LCF News spoke to BA (Hons) Fashion Photography students Eivind Hansen and Adam Oei recently for our Class of 2016 series and they told us about their final projects for LCFBA16.
Eivind and Adam spoke about their photography techniques, told us why they enjoyed studying at LCF and shared with us their inspirations, which are quite similar despite their work being rather different.
Photography by Adam Oei
Where are you from?
Eivind: Tromsø, Norway
Adam: Singapore
Photography by Eivind Hansen
Give us one interesting fact about yourself…
Eivind: I’m a former circus artist and instructor.
Adam: I did computer science in college back at home and was in the military for 2 years before attending this course at LCF.
Photography by Adam Oei
Talk us through your final project, what is the story behind it?
Eivind: I’m doing a fashion film documentary on my sister’s Norwegian Fashion brand, WayaWaya. The brand, based in Zambia, works to provide opportunities to vulnerable women through job creation. For almost three months I’ve been visiting Livingstone in Zambia, to work on my final major project. I chose to focus on WayaWaya because I have been a part of the brand since its creation and it felt natural.
Adam: My final project is a moving image sequence about the journey and rebirth of the self, using fashion imagery and still life as a vehicle for the narrative. It has a rather personal story behind it, but all I would say is that it is a tribute to my lovely mother.
- Photography by Eivind Hansen
- Photography by Eivind Hansen
What do you love about what you do?
Eivind: This project has given me a chance to explore a more ethical side of fashion. Trusting that this adventure could improve people lives. The results have proven to be very rewarding.
Adam: I love the fact I get to meet and work with many different creatives in creating fashion imagery, and learn about their areas of expertise in the process.
Photography by Adam Oei
What techniques or theories did you use to create your final piece of work?
Eivind: I was filming at my sister’s workshop for an extended period of time. This enabled me to gain enough confidence and trust from the women that worked there and I didn’t have to worry about them feeling uncomfortable in the presence of the camera.
I had a lot of time to experiment using my DSLR as a video camera, exploring different approaches and experimenting with various lenses by playing around with depth of field. The biggest challenge was familiarising myself with video editing – making sure I was critical towards my own footage to make a proper edit.
Adam: I created my final project based on a different format to the traditional print, applying an unconventional merger of film and still image theory to create a digital moving image sequence.
Photography by Eivind Hansen
What’s the best thing about LCF?
Eivind: Probably the diversity of courses one can study. Which also opens up the possibility of cross-course collaborations between students.
Adam: I have to say its probably the marble cake at the Lime Grove canteen.
Photography by Adam Oei
What’s the best thing about your course?
Eivind: They always seek to make improvements. I can see aspects of the course are much improved since I started and the current first years are benefiting, which is great. Even alumni that I have spoken to say the same. It is clear that those who run the course take feedback and act on it.
Adam: I think its the variety of expertise in the teaching team, from fine art to traditional photography to contemporary digital imagery – they all know so much and they have provided invaluable guidance to me in my years in LCF. Also, the diversity in photographic styles of the cohort has also coloured my experience throughout the years, as its been great to see how others work.
Have you won any prizes?
Eivind: No but one of my fanzines was selected to become part of the permanent archive at the LCF library.
Adam: I won the CPL Aroma photography award in 2014.
Photography by Eivind Hansen
Have you undertaken any work experience or done a placement whilst at LCF? Where and how did you secure this work experience or placement?
Eivind: No. I was lucky to collaborate with Cadogan Estates in Chelsea on a project though. We worked in groups to make visual pitches towards reviving some of the area owned by Cadogan. It was a fun experience.
What did you learn on the project?
Eivind: Our project was about teamwork and making an actual industry pitch to a client. I think we were all able to get a glimpse of what pitching, planning and presentations are like in the real world.
Photography by Adam Oei
Have you met or been inspired by any speakers from the industry whilst at LCF?
Eivind: I think the most influential people we’ve been lucky to work with on our course were Walter Hugo and Philip Scurrah, who saw us through on two different term projects. (Fashion Spreads & Fashion Film).
Adam: I missed my chance to attend Nick Knight’s talk 2 years ago but I did managed to attend a private talk by Miles Aldridge at Sothebys, where I got a chance to speak with him and learn about his process, that was a very inspiring moment.
Describe your work in a few words
Eivind: Sharp, vibrant, statuesque, detailed with depth
Adam: Odd, stylised and abstract world.
Photography by Eivind Hansen
Do you have a muse? If so, who and why?
Eivind: I’ve always had beautiful friends that I love taking pictures of – I’ve never had to rely on the model agencies. The one who comes the closest to being a muse is my friend Ranny who does illustration at LCF. Every time we’ve shot together she’s never had any problems taking direction and she never takes herself too seriously. That removes so many barriers that usually occur between a photographer and model when they don’t know each other.
Adam: Linda Evangelista. I find her look absolute striking, not to mention all her awe-inspiring work over the past 3 decades.
What inspires you?
Eivind: Cinematography, I love playing around with narratives in my work and I often draw inspiration from surrealistic horror, fantasy movies or music videos
Adam: I think cinema inspires me the most, along with other things such as art and music.
Photography by Eivind Hansen
Where do you want to be in your career in five years’ time?
Eivind: I would love to explore moving image more but right now, after I graduate, I want to get some work experience. I wouldn’t mind doing some assisting here and there for a couple of years. But I’ve been thinking a lot about doing a Masters degree in film.
Adam: I hope I can be working professionally on my own and shoot for magazines like Numero, V magazine, LOVE or DAZED.
How do you think your course and LCF will help you achieve your plans?
Eivind: By returning to LCF and to my previous teachers to get some support after my graduation.
Adam: I have definitely learned a lot and grown since the day I stepped into LCF and it has helped me build a stronger foundation in my thought process as an artist, which I’ll apply when I enter the industry to achieve my goals.
Photography by Eivind Hansen
What advice would you give to someone wanting to study your course?
Eivind: Prepare yourself for doing a lot of academic work, but don’t forget to make friends on the way as well. Some of my best friendships have been made through connections made at LCF. I’m quite thankful for that.
Adam: Don’t stop shooting and constantly create projects for yourself. In this process you will discover more about who you are as a photographer and also build an extensive portfolio; not to forget that fashion photography is a collaborative process, so it will also help you learn how to work with a team. It is very dynamic.