PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELLE-MAY LECKENBY
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELLE-MAY LECKENBY
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELLE-MAY LECKENBY
DEC2015
PHOTOGRAPHY BY NOEL ALVA
INSPIRE
STYLE
COVER
PG26-27
PG2-5
PG12-17
These are the moments Elle-May Leckenby we live for..Be featured. struts with some comfy items.
PG28
Lasting Friendships!
PG34-35
PG30-31
High-waisted jeans and coffee! Whats new?
Dreaming of another place, Travel and Away PG18-21 short film! Hot Chocolate and PJ’s get ready for an amazing hoilday.
Cover Girl: Elle-may Leckenby talks about her signature style.
PG2-3
Dreams of a Traveler.
PG8-9
Notes from the editor and featured Zara Staples photography.
LIFESTYLE PG24-25
Another year has arrived! Are you ready?
PG32-33
Interview with Evvy! New single out now! “Tidal Wave“
PG29
Self love and Respect.
CREATIVES PG40-43
Living a Double life with Brandon Sapp.
PG22
January issue with Sarah Loven! Professional Nomad.
PG23
Calling all Photographers, Contest details on our instagram!
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ZARA STAPLES @ZARA.STAPLES
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ZARA STAPLES @ZARA.STAPLES
LETTER from the EDITORS Welcome to our silly world where what we say
and wear is judged within the first meeting. Who cares! Let them think what they want. Be yourself no matter what they say, or what there thinking. We start to stress ourselves out over things that we can’t contronl, like someones feelings towards us. Someone messaged me on youtube asking for my advice on a embarrising school esperience. I told her that on monday, I want you to walk in school like a superstar, rock what you got and laugh it over. Why get all upset about something that we can’t control. Don’t get me wrong I wish I could change some things, but in reality we can’t.
SILLY THINGS EXPRESS YOURSELF We hope you enjoy this months issue, filled with some amazing content from teenagers and young adults around the globe. Have a wonderful Holiday!
PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEFAN @MRCHEYL MODEL: @JADASABRINA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHLOE @PALOOZOID
COVER GIRL
About Elle I have studied both photography and design. I am in love with colour, texture, people, emotions, light, personalities, these beautiful minds we’ve been given! Inspiration is constant for me and I love partnering with brands that compliment my style. I’ll always be passionate about creating inspiring and motivating imagery and by collaborating it gives me constant reason to keep doing just that.
X Elle
ELLE-MAY
LECKENBY
Talks with Elle TC: Here at Teen Culture Magazine, we love your style of clothing, and how it express you as a person. So how would you describe your sense of style? Has it shaped you and your blog? EL: Oo, It’s hard for even me to describe it sometimes, I guess it has a strong sense of this whimsical feeling. I also love draping /flowing clothes, neutral tones etc. It shaped my blog because I could really execute ideas I had in my head and go and take images. My day dream life became practical!! TC: What’s the first thing you grab out of your closet on a chill day? EL: Just a low arm cut long singlet dress. It’s dark green and is really baggy haha. I would wear it with point boots
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TC: Personally I would love to visit Switzerland lage. and Australia one day, Is there any TC: If you could pick any store to be your fairy place in the world, which you would like to Godmother, who would you choose? visit or even live? EL: Hahaha, perhaps I would go with MorriEL: Soo many places! I’d love to visit Israel son! next! and live in the South of France in a vil-
“Life is about loving others and serving”
TC: When I’m not sending emails and preparing for another teen culture issue I’m either watching Netflix or completing homework. So When You’re not creating what are you most likely doing? EL: Cooking, bike riding, eating sushi with friends or swimming!!! TC: For December our theme is titled “Silly Things” with this theme we did our best to convey that as individuals we should not stress over things that we cannot control. We should be happy and live our life full of happiness and love. Do you have any advice for our readers about loving your life and letting go of stressful situations? EL: You have to daily wake up
and give thanks for just being alive. Life is about loving others and serving, if this is your priority, happiness / joy comes so naturally. It’s hard for the western culture I think because we grow up with marketing teaching us what we need / what is right / telling us what success means but really we need to sift through that all because most of it are schemes to make money or to create a culture reliant on things that we should not be relying on, that shouldn’t define us. I think once we realise this and take time to naturally process and think about what we believe and really the absolute miracle that we get to have life. Stress isn’t even on the radar!
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PHOTOGRAPHY @SVITLANA_PMENV MODEL @SOFYA_NARINSKY
PHOTOGRAPHY @SVITLANA_PMENV MODEL @SOFYA_NARINSKY
CREATE The comfort zone is the great enemy to creativity; moving beyond it necessitates intuition, which in turn configures new perspectives and conquers fears. -Dan Stevens MAKE SURE TO SEND US YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE TAG US ON INSTAGRAM @TEENCULT
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MAGAZINE
FEATURING
SARAH LOVEN
Trending/News Teen Culture Magazine will be on Mobile now!
