PYLOT THE BEAUTY ISSUE
ISSUE 09
AUTUMN / WINTER 2018
FASHION AND FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY
ALL ANALOGUE, NO BEAUTY RETOUCHING
THE BEAUTY ISSUE
READ ME READ ME This issue is dedicated to the self-doubt and obstacles that we all face in our day to day lives, culture and in everyday society. Whether you’re getting ready for a night out or trying to make the best first impression possible, it’s human nature to constantly question our self-image – is my hair ok? What about my make-up? Am I wearing the right outfit? Am I too fat? With social media and glossy lifestyle magazines, it doesn’t take much to feel pressured into looking a certain way and fitting a certain mould - there is a constant competition about who is looking the best. This issue is for the men and women out there who think that it is time to break that mould. It is time to start embracing who we are in our true form and to stop being afraid of what people think.
KATIE ROGERS Editor-in-Chief EDITOR’S LETTER
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4 CHARLIE HOWARD Interview and Words KATIE ROGERS Artwork CHARLIE HOWARD
bea 14 PERFECT BODIES Photography KATIE ROGERS
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22 CASEY ORR Interview, Words and Portrait KATIE ROGERS
ut y 30 THE FACE Photography and Words KATIE ROGERS
CONTENTS
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K: How important do you think self-image is to a person? C: Self-image is important to everyone. It’s all in your style and how your present yourself. It’s in my work and how I take photography, especially online as well. You’ve got to have that whole extra package to progress further in different careers. I could be creating lots of great artwork, but I could be a boring person. I couldn’t wear nice clothes, there’s no point. You have to build your selfimage everywhere, it’s important.
K: Do you have any inspirations from the art world? C: I love Jenny Saville, they’re very big paintings… Just the fact that tits are everywhere and bodies pressed against windows.
K: So after having a good look through your work, I’m just wondering what pushes you to do what you do? C: A lot of my work is shock factor, I love making people think, sh*t… That’s a bit disgusting. I make people second guess how they think about things – I like people’s reactions. I think I just use it as a different platform.
C
harlie Howard is an 18-year-old artist who currently studies at Heysham High School in Morecambe, Lancashire. He studies art and design, textiles and photography and he will be continuing his education at higher education at Lancaster University to study BA Fine Art. His artwork has been highlighted for success throughout his studies at high school, and he has been known to push the boundaries with his themes on self-image, beauty and sexuality.
CHARLIE HOWARD WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY
Katie Rogers
CHARLIE HOWARD
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“There’s no point it’s boring. It’s over your CHARLIE
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fitting the mould, so 2013, get self.� HOWARD
CHARLIE HOWARD
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K: What is your process when you come to create
the artwork, you won’t understand it. I think the candid
one of your larger art pieces or self-portraits?
photos are the best. You could take a bunch of photos
C: Creating one of my self-portraits or larger pieces is
one day by accident and it could be one of the best
very spontaneous. An idea comes into my mind and I
photos you’ve ever taken.
just think ‘let’s do this’. It usually starts with a photoshoot, and I base it on myself because other people aren’t
K: How do you think you became a creative person?
reliable, only you know yourself a lot more and it makes
C: I think that being creative came in a lot with being
the process a lot easier. But it’s very spontaneous. I’ll
gay, as it allowed me to be able to show self-expression
get a camera and set up a tripod, and I’ll just stand there
a lot more, to show that I can do something else, and
and smile – sometimes I’ll get someone to take close
I can be different. I’m not different with regards to the
up pictures of the gritty angles of myself, that’s when
gay community, it’s more just me being able to be me. I
you really get an understanding. I think, let’s just rip my
never really knew that I was creative until I drew this one
clothes of and photograph myself in different positions
drawing when I was about thirteen. I drew these three
with different faces. That’s where the casting came in
cups, milk glasses. I drew it and then I thought these look
because I wanted to see myself from someone else’s
real, I’m on to something here. A lot of things come out
perspective but then also layer myself in myself.
crap, but you’ve just got to keep working on yourself and then you’ll eventually get there.
K: What is your current project based on? C: The project is human representation, showing yourself
K: Did you ever have a creative influence?
in different ways whilst being true to yourself at the same
C: I’ve never had a creative influence in my life, I’ve
time. I never have thought in the past ‘oh let’s do a body
never thought that I really wanted to be like someone.
cast because it’s nice… it went from zero to a hundred
I just want to be the best version of myself. My Nana
really fast, I’d do it again and I would do my whole body if
is an artist but it’s not the same because she’s very
I could, but it wasn’t the main factor. I’d like to really push
conservative with her art, she likes to paint landscapes.
the boundaries when I go to uni.
