I had the pleasure of working with stylist Vass Arvanitis recently for the Hair Expo in Sydney. Vass’ styling portfolio is littered with some of the most creative and emotive shoots I have ever encountered.  While most pictures are worth only 1000 words, these shoots delivered an entire saga.  Some of my favourite shots were captured by James Pipino – a great friend and collaborator to Vass, so I had to check him out for myself. Last week, I had the opportunity to chat with James about how he started his first foray into fashion photography.

A young James Pipino finished high school in 1989 and already knew he wanted to pursue photography. Driven by this dream, he relocated to New York to work as a freelance photography assistant. Working in the Big Apple, he was able to garner a wealth of experience working with talented and established photographers. James now attributes his early success to this hands-on experience with real shoots, rather than any formal training (he only completed part of his photography studies). His advice for young photographers is to assist as much as possible and learn on the job – that’s the best way to get into the industry.

James cites his inspiration from his overseas travels, especially to Milan, Paris and New York, as well as classic European films, by the Italians and the French. It’s because of these rich sources of inspiration that, whether he is photographing models, cars or motorbikes, there is always an element of elegance infused with a hint of romance, and a balance of structure and fluidity.

What does James love the most about photography?  The process of storytelling. A passion that you can clearly see in his work. James let me in on his secret: one can convey so much about the character, the clothes and the location of a photoshoot to the viewer. These components should all be taken into careful consideration when a shoot is being planned. The most emotive photos are those where the model is completely absorbed by the culture, colours and construction of the location. I can’t wait to take on his advice and apply it to my blog photos! :) To see his complete portfolio [HERE].

I hope that his beautiful images inspire your week ahead! Happy 1st of July!

[spoiler title=”中文版”]

我有幸与造型师Vass Arvanitis最近在悉尼的头发博览会工作。 Vass的造型照片都非常有创造性和感情。每张照片仿佛都包含了传奇的故事。我最喜欢的一些镜头是她与摄影师James Pipino合作的. 他是Vass的一位好朋友，因此我不得不采访他。

上周，我有机会与James 聊天，关于他怎样开始他的时尚摄影旅程。 一位年轻的James Pipino在1989年读完高中后就已经知道他想追求摄影的事业。为了追求这个梦想,他搬迁到纽约工作,作为一位摄影助理。在纽约与那么多有才华的摄影师工作，他争取了丰富的工作经验。James说他早期的成功归功于这些真正的工作经验，而不是任何正式培训（他只完成他的摄影研究的一部分）。他对年轻摄影师的建议是尽可能去协助，最好在工作中学习 – 这是进入行业最棒的方式。

James说他的灵感来自于他的出国旅行，特别从米兰，巴黎和纽约这些既摩登又浪漫的城市，也来自于经典的欧洲电影，由其是意大利和法国的影片。这是因为这些丰富的灵感来源使他的照片都带有一丝浪漫。

James喜欢摄影的哪一部分呢？他说摄影就像讲故事一样能够。你可以清楚地看到他作品中的激情。 James告诉我他的秘密：一张照片必须着重它的位置,衣服和品质。在计划拍摄时，这些组件都应该加以慎重考虑。最带有感情的照片是当那位模型完全被那地点的文化所吸收，并显示出地点的色彩和建筑的位置。请在[这里]看到他的摄影.

我希望他美丽的图片激发你的一周！ 7月1日快乐！ [/spoiler]