Photography

Reese With Her Camera

Tyinghe Fleming—creatively known as Reese—has been loved for her poetry, music and filmmaking for years. Last year, Reese decided to expand these creative talents even further to now include photography.

“I already had a camera and I would just take random pictures and not really take it seriously until people started telling me that I had an eye for it. I realized that photography was not about the camera or anything else, it’s really just about the photographer and what they do what they’re eye, and that made me get into it—wanting to make more than just a picture, wanting to make art, wanting to make people feel more when they look at a picture.”
Reese

Reese shoots using both a digital and film camera, but all of her photographs are editorial, meaning that they look like they came straight from a magazine. Reese explained this approach by saying “I don’t have an overall message, but I’m always just trying to show brown people in the most beautiful states. I try to find a location that best represents the person I’m shooting, and I try to give them the best outfit for it and everything to really just highlight them looking beautiful because we’re just such beautiful people. If I had an overall message it would just be that we’re beautiful, we’re out here and we can be professional. These are professional shots because I want to make Black kids look professional, look magazine worthy because they are.”

When first beginning her photography journey, Reese found it difficult to find people to shoot and was often discouraged by her lack of expensive equipment. However, as she has continued to work, she found this struggle to really be helpful because it has shown her how much she can do with so little. Now, she is inspired to continue to work that much harder so that she can eventually afford the equipment she wants to make even better art. To other aspiring artists, she said “Look at how much you can do with nothing. Imagine how much you’ll be able to do with something.”

Reese explained that her favorite pictures are those which allow for viewers to feel like they are right next to the person being captured. She said, “I had this one picture, and she was actually one of my last photoshoots in New York this summer. The girl she is wearing euphoria-style makeup, and I’m studying right in front of her and you can see the lighting and you can see the definition of her curls and in her eye you can actually see me taking the photo. I’d say that all of my favorite pictures come from this summer because I have grown tremendously and really started to take it seriously.”

“Another favorite I have is with this guy from Atlanta, his name is Antione. In one of the shots he’s standing in front of the Brooklyn Bridge and he has is hands up covering his face and you can see the shadows on his face but the rest of him is well lit and the bridge is right behind him. You can see the detail of the whole city behind him. The other one, he’s holding himself up on this gate and he’s holding a scarf in front of his face, and you can see his face very clearly under the scarf but the scarf highlights colors on his face.”

Shot by Reese
Shot by Reese

In the future, Reese plans to move to Europe to open up her own studio and event space, where she will shoot her own projects and also allow other creatives to work on they projects. As a film major at Howard University, Reese also plans to direct moves centered around coming of age stories for brown kids.

You can see more of her photography by following her on Instagram @reeseshotit and @reesewitherblunt.

For Aliens and People Who Feel Like Aliens

“This could have happened to anybody, but the fact that this happened to me in the era of communication—in this time where email, phone, text, social media and we’re all connected and we’re all together. Maybe this was the perfect time to make clothes for aliens or for people who feel like aliens. They had no way of contacting or speaking about it before, but now in the privacy of their own home and in the comfort of your own home, you can be like ‘wow this person gets me and I can wear this clothing and I can feel good about myself.'”
Monique Charlie Petrovsky

Clothing designer, Monique Charlie Petrovsky, is the creative behind the eccentric up-and-coming brand, Remordur. Based in Los Angeles, Remordur, is dedicated to creating unique pieces that speak to the individual. However, the “individual,” may not be who you suspect. Petrovsky’s most frequent customers are Remordians, who, according to Petrovsky, are beings from another galaxy, living on planet Remordur.

“I am under the impression that I am being told by–and I don’t know maybe they’re gods or who knows who they are–people or beings from Remordur, what to create to make beings from their planet more comfortable here on our planet” says Petrovsky.

Unlike other artists who gain their inspiration from life experiences, Petrovsky says that she receives all of her design ideas from the Remordians themselves. Sometimes this can be frustrating because her creative process moves more slowly than the creatives she knows who are able to create from seemingly anything. But, Petrovsky is also thankful for the messages because they allow her to understand exactly what the Remordians need.

After receiving her design ideas, Petrovsky ventures to old junkyards looking for recycled materials like old army bags, belt buckles and chains that she uses to create jackets, pants, etc. When she finishes designing, Petrovsky waits for a Remordian to come pick up the clothing and they take pictures.

However, Petrovsky does not receive any monetary compensation for her work as she claims, “I wouldn’t be true to my art, I wouldn’t be true to my design. I wouldn’t be true to Remordur and what I really believe Remordur is if I asked people to pay for the clothing. Because, really, money and payment, that’s all human, and even though I’m human, it’s not Remordur.”

It can be difficult to run a brand like this. Petrovsky is the only person she knows who receives these messages. This can make it difficult for her to know exactly what to do next, making this entire venture an ongoing learning process. She remains inspired because her goal is not only to create clothing, but to produce an accepting space for some of the most misunderstood groups.

“It’s not for everybody, obviously…It is for the few people who do come to me and completely and immediately understand the vision. And maybe they are human, but there is something in them that doesn’t feel human, and I speak to that something, that little alien in everybody,” explains Petrovsky.

Petrovsky has plans of expanding Remordur into an entire lifestyle brand, with Remordur-oriented beauty salons, hotels, and a Remordur modeling agency.

Her designs, and more information about Remordur, can be found on Instagram (@remordur) and on www.remordur.com.

View some of Monique Charlie Petrovsky’s work below:

Patience, As An Art Form

“The biggest thing is to be patient. If you’re not patient then your true self will not be able to come out…You can’t jump into things because when you start jumping into different things and doing all the big things at once, you’re going to become frustrated with yourself. Be patient with your work. You’re going to be great in the end. It takes people different amounts of time to get to where they want. Do your own thing and take your time.”
Wickramasinghe

Ayathma Wickramasinghe has learned to be patient with herself and her work in an effort to create the most fulfilling an inspiring art that she can.

Wickramasinghe is a film-photographer from Sri Lanka. She began shooting two years ago, alongside her boyfriend. Through her photography, Wickramasinghe has found a true sense of purpose, and, she believes that her art can create real, lasting influence.

“I did a self-love project with my friend Tati. It was very personal because she was able to tell me about herself and her past and it gave me better insight. I got to capture her at her weakest moment, and now, she’s grown into a beautiful woman. That’s amazing. What was great about that shoot was that afterward she was able to see how truly beautiful she was and she no longer looked at herself in the same inferior way,” explained Wickramasinghe about one of her recent projects.

Wickramasinghe has had to overcome many obstacles to continue to create. Chief among these problems: money. A lot of aspiring artists are unpaid for their work simply because they do not have the same recognition as other artists to demand fair compensation.

“Money is the biggest obstacle. Buying cameras and film is so expensive and a lot of people don’t want to pay me. If money wasn’t a hassle I’d just go all out,” said Wickramasinghe.

Nevertheless, Wickramasinghe has remained dedicated to her craft. In the future, she hopes to photograph models at talent agencies. For now, she continues to create using all of her resources to the best of her ability.

“When asked how she wants her work to be viewed, Wickramasinghe responded “I want them to feel something. I want them to feel nostalgic, or happy, or sad, or empowered. Just something. I want them to see something ugly become something beautiful.”

View some of Wickramasinghe’s photography below: