The Aesthete & Dérive Publication.
Sammy Todd is an actor and model. You might have seen her in the TV show Watch Your Six, the movie “The Memory Scanner” and the TV show “The Prank Panel”
We’ve created stills and videos together a few different times. Here’s a few of my favorites from our work together.
Sammy has a cool vibe and is always a pleasure to shoot with. You can check out her IMDB page here and you can follow her on IG here.
Take care,
-Oliver
I’ve really come to enjoy the word “Punk”.
It turns out, I think a lot of the best art made is actually punk. (And by punk, I mean counter culture) Something that pushes back, holds the mirror up, and is a bit radical. If you think about the great artists we celebrate, often times, their work expressed a pushback on society in one way or another. You can see this throughout history with famous artists like Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol, Elvis Presley, Keith Haring, The Beatles, Britney Spears, the list goes on and on.
I think one of the reasons for this, is because punk art often says something and has a unique viewpoint that makes us question ourselves, our values and our lives and pushes them further. Often times, you’ll see art made by the ultra wealthy (like some music artists on the biggest record labels) is not punk at all. It’s extremely consumable and intentionally unoffensive in every possible way. Because the goal of the folks creating this art, isn’t to say something, it’s actually the opposite. They don’t want to say anything. Cause when you don’t say anything, no one can get mad, no one can make fun of you, no one can complain, and if no one has a problem with it, then it’s consumable by the largest amount of people and therefor it can make the most money. There is no risk because the work is intentionally risk averse.
Something you’ll see on this publication is photoshoots and projects with people of all socio-economic statuses & all levels of fame. Some total unknowns & some extremely well knowns. Isn’t that punk? All levels of status, all levels of wealth & all levels of fame.
Seems like everyday the culture of our capitalist paradigm wants more & more for our statuses to be separate. I’ve attended many functions and events for the wealthy (Regardless of the genre. It could be fashion, dance, art, film, music, photography, etc..) Really the thing a lot of these events and the people who attend them have in common is just wealth. If you’re wealthy, you’re in the club. If you aren’t, then you’re an outsider. (Basically the plot of Gossip Girl) Xoxo
Something to keep an eye out as you consume art. Whether it be music, films, television, people’s fashion, photography, etc.. Is to ask yourself “Is it punk?”
Till next time,
Xoxo
-Oliver
Model and dancer Sydney Tyra & I have shot a few times at different studios in the LA area.
For these photos we utilized a warehouse, a brightly colored pop art-esq room, and also the indoor pool that a studio had available to rent.
Shooting in this pop art room was fun. Ya’ll know I love color, and this room had a lot of it.
We finished up with this pool photo studio room featured below. (Which is a pool that has a glass cutout that the photographer can shoot through.) I’ve posted a behind the scenes video of this location on my social media for those curious.
Shooting with Sydney Tyra is always a blast. She has a charisma that engulfs the camera and creates a vibrancy within the photos. And while most models/people want to create work that’s already been done before, Sydney isn’t afraid to take risks and create new aesthetics.
Till next time,
-Oliver
Victor and I created these shots in 2017. (Seems like a lifetime ago)
We snapped on a rooftop in downtown Los Angeles and then inside a studio room at sunset.
Victor was fun to shoot with. He could convey a gentle tone (like in the photo with the flower behind his ear) And also a fun Southern California skater vibe. (As you can see above) We just took photos for fun and chatted it up while we did. It was an afternoon well spent.
Take care,
-Oliver
The photo studio Kiya and I shot in had 7 different unique rooms available for rent, and for this session I booked us 4 of those 7.
A room with pink walls, a room with orange walls, a room with yellow walls, and a room with white walls.
Kiya’s IG profile description reads “sweet lil baby with the mean mug”
For the pink room, there was a large window with opaque glass that light from the sun went through before entering, which created a diffused soft light.
The orange walled room lacked windows, so I used the bounce flash to create the light.
As you can tell, Kiya has an eye for aesthetic and brought a great variety of outfits and swimsuits that matched the colors and different vibes of the studios.
This white walled room below was our last stop, and I planned our timing to hit right as the sun was setting. So we had these gorgeous golden beams shining in that she played off of.
Kiya lights up the camera. A natural model who with an innate understanding of how to express without saying words, and how to showcase different aesthetics through fashion and poses.
You can follow Kiya on IG here.
Till next time,
-Oliver
Did someone say something to you when you were young that you held onto? (And perhaps you kept what they said in mind for many years to come and even let it partially define you?) Sometimes I think that adults spend their lives trying to prove the criticisms they received as a younger person wrong.
We don’t have to let the past define us. We can experience the moment, and then let it go.
The camera of a polaroid holds space for a moment that’s occurring, it defines and validates that moment by creating a memory, and then it spits that memory out, releasing it into the universe.
Here are various Polaroids I’ve taken around Southern California and New York using a vintage Sun 600 Polaroid Camera, or by using the Analog Polaroid Photo Printer.
DJ and Model: Karma at the Santa Monica Beach at sunset at the end of our photoshoot.
Stacey Hazen laying on a digital floor from our shoot at the “Happy Go Lucky Exhibit” in New York City.
Palm Trees at sunset off the highway
The Eastern Building in downtown Los Angeles. (Snapped while I was walking through town after a photoshoot)
Dancer/model/singer/actor: Tracy Sokat from one of our photoshoots in NY
A small Flamingo statue casting a perfect shadow
-Oliver
