Posts tagged photography
Style Shots—Classic Menswear Fall Edition
Photography by: Swabreen Bakr
I caught up with David P. Lochner over at one of the best vintage shops that caters exclusively to men, Briar Vintage in Old City, Philadelphia. Love the fur detailing on his coat and the textured socks. As always with menswear it’s fun to see what details are emphasized with the color schemes, in this case the yellow pocket square pulling out the yellow in the plaid pants was a great touch.
Dear, New York
Photography & Words by: Swabreen Bakr
Every time I visit NYC I come back feeling really inspired, it really is a city unlike any other. The energy, the scenery… every corner looks like it could be a movie set. I spent a day roaming around the Meatpacking District, SoHo and TriBeCa last week and I’m excited to go back and check out some of the other neighborhoods that I haven’t been to yet.
In this set some scenes from the Meatpacking District, in addition to the High Line park there is an awesome high-end shopping scene here, Christian Louboutin recently opened his first men’s shoe store here, it comes equipped with a tattoo parlor!
There are some really great food to have in this area, the High Line features some affordable dining options serving up hot dogs, tacos, burgers, popsicles and coffee. The Chelsea Market has a fantastic series of restaurants and coffee shops, it reminds me of Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market. The Standard hotel has a beer garden and across from that is an awesome food and fashion pop-up market called UrbanSpace.
Roaming around here was super fun, and a nice way to spend a couple of hours. Shopping, walking and eating, it doesn’t get any better!
The Scene: The Brooklyn Circus—Philadelphia Pop-up shop at Art in the Age
Photography & Words by Swabreen Bakr
As part of The Philadelphia Collection, Art in the Age is hosting a pop-up shop this weekend with New York-based menswear brand The Brooklyn Circus. I was very excited to attend this event as this is a brand that I think could inspire a lot of the local fashion brands we have here in Philadelphia.
The Brooklyn Circus is a great case study in how to tell a story and portray a lifestyle. Even though their product is seeped in Americana, it’s sold and worn across the world. They portray a lifestyle that men from Brooklyn to Tokyo to Copenhagen want to be a part of; that is really powerful and something to really take into account when developing a brand. The storytelling and visuals have to be aspirational and compelling enough to transcend borders and cultures. We’ll elaborate on this branding message with our upcoming interview with The Bearded Man himself, Ouigi Theodore.
The goal of The Brooklyn Circus brand is to create garments that will last a lifetime, this plays into their 100 Year Plan. They don’t want to create waste like most fast casual fashion does, these garments are meant to be passed on to future generations and stand the test of time. As a brand they don’t follow trends, but since fashion is cyclical sometimes the trends come back around to catch up with them. Last fall for example we saw a revived interest in varsity apparel.
With so much of American culture being about the here and the now, it’s nice to have a brand whose point of view is about investment pieces and longevity, and the quality of their garments can be definitely be felt.
Head over to Art in the Age on 116 North 3rd Street in Old City to grab some gear! The pop-up expires tomorrow, Sunday September 16th at 6 p.m.
Check out more photos from the pop-up after the jump.
Dear, New York
Photography & Words by Swabreen Bakr
I think it was over a year since I had last visited NYC, I never really spent a lot of time in Manhattan when I went there since most of my friends live in the other boroughs, mainly Brooklyn. But this time around I stayed with my family on the Upper East Side on 2nd Ave and got to experience a different side of the city. After spending three days there I have a better understanding of why artists flock there, inspiration is everywhere! From the architecture, to the window displays, to the crowds of people, and yellow cabs zipping by like bees, it was an amazing experience.
At the Guggenheim museum I was really inspired by the portrait photography of Rineke Dijkstra. The way how she elevated her subjects from their humble surroundings and managed to capture subtle and honest expressions in their faces and eyes was really something.
People always say NYC is one of the greatest cities on earth, when you go there and take in everything it has to offer in terms of culture, fashion, architecture, food, entertainment, and so on, it is really incredible that you can find so much excellence on one tiny island.
Fifth Avenue was ripe with inspiration, all the high end retail stores put on amazing visual displays that chipped into or were layered over the existing architecture on the buildings they lived in. The Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama window display was amazing! Her signature dots made the building a stand out from miles away. The scale of things in the city always impresses me, Saks Fifth Avenue boasted of over 10,022 additional sq. feet for their shoes showroom! Each shoe that was in their window display was a work of art of its own. Diesel showcased their edginess by having their signature graphic logo chipped into the building itself, and gave it some pizzaz with a glitter effect. Every one is vying for attention so to see things rendered on such a grand scale was really awe inspiring.
