Colourmatch - SOLSTICE MAGAZINE LONDON

COLOUR MATCH Israel

Photography: Shay Kedem Assistant: Menny Pal Styling: Mor Shacham Hair & Makeup: Ben Kader for M.A.C Production: Moshe Avramove 23

Model: Danielle K @ MC2

[

Dress - Ice Cube

[

24

[

25

Dress - Castro Necklace - Snaps Hat & Bag - Top Ten Shoes - Charles & Keith

[

S

hay Gil Kedem is an Israeli fashion, beauty and advertising photographer currently based in Vienna, Austria and Tel Aviv, Israel.

An experienced photographer, Shay has shot for publications such as Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Dmoda Italia, Vogue Italia Talents among many others.

It all started when he began shooting with film at the tender age of 13, he liked it a lot but never thought it would become his practice. Shay has a degree in computer science and he used to work in the hi-tech industry for a number of years until 6 years ago, when he chose to switch to being a full-time photographer. Shay loves shooting beauty and fashion (both editorial and commercial) as he feels that the artistic and creative elements let him create work that is representative of his feelings and who he is.

Shay has always said that the biggest barrier he faced was creating his own style of photography and to keep listening to his instincts.

Often people would try and change the way he did things and tried to influence his style but he never let them and he went the way he felt was best for his work.

He’s not a snap-happy photographer either, instead he sets shots up slowly and with a big eye for detail. Communication is a big part of his shoots, he spends time talking to his models and his crew in order to get to know eachother, consequently his photography shows a lot of personality. Each shoot is different, trying not do the same thing over and over again, he experiments with different lighting setups, outfits, colours and compositions. No boundaries.

Having worked mainly in Israel, Italy and Austria, Shay has experienced different cultures and different levels of fashion industry.

According to him the fashion industry in Italy is very fast paced and everyone there is extremely professional, with the expectation that work will be of a very high standard. Industry professionals there are well-educated and love to have a strong narrative in their fashion editorials. He is in Italy for over half of the calendar year.

Shay’s romance with Austria started a couple of years ago, when he travelled there several times for work with “Hand for Luck”, shooting the lovely Miss Earth Austria, Valeria Huber. He’s also collaborated with many local designers and magazine. The country is a pleasure to be in, with a strong sense of culture and fantastic food. The fashion industry there is growing steadily and he’ll be visiting for the upcoming Austrian Fashion Week in early September. Shay foresees Austria being his country of permanent residence in the near future.

Israel is Shay’s country of birth, and has a burgeoning fashion scene.

The increase in numbers of critically-acclaimed designers like Alon Livne, Yaniv Persy and Shai Shalom have boosted the Israeli fashion industry and they now regularly dress super-models, Hollywood stars and celebrities such as Rihanna and Lady Gaga. Unfortunately there are barely any established fashion dedicated magazines in the country, however the raised awareness of the country’s fashion industry is sure to change that. The fashion week is very well run and gets people of substancial influence visiting it, Roberto Cavalli and Franca Sozzani are just two leading backers of the event.

Incidentally, Shay was nominated for the best photographer of the year at last years event.

26

27

[

Sunglasses - Yafo Tel Aviv Dress - Mango Top - Lee

[ Shay lists Paolo Roversi, Jacques Olivar, Steven Klein and Steven Meisel as the photographers that have inspired him the most. It’s quite clear that the influence is in his work. The dark, brooding cinematic lighting styles used by Olivar and Steven Klein have impacted on how Kedem lights his work, while Paolo Roversi’s ability to get his model’s personality to shine through is also mirrored by Shay’s work.

Shay’s work titled ‘Hedonism’ is a series of photos showing twisted and graphically altered figures that represent the antithesis of people’s concepts of beauty and norm. It’s not his most famous work, nor the one that has earned him the most amount of money, however he is very close to the set as it’s something very different to what he normally does, something out of his comfort zone. Some of it can definitely be compared to Steven Klein’s more outrageous work.

Mr. Kedem has recently set up a fantastic annual trip for recently graduated photography students recently. Each year he takes a few graduates to some masterclass fashion productions at the the heart of the world fashion industry. He hires models, stylists, hairstylists, make up artists and assistants to work with the graduates on specific shoots. They have gone to Rome for a collaboration with Romina Toscano (Dmoda magazine Editor / Vogue Italia / Vogue Talents), and they have also travelled to Barcelona and Berlin. Each location has its own special magic. They will be visiting Vienna for this winter’s masterclasses and next year they will be returning to Rome.

The editorial featured here is a beautifully shot series of photos with a fantastic colour scheme. Shay has taken to the now-fashionable pastel colour palette and applied it brilliantly to both the set and the colours in the clothes selected by the stylist. Recently Wes Anderson has created a storm by meticulously utilising pastel colours to devastating effect in his film ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’, whilst his work didn’t directly influence Shay’s style for this shoot, the similaties are plain to see. The colours used complement eachother beautifully to create a graceful scene where not one colour stands out.

This editorial piece is one that definitely adds to Shay’s already extensive and impressive portfolio.

28

[

29

Denim Shirt - Aristo Shmat T-Shirt - Mayosha Shorts - Lee Belt - Yafo Tel Aviv Shoes - Castro

[

[

[

Sunglasses - XRay Top - My Urban Runway Swimsuit - Amit Lonnenfeld for Shenkar Handbag - Second

30

[

31

Shirt - Wrangler Necklace - Snaps Torso - Yafo Tel Aviv Skirt - Ice Cube Hat & Bag - Top Ten

[

[

Sunglasses - XRay Shirt - Castro Jeans - Mango Shoes: Charles & Keith

[

32

[

Hat - Top Ten Shirt - Ciao Bella Overalls - Lee

33

[

[

Jacket - Lee Dress - Shams Necklace - Snaps Bag - Top ten Shoes - Charles & Keith

[

34