Hey! For the next few
months we will be doing a series of contest for all artist, photographers, and any creative! Make sure to stay updated on our instagram to see more details. Who will be featured next?
We are to excited to finially release our youtube
channel later this month. Stay tuned for short films and inspirational talks by some amazing readers on certain topics.
Teenculture@yahoo.com
Youtube.com/teenculture
Instagram: @teencult
Twitter: @teencult
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELLE-MAY LECKENBY
T
he new year is just around the corner, which usually means that we are looking forward to our 2016 goals. Every time a new year comes we all are ready to change and to be better as a person and mainly have a good reinvented lifestyle.
I’ve set goals to myself every single year and it would be a lie if I said that I’ve actually done something to check them off my bucket list. If you can relate then please check my advice below.
Stop waiting for a new year or a new month or a new day to start doing something that will make you happier. Instead of planning how You tell yourself that this year you will start exyou’ll start your diet on Monday, go for a run or ercising more or eating healthy. Maybe you’ll to the gym and actually DO something. Instead goal will be to get better grades or being kinder of saying that next semester you’ll start paying to people. Anything that comes to mind when attention to class and doing homework, read you think of a “new start” is exactly what I’m your textbooks and do your papers. Instead of talking about. waiting for the guy you like takes you on a date, Even though there is nothing wrong with setting take the first step and you invite him. goals to ourselves, the problem appears when Because the only decisions you will regret, are we don’t do anything to achieve them. the ones you don’t make.
You can say no to whatever you don’t feel comfortable with and you can erase bad people from your life. For 2016 I hope you’ve already started doing some adjustments to your life. You should have your favorite food more often. You should hug people whenever you can. You should take a picture of something you like without feeling embarrassed of people looking at you weird. You should embrace your flaws and stand up for them because they make you the beautiful person you are. You should always, always stand up for what you believe in and never let other people tell you you are wrong. Having a better lifestyle is more than making a list of things to do and never actually completing them. It’s setting you mind into an approachable goal that will make you not only better but at peace with yourself.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TUNA BOON
WRITTEN BY @AN.STHETIC
THESE ARE THE MOMENTS WE Live FOR
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JACK GARELL @JACKNEWPORT
SHARE YOUR STORY BE FEATURED
IN OUR NEXT ISSUE! We love hearing from you! So make sure to send us your stories, photography, art work, music and videos to our email. We always respond!
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GOOD FRIENDS ALWAYS PULL THROUGH Who’s Your Best Friend? Tag us @teencult and tell us!
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MADISON REAMES
SELF-LOVE LOVE WHO YOU ARE! NO MATTER WHAT! Many times we go through our life without a shoulder to lean on. When your sad or upset, just remember we are here for you. You are never alone! Send us a DM on Instagram or Twitter, we always respond! XOXO
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MADISON REAMES
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEFAN @MRCHEYL MODEL: @EASY.SOCKS
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Evvy
MUSIC CULTURE
TC: So for starters when did you start singing? Or when did you notice you had a passion for music?
EV: I started singing at a very young age. It all started when my older sister encouraged me to perform at my elementary school’s talent show at the age of seven. Growing up, I found myself in school musicals, choir and my high schools marching band. However, it wasn’t till after college when I decided to pursue music as a career. TC: Here at teen Culture Magazine we love to push inspirational stories to our readers for encouragement. As an artist what would you say inspires you most when creating music?
EV: I am mostly inspired by the events both tragic and beautiful in my life, which have al-
lowed me to connect with others through music. I’m also inspired by the people I’ve surrounded myself with and most of all my family who work countless hours in order to survive.
TC: I personally believe that there is a story behind every song, so what would you say is the story behind “Tidal Wave”? EV: At the time I had been going through some-
thing personally… “Sometimes we come face to face with uncontrollable and destructive forces like a tidal wave. In the end what matters most is… love. It’s what keeps us grounded and striving to live.” … When we first wrote the song it was a lot slower and had this reminiscent feeling to it. And a few sessions later, the song uplifted into a powerful dance track.