The Interview: Photographer Neal Santos
Photography by Swabreen Bakr
Neal Santos works as the Chief Photographer for City Paper. His style caught my eye over the summer with a series of photographs from a piece penned by Drew Lazor about the impending explosion of ramen in Philadelphia. His photos have a very clean aesthetic featuring a fantastic use of light and color, as well as strong compositions and styling.
Photo by Neal Santos
He shot another series that I was really impressed with featuring Chef Chris Kearse of the newly opened Will BYOB on East Passyunk Ave. Neal’s photos have a fine art aesthetic that I really appreciate, and it’s a style that really mixes well with the stories his work is usually attached to.
Photo by Neal Santos
As with most Philadelphia Creatives, Neal is also involved in another project that he is passionate about; Farm 51 in West Philadelphia is run by him and his partner Andrew.
I’m the lucky bastard that gets to grow food and document it professionally in a city that I love.
I went to visit this amazing project last week and spoke to Neal about working as photographer, what it’s like to run an urban farm, and how it impacts the neighborhood he lives in.
The Interview: Artist Dewey Saunders
Photography by Swabreen Bakr
Young creatives these days are multi-taskers, they’re not defined by one job alone, some might be working two or three jobs at once. They’ve got the one job that pays the bills and the other job(s) that fulfill their passion. It’s been said a lot lately that the jobs millennials take aren’t defined solely by income potential, but by happiness and how creative and personally fulfilling it allows them to be. I find that mindset to be pretty accurate among the Philadelphia Creatives that I’ve profiled so far.
I came across Dewey Saunders work on Instagram a few months ago. He was posting previews for an art show called Indian Summer. A bright collection of work that combined painting, pencil sketches and collages made from vintage photographs. The work had a beautiful and bright quality to it; loose lines created a nice flow in each piece.
I didn’t make it to his show on opening night but I went the next day, and was really impressed by what I saw. Dewey designs album covers, makes music and is the creative director of Bold New Breed, an independent record label-slash-creative collaborative for artists, musicians and cinematographers.
I visited his home in South Philly for our photo shoot and to get to know more about the process behind his work.
How did you develop your artistic style? Who or what inspires you?
I have many styles and I am inspired by David Hockney, I really enjoy John Baldessari, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Leonard Baskin, Ben Shan and Van Gogh. I am also inspired by my collections of printed matter, vintage ephemera and old publications. I archive my findings and collages on the Humble Wonder tumblr.
The Interview: Artist Shawn Hileman
Photography: Swabreen Bakr
We visited Shawn Hileman at Masthead Print Studio in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia to talk to him about life as a freelancer, and hear what advice he has for those of you who aspire to be freelance artists. Shawn has designed posters for artists like Norah Jones, Foster the People, Ting Tings, Beirut, among others.
Check out Shawn’s work this Friday 7/13 at studio:christensen
A retrospective of work from the curators at Masthead Print Studio. Shawn Hileman, JP Flexner and James Heimer will coat the walls of studio:christensen with some of their latest posters and art prints.
333 South 20th street, Philadelphia
7-10 P.M.
What’s the story behind Masthead studio and what were your goals for it?
Masthead started just as a studio and then my buddy, JP Flexner, suggested we do a show in the space. That kind of lead to doing more and more events. Now I have a show once a month. It’s a lot of work but super rewarding. The main goal of the space is to teach people about screenprinting and that you can get affordable art.
Los Viejos de Argentina
Photography by Saki
Saki is currently in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I love these candid street photography portraits of old men around the city. There’s something about how she captured these specific moments of their lives, perhaps they stand out more since in America we’re more used to seeing people preoccupied with devices in their hands rather than newspapers.
Follow her on instagram @sakiwaki to see more of her shots from Argentina.
High in the Sky
A dramatic look up at Philly’s skyline.
Photography by: Swabreen Bakr
Philadelphia has a rich architectural history, you can find anything from classical Grecian to Art Deco buildings across the city. The buildings clustered in the downtown area show the emerging power of the business district, anchored by a majestic glass beacon; the Comcast Center tower, and Liberty Towers I & II. Older brick buildings hold down the forth for the city’s rich architectural heritage. One of the joys of living in Philadelphia is seeing American history reflected on some of these buildings.
