Eat. Drink. Design.
Founded in 2007
Paris-based photographer David Gomez-Maestre caught my eye thanks to his gorgeous, richly colored photos. Growing up in Alicante, Spain, he is inspired by the light of his hometown, Spanish folklore, and his childhood memories. His sense of color is next-level, often utilizing a palette that’s reminiscent of the 60s and 70s. Think lots of deep reds, burnt oranges, limes, and brash turquoise tones. Gorgeous work.
Sander Coers is a Rotterdam-based photographer whose photos navigate the delicate intersection between documentary and fiction. Through a discerning lens, Coers offers fresh perspectives on masculinity by capturing, revisiting, and deconstructing memories within evocative and romantically hued realms that possess an undeniable cinematic quality.
Central to his body of work is the recurring theme of coming-of-age, contemplating narratives of love, friendship, and self-acceptance, drawing inspiration from his family, friends, and peers. Coers’ visual vocabulary is heavily influenced by nostalgic recollections of his youth in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, infusing his portraits, still-life compositions, and landscapes with vibrant hues and profound emotional depth, resulting in photos that feel ethereal and introspective.
In the newest issue of Monocle, there’s a fantastic piece on innovative eco-friendly materials (link for subscribers only, sorry) that was photographed by Baker & Evans. Photographing together since 2011, Brendan Baker and Danny Evans work out of South London creating beautiful still life imagery for major beauty and fashion brands. In checking out their site I found these great photos they made for Louis Vuitton for… something, it doesn’t say!
They remind me a bit of the compositions Nacho Allegre makes, which is maybe why I like these so much. The arrangements are so pleasing to me. A variety of woods were used like Beech, Polar, and Okoume, which highlights the varying nature of each. Wouldn’t these be stunning as large format prints?I would totally hang one in my apartment.
I keep seeing the work of South Korean photographer Cho Gi-Seok show up many places, and rightfully so, his imagery is surreal and captivating. From a young age, Gi-Seok liked to draw and wanted to be an art director. He then started a streetwear brand called KUSIKOHC, where he would take photos for his look books, thus eventually focusing on photography as a means of a visual creative output.
The world’s he creates in his photos are bizarre and edgy and beautiful all at once. Recently, he did a phenomenal shoot with Billie Eilish for Allure, as well as the cover of Vogue Korea featuring Naomi Campbell. Between these projects, as well as the work below, you can truly get a sense of his range and creativity.
I discovered by chance the work of Madrid-based photographer Thais Varela, who’s high-contrast, super saturated work immediately caught my eye. When I look through her photos they give me that feeling of the early to mid-90s editorial feeling, thinking Raygun magazine covers. And those colors, the richness and depth there, as well as the deep dark tones, everything feels so dreamy. Seeing Varela’s work makes me want to pick up a film camera, though realistically, my photos wouldn’t be half as great as hers.
The New Yorker released an immense article by Rachel Syme profiling American fashion designer Thom Browne and his slow burn career and the world he’s built. It’s a really great read, he has such a unique mind and POV, and honestly, he’s probably the most inventive American fashion designer. What adds even more emphasis to the story are the accompanying photos shot by the never-boring duo of Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari.
Cattelan and Ferrari have such a unique, oddball point-of-view of the world, which really does feel like it has a kinship to what Browne is doing. Which manifests in these hyper-real (their distinct style) editorial that gives a Looney Tunes feeling to suits and garments that cost thousands of dollars. It’s absurdism at it’s best, rather than falling into a realm of being corny or trendy. I hope they collaborate on more projects.
You could describe photographer Ian Lanterman as a mysterious person. After doing my normal bit of research, I can’t many details about him. What I can say is that he’s a photographer from Vancouver who specializes in portraits and still-life. I was deep in a rabbit hole and came across his work which has a timelessness to it, and very editorial in nature. There’s also a little something fantastic about his images, always an interesting detail, an unexpected pose, a feeling like you’re catching a glimpse of something very special.
As I’ve worked on The Fox Is Black over the past 4 to 5 months, an aspect I’ve been very mindful of is the overall feeling of the visuals. How there are certain styles and aesthetics that best showcase my current taste. In many ways, how a series of stories can connect tonally or loosely through subject manner. And it’s when I discover folks like Stephanie Stamatis, an art director who specializes in still life and food photography, I feel like I’ve come across someone who sees the world similarly to me.
“Drawing inspiration from nostalgia, Stephanie lends her signature aesthetic and love of objet and food to editorial and commercial clients – unfurling the medium to a reverence of the daily, poetic and surreal.”
When you view her work, you can see she has this clear vision of how she sees the world, and as you dig deeper, how her style evolves as she grows as a person. The way she’s able to work with a series of photographer to collaborate on this vision is so inspiring. An aspect of the images that I particularly love is the elements of imperfection. Her world’s feel lived in and well-loved, which gives them such a humanizing touch.
Mark Cohen is an American photographer known for his innovative close-up street photography, well-known for photographing people uncomfortably close-up, using a wide-angle lens and a flash. Cohen’s style was innovative because he broke away from traditional street photography, which typically involved photographing people from a distance. Instead, he focused on the details of his subjects, often capturing only parts of their bodies or faces.
I’m a fan of his color photography, which he pioneered in the 1970s. There’s such a feeling of realness and intimacy in his photos, capturing the lives of those around him in such a real way.
Yesterday, we took a trip over to the San Sebastián Aquarium, hoping to see some cute marine life. Located on the edge of the Donostiako portua, the aquarium tells the history of the town’s port, the evolution of boats and fishing practice, and has a beautiful area showcasing the sea life that lives in the waters nearby. Of course, I had to take photos of the little critters (I’m channeling my 2009 Flickr energy here) and wanted to share.
Maisie Cousins is a London-based photographer known for her intimate and hyper-saturated images that push the boundaries of seduction and repulsion. With a similar visual approach to iconic photographer Marilyn Minter, Cousins is interested in seeing the natural world for what it is, both beautiful and disgusting. I love how unsettling her work is. Everything is so sharp and saturated, you get to see every detail, for better or worse. It’s all so visceral an reaction provoking. If you’re interested in learning more, I highly suggest reading her interview with Materia, where she gives a lot of insight into the whys of her work.
I was walking home from the beach this afternoon, through Badalona, when this doorway caught my eye. First, there’s something about the light, the way the trees shadows dapple along the front. Then there’s the extra elements, like the crumpled cardboard box in the bottom left corner, the red graffiti, the pop of blue sky in the top right corner. It all came together in such a beautiful way.
