“I’m a fashion photographer based in East London. Originally from Canada, I moved here to pursue photography more seriously, hoping that one day it would pay the bills. I’d describe my work as low – often zero – budget, high-quality, aesthetically pleasing, and narrative-forward. I’m all about telling a story through lighting and styling. To me, those are the two most important elements in fashion photography, because they’re what truly separates strong imagery from weak.
The concept behind this shoot, titled Just Girls, was simple: create an editorial that highlights older women in a way we usually only see Gen Z depicted. From there, the hardest part was building a team. I didn’t know a single creative in London, so I started cold DMing and emailing people whose work I admired. Thankfully, some incredibly talented folks were kind enough to lend their time, and after months of searching, I found the team that brought this vision to life. As a full-time waiter, I’m usually working with little to no budget on personal projects. But for this shoot, I invested a bit – paying for the location, feeding the crew, and renting some key gear. I wanted the images to feel like they were snapped by an invisible third friend tagging along on the night – candid, but still elevated. The single-flash setup helped create that illusion without compromising on image quality.
There are so many artists who influence me, both creatively and personally. Right now, I’m especially inspired by Petra Collins – fellow Canadian! – Elizaveta Porodina, and Szilveszter Mako. Each of them has such a unique, instantly recognisable style, which is what I’m working toward for myself. That’s the dream: to create work that people can spot a mile away and know it’s mine.” – Simon Pella