When I’m the complete opposite, I think to just whip my clothes off and push the boundaries with my work.
K: How do you want people to react to your work? C: I want people’s reactions to be wow. Not wow, that
K: What do you think about social media?
works really well. I want it to be really challenging
C: With everything being online, anything can come back
because I really like being subjective, and I don’t expect
to you in the future. That’s where it comes in with self-
everyone to understand my work, I’d love it if I could
image, if you don’t push yourself enough you won’t go far.
make people stand and not be able to. A lot of people
The people who push themselves visually and digitally,
who have seen my work don’t understand it, and I love it.
that’s when people start noticing you. It’s not about being
Unless you read the research that came alongside with
fake, do it on a level that you enjoy but not to the point
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where you’re uncomfortable.”
a f*ck. Either you’re on board with the project, or see you later. Often people come in and have a complaint about
K: What is your opinion on image retouching?
the way I work, but I think why should what I’m doing
C: I do agree with image retouching, for magazine
bother you? Obviously, with the school environment I
purposes. If it makes your project visuals better, then do
have to wait until certain times, and I have to lock the
it. If you’re not happy with yourself and you’re looking
room and make sure the blinds are closed.
at the photos in these magazines thinking ‘I should look like that’, then there must be something wrong with you.
K: Have you always been happy with your final
I know that sounds really stupid but, you should know
outcomes?
that they are not real. You should not have to compare
C: I’ve loved the final outcome of my last project, but
yourself to other people because nobody is the same.
it’s the process that’s been a bit life changing for me. I
Obviously, I know that I’m overweight, but I wouldn’t look
know it sounds cliché, but it’s changed my view on how
at someone in a magazine that’s been retouched and
everything works, and how I work. It’s opened my eyes as
think ‘I should look like that’. I think that I am sexy, I can
to how professional processes are. I feel like I’m starting
put pictures online and think that I look great, I don’t care
to get to grips with my style, I’m doing things for a reason.
what people think. You don’t have to look like a model
I want to have something gritty, we’re in a generation
stereotype. It’s weird how people aspire to be different
where things are moving so fast and things are picking
things. That’s not my thing.
up the pace. You can’t be scared to try something new. Everyone has always got something to say but when the
K: What has it been like creating your artwork in a
final product is revealed, they love it. Sometimes when
school setting?
I’m doing a project I’ll think I hate it, but at the end I love
C: It has been very difficult creating my artwork in a
it.”
school setting, because my work has always had a slight sexual connotation, I don’t know why because I’m not a
K: How have your parents reacted to your art?
sexual person. I’ve always just been very interested in
C: My mum never really cared about my work, it wasn’t
everyone’s form, and how people are different. There are
an issue but recently she’s started to understand it more.
a lot of different aspects to people – birthmarks, curves,
She didn’t want me to go to university, she thought that
scars, stretch marks. Doing this in a school environment,
it was a stupid move to go to uni to do art. It’s not about
it hasn’t challenged me, it’s challenged other people. My
getting a job for me, it’s about getting to a point where
working process is normal to me, I’ll just whip my clothes
you can do something that you love. I’m looking forward
off and take a picture. But I’ll admit that it’s come with
to not being restricted to a school environment.
confidence, I wouldn’t have done this a couple of years ago, I’d have wanted to hide my body and be shy. Last year I had a bit of an epiphany, and I thought I don’t give CHARLIE HOWARD
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“You can’t be scared to try something new. Everyone has always got something to say but when the final product is revealed, they love it.” CHARLIE HOWARD
CHARLIE HOWARD
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CHARLIE HOWARD
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PHOTOGRAPHY by Katie Rogers
Perfect
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Bodies PYLOT - The Beauty Issue
PERFECT BODIES
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PERFECT BODIES
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PERFECT BODIES
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PERFECT BODIES
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CASEY ORR CASEY ORR CASEY ORR CASEY ORR CASEY ORR CASEY ORR
C
INTERVIEW AND WORDS Katie Rogers
asey Orr is an American
K: What pushed you towards photography?
documentary photographer, who
C: Photography… As soon as I picked a camera up I felt
is originated from Delaware,
like I was searching around for my identity and I tried all
America. Her work focuses on
different kinds of stuff. I joined different clubs, I was trying
portraiture, and how people
out for different teams, I was trying to sing… I was doing
express their self-image.
all these different things but when I picked up a camera
This interview discusses self-image and Casey Orr’s
I just really felt like I found myself, and then I found my
continuing project, Saturday Girls.
community in the art room in high school. In American high school it’s very segregated and you have to choose
K: Would you be able to tell me a little about
your identity and stick to that thing. So I felt really
yourself?
pressured to kind of find my place but it actually ended
C: Well, I’m from America – the little state of Delaware,
up being really true to me. I’ve always had a performance
and I met my husband who’s British over 25 years ago
art element of what I do and I write, there’s a bit of
and ended up falling in love and moving to England. It all
conceptual art to what I do.
worked out and we’ve just been living here.
