Feature Friday: 'Snow Queen' by Art Around Photography + Interview
Last week we featured a stunning, fairy-inspired series on the blog by the talented Julia Ciavaglia of Art Around Photography, and today we are showcasing her ethereal Snow Queen photo shoot!
Luckily for us, Julia has even agreed to answer some questions to shed even more light on her photography, including her planning process, inspiration, and dreams for the future.
Q: When did your love of photography first blossom?
A: I was always a creative person and used to draw on the walls in my parent’s house as a toddler. So, I guess I was always looking for a visual language to communicate my ideas to the rest of the world. Currently I’m studying a Bachelor of Creative Arts at Deakin University and working as a freelance photographer; I love the creative process behind my work and studies. The best part of being a photographer is that I can express my ideas and my creativity with this magical device called a camera.
Q: What inspires your creativity the most?
A: My inspiration comes from the different things I experience each day; sometimes after watching a movie or a music video, looking at the photographs of my favourite photographers, such as Gregory Crewdson and Annie Leibovitz. Most often the ideas come to me at night just before falling asleep; I see these colourful concepts, ready to be photographed. I have to try to keep the images in my head until morning or have to jump out of the bed and quickly draw diagrams of the images.
Q: Please tell us more about the experience you had whilst planning and capturing these gorgeous images?
A: The Snow Queen series was originally planned for a Christmas editorial in an Australian Russian Magazine. As people in Russia experience white winter, me and the stylist decided to recreate a winter scene under the hot Australian sun by using special effects such as dry ice and a smoke machine.
Everything was meticulously planned beforehand and a lot of people worked on this shoot. We had an amazing make-up artist on board, who made our model look like her face is covered with icicles and snow. Our florist created a realistic winter backdrop with flowers and decorated bowls with flowers, which were filled with dry ice and water to create the steamy cold effect seen in the photos.
We had a lot fun during this shoot, trying to make the ice melt and steam, and dealing with a local ranger who thought we were planing on burning down the forest. We also have an amazing backstage and promo video of the shoot made by a professional videographer.
Q: What does an average day in the life of Julia look like?
A: A lot of communication and collaboration with other creatives, planning for my next shoots, sourcing props and clothing from op. shops and long sleepless nights processing and editing the photographs.
Q: What do you hope to achieve with your photography in the not-too-distant future; Do you have any upcoming plans that you would like to share with us?
A: There are still a lot of concepts I haven't had time to bring to life, so in the future I plan more collaborations with creative people and plenty more photoshoots!
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I want to thank Julia for taking the time to shed some more light on her wonderful series and encourage you to check out more of Julia’s stunning photography by visiting her website, Facebook page, or following along on Instagram. Enjoy!
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Full credits: MODEL: Natalia Demir | PHOTOGRAPHER: Julia Ciavaglia / Art Around Photography | VIDEO: Bruce Gil | HMUA: Eevie O’Shea | STYLIST: Oksana Alieksieieva | DRESS: Blinova Bridal | FLORIST: Mizami Flowers.