Dazed Club Spotlight Roundup: October
Congratulations to all our Dazed Club members featured on Dazed Digital and Instagram this week as part of the spotlight roundup! From editorial shoots to family photos, explore the latest photography and fashion projects by Dazed Club members from the past month... Clubbers - if you have projects you'd like to submit for a chance to be featured, post your projects in the app and us at Dazed will take a look each week and select our top pick to feature that week! We'll then reach out directly :)
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SIMRAN KAUR
“My latest project ‘Lumen’ transcends the conventional realms of jewellery photography, as it delves deep into the art of lighting and its transformative power. Each image in this campaign is a testament to the masterful manipulation of light, showcasing how it breathes life into every facet, every gem, and every contour.
“I love working with lighting, and my favourite will always be continuous lights, as I can manipulate them to recreate a light I might have seen in real life. This could be as simple as the full moon’s light falling on a white rose. I have always seen my light set-ups as a way to paint a canvas, especially because I come from an artistic background so the basics are about looking around me to get inspired which can sometimes also be people.
“I don’t like doing a lot of post-production work – I love seeing my model’s skin as it is, as we all have beautiful details and textures which I don’t think have to be hidden. The only editing I do is perhaps balancing the contrast and brightness, everything else has always been done on set.”
Photographer and Creative director: Simran Kaur, Designer and nail artist: Callisto Hutchings, Casting Director: Autumn Jensen, HMUA: Yuliia Kuzmenko, Model: Georgina Favyer
GRACIE BRACKSTONE
“My friends and I have this saying, ‘give me more’, that we apply to everything, or ‘I think you can do better’ – all my fashion shoots are a play on that. They’re always about friendship. I love really eccentric looks and make-up, and ultimately I just want everything that I do creatively to be fun, and to look like it was fun to do. For this series, we had said from an outsider’s perspective that it looked like I had gone to get my sister from a night out, as I was so casual and she had eyelashes all over her face... so that was the overall aesthetic we carried on with!
I came in contact with the model @isiskrisis through IG. I found her makeup page first and then asked if she would be happy to model and do her own make-up. We got on so well instantly – she actually turned up to the AirBnB listening to the same Doja Cat song as I was. The clothes are a mixture of mine, my grandad’s, my brother’s, my aunt’s, nan’s and Isis’. Recently, I have been raiding all my family’s wardrobes, because they have so many beautiful things around. Lots of pieces were literally things I found at my nan and grandad’s house.
My friends inspire me all the time, I definitely get most of my inspo from them. One of my friends @ivansmith.mua actually really brought me back into the love for makeup – looking at MUA’s such as Pat Mcgrath and Isamaya Ffrench, and the shows they have worked on. I am also really inspired by @matieresfecales. Jawara Alleyne also for the styling, because I have used safety pins all year to pin outfits together as that’s how my housemate Usman would create drag looks. I love this whole punk / reinvent your clothes aesthetic, because who can afford clothes any more? Anything that makes fashion more accessible I love and thankfully fabric and safety pins are definitely that for me.”
STAR
“This summer I got my first camera and spent time teaching myself photography and photo editing. For me, I was drawn to having my family members, such as my little cousins and my little brother, act as my subjects to create a personalised chronicling of my life.
When I first started editing photographs, my approach and style were very spontaneous. The art style I had created through these images happened in a spontaneous moment; I had no intention of creating a unique look but when I did, I realised, ‘there’s potential in this, I think there’s something special here‘.
The choice of setting is purposeful in my work. When I started photography, I chose my back garden to shoot in as it always had the most wonderful sunlight during the summers, and it allowed the kids to have fun and feel free while I took their photos. They always like to play outside, and so I felt it was best to capture their happiest moments in the place they enjoy the most. To have my family in the shots means everything to me – my family has always supported everything I’ve chosen to do. To feature my younger family members in something that is now shaping the future of my creativity is something I see as a blessing.
Regarding my process, I take images with a bright flash and a small aperture, and then I use a low ISO setting. This makes the faces the focus of the images, particularly with the flash, and creates shadows in the background. In some images this contrast is inverted so there’s a bright background and everything is amplified. Essentially there’s just a large focus placed upon the person. I then go into DaVinci Resolve and work with colour grading tools to add those colours and subtract the saturation until I have my final piece.
I realised that life should consist of things that you want to do and things that make you happy. Time doesn’t wait for anyone, so I get up and try new things all the time. I know that may sound quite melodramatic, but that’s my biggest motivator."
TEMUJIN BLAKEWAY
“My photo essay, entitled VIVIANO, is born from my mixed heritage identity and captures the juxtapositions of my origins: a hybrid of British identity and Indian custom. The photo essay works to de-centre the cultural identity of fashion; its aesthetics are not defined by its Britishness, nor is it a mimetic representation of Indian culture, rather it exists ‘in-between’.
“The models’ styling was accented by precious items of jewellery, reminiscent of India, likely passed down through generations from mother to daughter, father to son, that my ancestors were forced to leave behind in the Amin Exodus of Uganda. The images are deliberately calculated to be an onslaught to the senses, a dynamic colourful interplay of beautiful visuals, offbeat photography, ugly aesthetics and added text, interspersed and feathered with humour and irony.
“The photo essay culturally floats between continents, celebrating the vibrancy of India through its rich colour palette, whilst respecting the clean lines, elegance and charm of British design. At the same time, it raises up the diasporic Indian man, like my ancestors who went before me, once exiled from their homes and divorced from their dreams and aspirations, thus restoring his sense of equality in the outside world and paying homage to his creative expression. VIVANO acts as a love letter to my family across both continents and to all those of mixed heritage – I’m constantly inspired by the concept of identity in motion.“
DARIO SHORTZ
“My name is Dario and I live in Chinatown, NYC. I have been taking photos on disposables for years, but finally levelled up to a 35mm camera over the pandemic and cannot stop shooting. I love moments where I can make my subjects feel as beautiful as I see them, even if they are a stranger I have just met. I am blessed to be around such beautiful people, both inside and out, in the most inspiring city I can think of. These are a quick glimpse into the people I surround myself with, both new and old friends and things I have been able to see over this summer.
“All the subjects portrayed here are close friends of mine, how they live their lives inspires me. Some were captured in a natural habitat like my friend Michael or Felipe. Some are styled and directed by me. My surroundings are what inspires me the most right now, whether it be my new apartment and neighbourhood or my friends I have met along the way. Life is the ultimate inspiration. Photographers like Clifford Prince King are forever inspiration.”
TANIA FLORES
“A lot of my latest photographic work represents my love for how shapes and colours cohere with items of clothing to create movement. Part of what has helped me in my practice is my community – Houston is a very diverse community full of very artistic individuals, and having such great photographers in our area helps me learn, and inspires me to try out new things and think outside of the box.
These images represent Fashion from Rags – all these items were thrifted and did not cost more than 25 cents per piece. I wanted to create a high fashion-inspired outfit by not going above $2 per set. My goal is to challenge the stigma that fashion is entirely inaccessible; on the contrary, fashion can be how we piece together the items, to create art that flows together within the environment.
Most of my process consists of searching and envisioning an ideal session for my team and I to create the looks, as well as a location that we choose for the session, whether this be in a studio or in nature. We then make the most of the session based on the vision we have going into it. I think love to go into Photoshop to add shapes and colour. If I can create an image where I am able show nature, beauty, and fashion simultaneously, then I am all for it.”
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