Photoshoot + Interview: 'Cameo' by Vanessa Powell Photography
Isn't this fairytale-esque photoshoot by Vanessa Powell Photography simply beautiful? We love the way in which it showcases model Naomi draped in lilac silk and wandering around a spectacular secret garden.
Of today's lovely images, Vanessa explains: "[They] were photographed in a botanical garden in Vancouver, Canada in the summer of 2014. The gown the model is wearing is an original, and one of a kind. It is created from yards and yards of luscious pink satin and was so incredibly beautiful that I couldn't bear to change my model out of it once we started shooting. I love the femininity and decadence of the gown within the garden setting."
Vanessa is a talented photographer based in Mat-Su Valley who (much like us) is "drawn to images that speak of story and of the subject being immersed in nature."
We're very excited to be able to bring you an exclusive interview with the celebrated photographer and hope you find her answers below as inspiring as we did!
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Q: When did your love of photography first blossom?A: It feels like I have loved photography for most if not all of my life. Like most kids, I was entranced at seeing an image of myself as a baby and that love for nostalgia and memory quickly translated into me picking up my parents' Polaroid and firing away at most anything I could find. As I grew, my love of the camera grew and I photographed myself, my friends, and just about anything that would sit still for a moment throughout high school. My camera has always been my constant companion, and while art history called to me in college, it was the camera that came knocking again after I graduated and it is still the camera that beckons me to tell the stories I want to share.
Q: What inspires your creativity the most?A: I have always drawn most deeply from my love of literature and the fantastical worlds of fairy tales and fables. The illustrations in my books were probably the first tried and true inspirations. The works of Arthur Rackham and Alphonse Mucha in particular drew my eye again and again. The natural world too, the forest in particular and the edges of just about everything; pathways, shorelines, docks and ditches, I frequented those areas with the imagination of an only child and would climb steep and rocky hills or sap-covered trees, just to get to a high vantage and daydream.
Q: Please tell us a little more about the process of your beautiful photo shoot, 'Cameo'?A: I traveled to Vancouver, BC for a visit with friends last summer. While there, I wanted to explore the forests and water of the area. My friend Cynthia indulged my every whim and out we went for three full days of photographing the beauty of the area. I had read about Vancouver's botanical gardens. In particular, one that had a hedge maze. As any lover of fairy tales knows, there was no way I could pass up seeing that beauty! And so with a creative team and a luscious beauty of a dress and model, away we went to play in the maze. As it turned out, the botanical gardens themselves were much more than the maze. The textures, colors, light and fragrance was fantastic and inspiring, and it was these sensory details that lead to the photographs for Cameo. A story of exploration, immersion, rapture and beauty.
Q: What does an average day in the life of Vanessa involve?A: Oh my. Well, it depends on when you catch me! When I am not traipsing around in the forests of Alaska, where I was born, raised, and now live, I am playing superhero as an elementary school teacher. I've been teaching for nearly 18 years and spend long, cold winters passing the time with about 30 ten and eleven year olds. But when the summer hits, my creativity explodes in waves of excitement. I am nearly as busy in the summer as I am in the winter, just in different ways. I own and operate a photography business and I also photograph conceptual and fashion work. I'm a bit of an over achiever, which is probably a good thing given the way I push my boundaries. But I wouldn't really want it any other way, and I can't imagine living life without being busy and active.
Q: What do you hope to achieve with your photography in the not-too-distant future; Do you have any exciting, upcoming plans that you would like to share with us?A: This summer I'll be traveling to Colorado to attend a workshop with Cig Harvey. I am SO excited, and SO ready! My hope is that the workshop will help me to develop my work into a cohesive body with the goal of producing an art book of current and upcoming work. It's been a childhood dream of mine to author a book, and doing so with photographs seems to be the perfect voice. I'll be traveling to Iceland in May for what is sure to be an epic road trip with my husband of 20 years. While we are there I hope to pull some local models for a few shoots in the glorious Icelandic landscape, and also settle into a fishing village or two to nurture some photo series ideas I have about the heartbeats of tiny towns. As always, my head is buzzing with ideas and wonderings. Just the way I like it.
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We want to thank Vanessa for taking the time to answer our questions and we hope you view more of her wonderful work by visiting her website or following along on Facebook and Instagram. Enjoy!
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Full credits: Photographer: Vanessa Powell Photography | Model: Naomi West | Hair / MUA: Spencer Stump | Wardrobe: Carla Pedersen