Since Indigo Joker branched out into the  fashion styling services, we have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to work on numerous high-end fashion & beauty shoots with a bevy of exciting emerging local talent from both Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Fresh faced models, insanely talented photographers, masterful make-up artists & skilled hair and beauty stylists all make up a team that is required to pull off a polished and professional end result.

A recent shoot that i was personally booked to direct the fashion and style element of was one conceptualized by a very talented young brisbane based photographer named: Rachel Aust.

Rachel’s work first became known to me via Face-book where i would see some of her images pop up here and there through various mutual friends’ pages. Her crisp and captivating style, teamed with her amazing use of color and contrast allows each one of her images to stand alone as a strong & powerful solo shot or alternatively a series of harmonious and free flowing imagery that tells a enchanting story to it’s viewer. Our shoot (appropriately named: RAW SUGAR) was no exception.

Shot in the forest grounds of Pizzy Park in Miami (Gold Coast) who would have ever thought a location so local to us all could look more like it was derived from a backdrop more suited to a canadian woodland landscape. However the moody and slightly dark aspect to this series gives it the perfect edge that evokes a feeling of mystery and grandeur when you look into the eyes of this disturbed beauty.

From the moment i met Rachel, i took an instant liking to her and the way in which she worked on our shoot. So free and easy, void of the use of any technical lighting or heavy equipment like so many other shoots require and knew precisely what she wanted in order for her visual story to be told in the exact way in which she had imagined it to be.

I thought i’d take 5 minutes out from the day to ask her a couple of questions:

Q: How old are you?

A: I am nineteen years of age.

Q: What made you get into Fashion & Beauty photography?

A:  I have always been a creative person, and as a creative person there is always an idea in my head which has to be made. Once I realised I was becoming skilled enough to execute these ideas I decided I would be able to do the same for designers, hair salons and various other clients. I like to be able to unburden the designer of their vision. I also find the ever-changing aesthetics of fashion photography and the evolution of fashion trends to be extremely intriguing.

Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from?

A: I become inspired by things which do not seem very cohesive, such as strange music I find late at night, the weather, colours, a constant drive to get better, and obviously the work of other photographers.

Q: Who would you most like to do a photo-shoot with someday?

A: There is not a certain person whom I would like to photograph, as the faces of fashion change even more quickly than the trends and I have never had a set ‘favourite’. However, there are brands which I have long-term aspirations of shooting for, such as Prada and Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

A: In five years time I would love to be shooting internationally. I am always dreaming big, but realistically if I could not be overseas in such a short time frame I would love to be living in Sydney and be signed to a creative agency as a fashion, beauty and editorial photographer.

 

Credits:

Photography: Rachel Aust (www.rachelaust.com)

Model: Lauren Barley (Dally’s Models)

Hair & Make up: Amiee Taylor

Fashion/Style Director: Kathryn Edmonds @ Indigo Joker