenes blossoming from the frame of her work, photographer Christina Parmak-Fischer seduces the viewer with an ethereal veneer of edits coating each piece, establishing her calibre amid the master circle of German cosplay and fantasy photographers.

“I grew up with my dad’s passion for photography,” says Parmak-Fischer, who spent her childhood in the company of Hasselblad, Leica and Canon cameras. Amid summers spent in “the magical landscape of Norway” with her family, Parmak-Fischer followed her father closely in his hunt for nature’s beauty. “I used to see fairies and trolls out there, but unfortunately they were never in the pictures my dad took,” she recalls fondly of their summer excursions.

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FROLLEINFISCHER_PHOTOGRAPHY

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It was at the age of nine that Parmak-Fischer acquired her first camera. Taking after her father, she captured friends amid woodland adventures near their hometown in Germany, where the lens aligned with her imagination at last—not just her father’s vision. While Parmak-Fischer’s creativity began to sprout and bud, the stem of her inspiration was suddenly snipped short by the death of her father when she was only thirteen. With an instinctual reaction to the loss of her muse, ParmakFischer’s photography withered instantly.

“I did not consciously make this decision,” she remembers, “it just happened.” Yet while the garden of her artistic imagination lay buried beneath a winter of absent use, the roots of her creativity merely hibernated. Many years later, her artistic flare thawed the earth of her hiatus, allowing her aesthetic expression to push through the cracks of her psyche.

“My love for photography showed up again when I got my first smartphone with a camera.

Yes, I knew the time before smartphones existed,” Parmak-Fischer jokes. What started as an experiment with mobile shooting eventually bloomed into a serious pursuit of fantasy photography.

To begin, Parmak-Fischer took workshops in model photography and Photoshop, in addition to “learning by doing” as she cultivated her skill. In only two years of fantasy photography work, she established herself in a network of clients, artists and models.

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Parmak-Fischer’s Team for Elven Princess Model: Renee www.facebook.com/Renee.la.felee Makeup-Artist: Sina www.facebook.com/mbeischeid Armour: Doris www.facebook.com/MorriganHandmade Crown: Alexandra www.facebook.com/Zerrenety Sword: www.facebook.com/unitedcutlery Skirt Designer and Photographer: Christina Parmak-Fischer Equipment: Camera: Sony Alpha 7R II Lenses: Sony 50mm/1.4 or Sigma Art 35mm/1.4

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In her featured series, Elven Princess, Parmak-Fischer summons Tolkien-esque charm to achieve a luminescent visual narrative within the woods of Krefeld, Germany.

“When I was walking in that park in Krefeld, I thought it was a place where elves should walk,” she remembers. This thought prompted the twelve-week journey that brought Elven Princess to completion, a process that included assembling a team, designing the costumes and finding the right model.

“I started looking for someone to make the costume I wanted. In the meantime, when the costume was in the making, I searched for a model who would perfectly fit into this project,” Parmak-Fischer shares of the project. “I like to work with people I have worked with before, so I mostly work with two makeup artists I know well, and it is the same with my assistants.”

To achieve the perfect hue of heavenly light in her outdoor photography, Parmak-Fischer looks to nature. “99 percent of my pictures are taken only with natural light, and one percent with a little help from a softbox, ring light or beauty dish,” Parmak-Fischer shares, adding, “My dad always said, ‘Flash light—who needs flash light?’ So I never used it until now.”

After spending five hours in post-production with Lightroom and Photoshop, finessing the series’ eleven pictures, Elven Princess was finally complete. Glowing with soft light and subtle polish, each image pangs the viewer with a sense of awe, the angelic air of each scene connoting hidden beauties in the world around us, accessed only by imagination.

When asked about the effects of Instagram on her photography, Parmak-Fischer admitted that the social media channel has acted as a digital muse of sorts, allowing her access to motivating artists such as Bella Kotak and Jamari Lior.

Through Instagram, Parmak-Fischer has also tapped into Germany’s vibrant cosplay and fantasy communities, namely photographers and models. “We all know each other through social media. I have not met everyone in person yet, but I am looking forward to seeing Jamari Lior and Laura Helena again this summer, and I am sure I will meet eosAndy while visiting the upcoming costume-events through the year,” she says, mentioning one of the previously featured artists from INSPADES magazine’s “Issue Quattro”, Andreas Krupa— pseudonym eosAndy.