TC: Can you explain to us your creative process if possible? We ask this because they way everyone creates is so different from another, it really is amazing to hear about how an artist thinks. EV: Creativity happens all day, everyday. Writing down my thoughts and ideas at any given moment, even if it wakes me up at night. I’ll bring these ideas into the studio and that’s where the real magic happens. If we’re starting out in the studio, sometimes I’ll jam out with whomever I’m working with to create something as organic as possible. I’ve been blessed to work with such great collaborators who have been able to bring my vision to life. TC: When I’m not sending emails and preparing for another teen culture issue I’m either watching netflix or completing homework. So When You’re not creating music what are you most likely doing? EV: I’m either working my part time job, answering emails, eating something delicious, out for a nature walk, hanging out with friends or family and/ or catching up on a lot of T.V. TC: We are also huge advocates of pushing to Be yourself in every situation that we may go throughout our lives. How do you separate your style of music from other Artist? EV: I believe the first thing that sets me apart from anyone is my voice, it’s own instrument. As far as my style of music, my sound seems to lean towards those uplifting vibes. The beauty of pop music is being able to put your own spin on it based on your influences and your vision. I’m looking forward to creating more music for you all.. stay tuned for the EVVYlution! :)
Dreams OfWonder EDITOR: ALEXIONNA BUSHELL
PHOTOGRAPHY ADDISON JONES @THE.GOLD.GIRL MODEL: LIZ ALBRECHT
C
razy thing! This month was really the first time I actually took the time to research what the word “Wanderlust” actually meant. I’m super happy that I did, since this expressed my recent mood. If you don’t know what wanderlust means,it’s a strong desire to travel. Recently when I listen to music or take photography all I can think about is traveling to another state or country. Which inspired me to create Away, our first ever short, created for Teen Culture Magazine. When I listen to “I become a shade” by Seoul on Soundcloud, I honestly dream of traveling and taking photographs of the mountains sitting above me. I want to walk
through the fog and have to guess what’s on the other side. I would love to take a boat ride through the water and watch the sunset. These are all dreams of wanderlust! Dreams that I wish were true. Not saying they aren’t possible for the future! Reality kicks in and ruins the fun of dreaming. As a senior in High school we have our whole lives ahead of us. Something I’m just now realizing, is that we don’t have to rush our lives, we don’t have to plan them out entirely. Whatever life throws at us will just align themselves for our future and the path were supposed to take. So never stop dreaming , dreamers! If you want it, then go get it! why not? Just remember you have to work for what you want. TEENCULT.CO
PHOTOGRAPHY ADDISON JONES @THE.GOLD.GIRL MODEL: SANITHIA EDWARDS MADDY LEWIS, LIZ ALBRECHT
PHOTOGRAPHY ADDISON JONES @THE.GOLD.GIRL MODEL: SANITHIA EDWARDS MADDY LEWIS, LIZ ALBRECHT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY NOEL ALVA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY NOEL ALVA
LIVING A DOUBLE LIFE Brandon Sapp @ibrandonsapp We here at Teen Culture are thrilled to be able to have a chat with the mind behind the captivating photos we have seen on the @Ibrandonsapp Instagram.For starters we would like to know at what point in your life did you realize photography was something you wanted to pursue?
BS: I was 13 and I was more of an action sports photographer, I would
take pictures of my friends doing parkour and freerunning, I made some pretty cool long lasting relationships from that. I met who’s now one of my best friends @dapurrmusic (Jacob Taff) through parkour, then one time randomly he asked me if I wanted to take some pictures of him just for posting on Instagram, I felt kinda odd doing that because I had never done it before, we ending up just hanging out and taking “artsy” pictures on a bridge in Century City. After that night was when I realized I wanted to do that more often.
TC: There are many wonderful photographer’s in the United States,but
far and few have been able to gain the type of traction you have.What do you think set you apart as a photographer and got people interested in seeing more work from you?
BS: I think a reason that I stand out from others is just the way I edit my pictures and mostly the angles I decide to use! So just be original and see how that takes you! Try to make all your pictures interesting
TC: You’ve got an amazing portfolio that features some well known fac-
es such as Suede Brooks and Maddi Bragg.Do you have any advice for up and coming photographer’s who may want to work with public figures?
BS: Don’t be afraid of rejection, and continue working and getting your
work out there until the person you want to shoot with possibly sees your work and hits you up!
TC: You have accomplished a lot as a photographer thus far, where do you see yourself five years from now?
BS: I’d really want to be working with brands,
shooting lookbooks or even modeling because that’s something I’m pretty interested in.
TC: Brandon you seem to be pretty fashion forward,is there a particular designer/brand you want to work with?
BS: ha, thank you! I’d love to work with Allsaints or Off-White.
TC: Los Angeles is seen as a haven for the
creative’s of the world.It’s the type of place dreamers go to try and make their dreams a reality. What has living in Los Angeles been like for you and what kind of impact has it had on you as a photographer?
BS: That is true! So many creatives here, i
definitely wouldn’t be in the same position if I didn’t live in Los Angeles since 95% of my work is in LA
TC: We here at Teen Culture understand
nothing is as easy as it seems,what’s the most challenging thing you face as photographer?
BS: A big challenge is balancing high
school with work, I have to turn down a lot of opportunities because of school. Other than school a challenge is finding original locations.
TC: Our last question for you Brandon is
if you could go back to the past and give your thirteen year old self some advice what would you say?
BS: First thing that comes to mind would be:
stop buying so many random Nike & Adidas shoes save up or just save up for nicer shoes lol
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MADISON REAMES
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MADISON REAMES
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SNEAK PEEK JANUARY 2016
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN MCKINNON @RJMCKINNON