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CASEY ORR
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K: Is there any artistic influences that had
when you were ten. For me it’s about women
an impact on how you work?
honing that language really, and it’s something
C: I loved the portrait photographers, and I
that’s passed down from past generations,
think because we didn’t have any internet then
and we pass it around in our culture, and we
so it was just books in libraries and stuff. I really
wear things, and we present ourselves in a
loved Diane Arbus, she’s a main influence
way that are signifiers to deeper elements and
of mine, and Richard Avedon the fashion
that really interests me. I think that it’s a really
photographer, and Irving Penn… I loved him,
sophisticated language, and I think that there
and Sally Mann. American photographers,
are all kinds of pressures that young women
I was really drawn to portraiture, and drawn
and people have to cope with, and social
to lifestyle photography as well. I really love
media and stuff like that. I want to focus on
Diane Arbus because I love the idea of the
saying, this is your power, you are powerful,
relationship that she had between her and the
look at how amazing you are, look how funny
people she photographed and the fact that she
and real and beautiful these young people
was kind of on the street meeting people and
are. I think we need other versions of what it
following up stories by going to people’s homes
means to be a woman or a person. We need
and exploring the world. That really attracted
other versions about the ones that are sold
me to the idea that photography is about finding
back to us. Advertising and capitalism and the
stuff out in the world and exploring the world in
modern way that people do things through
a way to meet people and get behind doors.
social media… it’s about selling stuff and it’s about directing stuff to our egos, which makes
K: What is your opinion on self-image?
us feel lonely and disconnected and envious,
C: I think that I talk about that in the foreword
and so I just want to do something different.
of Saturday Girl because I’m interested in
And photography is so implicit in the way we
what it means to be a woman, the lives of
see ourselves, and the way that we reflect in
women. Saturday Girl is specifically about a
our mirrors of photography and into the world,
time in a woman’s life, or person’s life, when
and I really feel like I could maybe want the
you become really visible in the world. So,
work to have a different story than all that other
you become visible, and you realise that
photography that we have… you can’t get
there’s power in that, and so Saturday Girl is
away from it, it’s there in everyone’s pockets.
about what we do with that. So, in a way you
I’m so glad that it wasn’t around when I was
realise that you have this language of self-
acting like an idiot and making mistakes, I just
expression is really powerful because people
think that it’s unforgivable. You just have to
start looking at you in a way that they didn’t
make mistakes, you have to be able to make
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Saturday Girls by Casey Orr
CASEY ORR
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“So in a way you have this language is really powerful start looking at you didn’t when CASEY
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realise that you of self-expression because people in a way that they you were ten.� ORR
CASEY ORR
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Saturday Girls by Casey Orr mistakes and have situations that you don’t
I have a different series and that’s more about
want to look at again – we all need that. We’re
style and self-expression, not just hair. So, it’s
human beings and we’re flawed.
different from that first series. And to me when I look back at those first pictures and they feel
K: Is Saturday Girl a continuing project?
like a different time to me, and the wigs and
C: The Saturday Girl in 2014 was very much
stuff. I just don’t feel like we would see that
about hair, and I did think that when I finished
now in this year. So anyway, in this series it’s
that work that I was moving on, because I’ve
made into a book and it’s got new writing and
done other projects in between, but then I
I’ve sent it out to publishers, so I’m hoping to
realised that there’s something more I wanted
get a publisher on with this one, the first one
to explore with Saturday Girl, so I went to all
was self-published, and then I’m going to take it
the different cities throughout the UK. And now
from there.
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CASEY ORR
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Saturday Girls by Casey Orr
T h e Fac e PHOTOGRAPHY by Katie Rogers
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THE FACE
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Sleek Matte Lipstick
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THE FACE
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Soap & Glory Thick and Fast Mascara
Christian Dior Forever Undercover Foundation
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Helen E Pressed Powder Blush THE FACE
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Sleek Contour and Highlight Palette
THE FACE
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THE FACE
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With thanks Apple / Bowens / Canon / Christian Dior Cosmetics / Charlie Howard / Casey Orr / Eylure / Helen E Cosmetics / Heysham High School / Jack Grogan / Lancome Cosmetics / Leeds Beckett University / Sleek Makeup / Soap & Glory /
Special thanks to all our contributors
PYLOT is published by PYLOT Ltd. in Leeds, UK.
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Fashion and fine art photography. All analogue, no beauty retouching.
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