When she’s not busy at home parenting her nine-year-old son and two-year-old daughter, spending time with her Shetland ponies or helping her husband with his fair construction company, Parmak-Fischer is scouting out her next big idea. Currently, she is busying herself with a “really cool project” in collaboration with a body paint artist. “There will be a woman and a horse—the rest must stay a secret until we are done!”

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BY GUINEVERE JOY

Mukti Echwantono

Visions of Ophelia “Perhaps the darkness in my images seeks to romanticize sadness and depression.”

S

ince her appearance in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia has inspired songs, poetry and paintings. For Indonesian photographer Mukti Echwantono, Ophelia plays the role of a muse yet again in his moving series of underwater captures.

MUKTIECHWANTONO

ILLDISPOSE

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“Song to Forget” 50mm - f 2.2 - 1/400 ISO: 400

“Destination Anywhere” 50mm - f 4 - 1/320 ISO: 400

Ophelia has been interpreted through many artistic mediums, but for this photographer, it is her mortality, as well as her duality and the polarizing viewpoints she faced, that are expressed through his portraits of women submerged in water. Through Echwantono’s lens, Ophelia represents both innocent femininity and a serene submission to death.

Her demise has been romanticized through fine art depictions by John Everett Millais, Eugene Delacroix and Cabanel, yet despite the tragedy of her unfortunate end, she reflects an everlasting beauty.

“Sadness and darkness are inherently related.

There is a certain romance in darkness and melancholy, and a mysterious quality about that which is hidden and unknown,” Echwantono explains of the atmosphere he created for Ophelia, “Perhaps the darkness in my images seeks to romanticize sadness and depression.”

The Ophelia series by Echwantono presents an interesting relationship between the viewer, photographer and model. The gaze of the subject never acknowledges the viewer, as if the lens were a portal into her private, introspective sphere, a privacy not shared between the photographer and model, but kept within herself. Witnessing a moment of intentional solitude, we spy a girl alone with her thoughts-a quiet pause from life that all viewers can relate to emotionally and appreciate.

Wavering gently in the water, the subject drifts with the femininity of long, delicate gowns. Floating quietly underwater, she moves with the current of the waves, captured at times

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Echwantono Shoots With: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EOS 5D Mark II Lenses: Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM, Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM, and his favourite, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens Flash: Canon Speedlite 430EX II

in exquisite symmetry, as if facing her reflection in the underside of the surface--a position rife with metaphor; the scene recalls Hamlet’s accusation to Ophelia, “God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.”

Echwantono’s Ophelia explores themes of the ego and self-perception in contrast with others’ perception of us. We see a woman facing her obscured, distorted ref lection, a fragmented version of the truth; for Shakespeare’s Ophelia, this fragmentation represented the combined version of her identity that had been constructed by her father, brother and Hamlet.

When pondering in self-reflection, do we see ourselves as the person we are, or as the identity designed by others? Through his Ophelia series, Echwantono probes the viewer’s psyche with his artistic stimulation, bringing more than just Ophelia’s plight into question.

Although Echwantono’s images have the appearance of spontaneity, the images are carefully coordinated and plotted. His first step is to plan the concept of the image, followed by the location and wardrobe, choosing locations and models carefully to convey the desired symbolism for the scene. Much of Echwantono’s work makes resourceful uses of available light; he feels that he is able to actualize his concepts more effectively this way. The pools are public spaces, and the light, natural.

When seeking inspiration for new creative projects, Echwantono turns to f ilm and literature. He also loves the work of American black and white photographer Francesca Woodman, whose work often has blurred images

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of nude women. To Echwantono, Woodman’s photography motivates the enigmatic tone of his art, as well as the element of emotion.

“I am drawn to mysticism and, as a result, my work is strongly influenced by this. There is more to photography than making images with technical perfection,” he divulges, “I have learned to have a sense of mysticism, a special touch so that I can create a photograph which is present, not only for beauty to the eyes, but that also makes an impression on the heart.”

For many creatives, the path to establishing themselves in the arts is not linear. Many end up far from their starting point and, for Echwantono, it was no different. Though he studied management in university, he settled into the arts. Devoting the last ten years to learning photography techniques from reading, while studying the great masters, Echwantono is completely self-taught.

Echwantono’s creative toolkit includes Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Camera Raw. Most of his images require approximately four to six hours for the creative process and one to two hours for post-production.

Ever-evolving as an artist, Echwantono plans to expand on his photography by learning how to paint hyperrealism. In addition, Echwantono’s next project, The Vision of Disorder, is quickly developing. Using obscured images to portray grim memories, he will express relatable sentiment once more, tapping into our emotions and swaying our experience and our sense of self.

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BY GUINEVERE JOY

DRONEOGRAPHY

A SOARING

PERSPECTIVE CHARLES MARTINEZ “I don’t have a role model in photography that I look up to for influence.

I am very self-driven, in that I like creating my own work.”

DEFTONY83

_MURDER.COM_

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W

hen an artist finds a medium for creative expression that fulfills their life’s dreams, their art is most certainly imbued with a special sparkle of vivacity. For photographer Charles Martinez, it was a lifelong dream to create aerial images. Through perseverance and determination, he eventually actualized his ambition and is now able to photograph stunning images that are generally reserved only for a bird’s eye view.

Like many photographers who started before the digital age of photography, Martinez began by taking portraits of his schoolmates with his sister’s Polaroid 600. His chosen tools of the trade have certainly progressed since then, and while he still enjoys portraiture, his real love of photography comes from above.

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Serving as a Civil Engineer in the United States Air Force, Martinez is able to take his drone photography to new heights by channeling his unique opportunities into dazzling images taken from high in the sky.

One of the “perks” of his distant deployment is the opportunity to shoot photography around the world, an advantage Martinez enjoys in his free time while travelling for work. Most creative endeavors serve a personal purpose, and for Martinez, it is no different; his photography is a visual diary, chronicling his stories from time spent in areas like Afghanistan. “Aerial photography was a dream of mine since I started photography, but it was never a possibility until now. My military-themed images are practically a journal of my experiences while deployed in hostile environments,” he explains.

Working with his iPhone and drone during the daytime and his GoPro at night, the challenge lies in finding the right light. “I use natural light for my work, especially portraits, and I have to be really careful in order to make

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“I incorporate drawing to photography by sketching my potential photos, kind of like creating a blueprint for my final product.”

it work for me,” Martinez explains, “The way I overcome this challenge is by planning the shot the previous day and seeing what can be done at different times.” In his creative photography on the ground, Martinez works with props to enhance and enchant, incorporating crystal balls, feathers and even smoke bombs.

When launching his creative process, Martinez will sit down and brainstorm ideas for images. “I incorporate drawing to my photography by sketching potential photos, kind of like creating a blueprint for my final product,” he shares. He also researches locations with Google Earth well in advance of takeoff, looking for noteworthy shapes and areas that could make interesting compositions, which he then uses to create his flight plan.

While all of Martinez’ concepts result from careful planning and consideration, his editing process is comparatively fast, taking only between ten to twenty minutes to edit an image. Starting with the Adobe Lightroom app, he then transfers the image to Snapseed

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for sharpening--using the ‘structure’ feature-and concludes with final touches through VSCO. Sometimes during the editing process, Martinez will use fiber optic lights or a pixel stick to paint light into his images.

The inspiration for Martinez’ work ranges from movies to video games, and of course, Instagram. He started f lying drones with a GoPro attached to his Phantom 2 but has since upgraded to the DJI Phantom 3 Professional Quadcopter. As the DJI Phantom series have arguably become the benchmark for consumer drones, the Phantom 3 Professional seems to be reigning king with its refined flight ability and built-in 4K camera, leaving Martinez with no plans to upgrade until something more sophisticated comes along.

Presently, Martinez is planning a trip to the Northeastern United States to take aerial images of lighthouses along the coast. He also has plans to visit Boston for an urban-inspired project featuring rooftop perspectives and street photography.

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BY GUINEVERE JOY

The Magic of Macro Photography

Liv Hanna LIV_HANNA_D

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llow yourself to be carried away to a world of sparkling light, of the minute movements of a dragonfly kissing a dewdrop, a world where ladybugs and butterflies frolic through whimsical images that highlight the magical side of life. Looking at macro photography by Liv Hanna, the world slows down, and you become aware of the sounds surrounding you, the vibrant colours, the slowly moving caterpillar.

Hailing from Lyon, France, Hanna first began photography a mere two years ago. Since then, she has worked to hone her skills, additionally upgrading her camera to a Canon 75D to create her miniature masterpieces. From the tiny reflection of a flower in a drop of dew to the delicate movements of a ladybug encircling its perfectly sized pool, Hanna’s images have the ability to give a larger look into the world of the miniature.

The secret behind her delightful captures is patience. She spends long hours in nature waiting for those perfect, fleeting moments when a butterfly settles on a leaf, or the instant a ladybug spreads its minute wings in flight.

“I love to be in contact with nature to create macro images.

It’s more complicated than landscape photography because it takes a lot of patience and waiting,” she tells INSPADES. For Hanna, her captivating works are the embodiment of steadfast perseverance, and she feels especially proud when seeing the final results, considering the time invested in waiting for nature to unfold its most enchanting moments.

While Hanna prefers shooting with her macro lens, she has also been known to create stunning long exposure landscapes that incorporate the sea and stars.

There is a perfect synergy of colour in her photography.

What makes it even more special is that Hanna’s images incorporate the natural colours and palettes provided by nature. In an age where it has become very easy to replicate these tones with all manner of technology, Hanna prefers to acquire these attributes in-camera, by shooting during the

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golden hours for warmer tones, capturing the blue tinted tones just before dawn, and right after dusk.

“For me, light is the crucial element in photography,” she explains, “I prefer to shoot with natural light, especially at the start and the end of the day. I love the long exposure effects, especially during blue hours.”

Though she relies on nature’s light to form the foundational tone of her photography, Hanna looks to Lightroom to make adjustments in contrast, sharpening and varying the saturation of colours.

As an evident lover of the natural world and its life forms, Hanna yearns to travel to Africa and experience the unique beauty of the savanna, not just to take phenomenal images of the animals roaming free of captivity, but also to experience the special beauty of the tropical grasslands. Hanna also has dreams of travelling to Scandinavia to see the fjords and crystalline beauty of winter. Although this wintery landscape is quite contrasting to the rich colours of the sultry savanna, the connecting thread is her unbiased love of nature.

Despite her technically sound approach, Hanna is a self-taught photographer, who began by watching nature documentaries. She aspired to memorize each of the carefully captured moments, all in preparation for creating her own chronicles of the vast and untold beauty that surrounded her.

In addition to photography, Hanna has recently taken on the role of an ambassador for Lyon. A true lover of the city, Hanna is passionate about sharing the splendor of her historical hometown. While being an honour, this role also affords Hanna the opportunity to share her images with a wider audience through the City of Lyon website and its publications. Hanna divulges, “I would love to make people know of the city of Lyon through my photography, the full beauty of it, down to the most minute detail.”

For more whimsical works by Hanna, follow her Instagram: @liv_hanna_d

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Camera body: Canon 70D Lenses: Sigma 105mm f/2.8, Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8, Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Filters: Hoya Polarizing Filter Typical Camera Settings: Aperture: f2.8 for macro, f8-f22 ISO: 100 White Balance: Manual mode Focus: Manual for macro and auto for landscape

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“For me, light is the crucial element in photography. I prefer to shoot with natural light, especially at the start and the end of the day. I love the long exposure effects, especially during blue hours.�

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GLAMNEEKS ANNEKA PRESSTON

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MAKE-UP BY SALMA KHAN

PHOTO BY SERGIO D. SPADAVECCHIA

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nneka Presston is an entrepreneurial spirit ready to conquer the world. Like many young women, she is eager to make her way and leave her mark, and Presston carries with her big dreams of a glamorous life in the world of fashion and beauty.

Presston caught the attention of Creative Spades in a “Casting Call” contest with her new YouTube channel, Glamneeks TV, because of her enthusiastic will to start something new and her dedication in seeing it through. Presston is now expanding her brand into an upcoming line of hair extension and beauty products: Glamneeks Beaute, a work-in-progress that makes her stand out of the crowd.

Presston doesn’t leave any stone unturned, she just goes for it, whether it’s dance, modelling, runways, vlogging or building her own brand, she is working hard and having fun - and that’s the passion we love to see in people!

GLAMNEEKS

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GLAMNEEKSBEAUTE

GLAMNEEKSBEAUTE.COM

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BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

MARGARITA AKHUNDOVA The Organic Illusionist

“For me, good light is more important than filters or tons of editing.”

_MOONMILK

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In

a cyber community like Instagram, where digital art continually explodes across feeds affected with imageblending apps like Mextures and advanced software like Photoshop, Margarita Akhundova stands apart as an illusionist and photographer, performing visual magic with just a click on her iPhone SE. “I like to create illusions, to show another view on common things, to play with imagination, dreams, reflections, movement, levitation and water,” Akhundova shares with INSPADES. By using a remote or timer, Akhundova is often both the model and photographer, orchestrating organic scenarios that appear obscure, without the help of editing and post-production tricks. “For me, good light is more important than filters or tons of editing,” she adds.

With an air of femininity and a touch of delicate positioning, Akhundova’s work achieves an appealing contrast between the concrete,

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symmetrical control of an urban environment, with the coy and elusive qualities of a woman.

When she moved from the Russian city of Moscow to Guangzhou, China in 2015, Akhundova experienced “a new era” in her artistic creativity. However, this artistic regeneration came after a trial period as the beginning of her life in Guangzhou was on the city’s outskirts, “between noisy auto repair shops and dirty local markets with cheap and pungent cafes.”

After considering her conf lict with the location, food options and struggles with communication, Akhundova nearly gave up.

“I thought I made a mistake by moving to China,” she recalls. It wasn’t until a few months after her initial arrival that Akhundova moved to another district, drastically changing her Guangzhou experience for the better.

“I found a lot of museums, modern architecture and interesting places; this city

Akhundova shoots with an iPhone SE, “the best balance between small size and a good camera.”

While she owns a Canon 60D, Akhundova prefers her iPhone, remote control and tripod for “fast and convenient shooting and editing.”

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became a friend to me.” It was around this time that Akhundova began to connect with local photographers, enabling her artistic growth in a city ripe for exploration.

Guangzhou fuelled her adventurous curiosity and adoration for museums, bringing endless scenes of opportunity to Akhundova, such as the view captured in her favourite piece, Dark Water. “Water is my favourite element,” she elaborates, explaining its thematic presence in many of her works.

Again, in Girls Do It Better, Akhundova casts femininity within the structure of a metropolis, creating an otherworldly feat by towering over Guangzhou from the top of a gargantuan bridge.

As a self-described “visual perfectionist”, Akhundova never publishes an image that doesn’t meet her full satisfaction. “At the beginning, my shooting process was random and chaotic, but now I always have a plan,” she

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explains, organizing the details of each project around the location that inspires the idea.

While Akhundova is always two steps ahead of her shots, the challenge she continually must overcome is the competition she holds with herself—the drive to stay innovative, to churn content into a constant flux of new concepts.

When she feels that her photography is becoming repetitive or “boring”, Akhundova turns to her community for creative sustenance and encouragement; “The best way to overcome it is getting support from your family, friends and followers. This is very important for every artist.”

Currently working on her new project, Another China, Akhundova plans to document “futuristic places, mysterious landscapes and the human interactions within them.” In addition to her law degree and current occupation in fashion, her striking collection of art can certainly add ‘photographer’ to Akhundova’s list of achievements.

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BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

Bouquets of Beauty by

Morino Yoru

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Residing in Japan, young photographer Morino Yoru blends absolute femininity with f loral arrangements in a style connoting eclectic fashion photography. Through his use of gentle colour palettes and distinctive light, each portrait carries a polished finish.

MORINO_YORU_

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WINNERS OF THE INSTAMEET

#6TOURMARIA

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MARIAA.RIO

6TOUR

Greg Rola GREGROLA

“For me, photography came much later on in my life. It started out as just taking pictures but quickly turned into much more. I became fascinated with capturing the magnitude of each moment and the emotion behind it. I have always loved the ability to tell a story through just one image and really allowing the viewer to see the world through my eyes.�

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WINNERS OF THE INSTAMEET hosted by

MARIAA.RIO

6TOUR

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Greg Rola

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Kevin Shak

ELDRITCHKING

“Kevin Shak is a photography enthusiast, movie fanatic and Adobe Creative Suite user based in Toronto, Canada. He takes and edits photos in his spare time, which ranges from portrait to landscape photography. Kevin works primarily as an Assistant Picture Editor on various documentaries and visual media projects.�

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WINNERS OF THE INSTAMEET hosted by

MARIAA.RIO

6TOUR

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Kevin Shak

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Sergio David Spadavecchia INSPADESMAG

CREATIVESPADES

CREATIVESPADES.COM

Stopping time when the chaos of an instameet is going on is not an easy task. A storm of lenses and sensors aggressively surrounding its prey that has nowhere to go, defenceless to the thousand of clicks of the shutters going off fragmenting milliseconds to defeat time, to make that moment last forever. These are my milliseconds, these are my visions of the same event, but with different eyes...

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SPECIAL THANKS TO:

MARIAA.RIO

6TOUR

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