Inner Projection

This is my first post about an entire editorial. I shot it months ago, but not long after my arrival to New York City as a permanent resident.

If you've followed me on other forms of social media since April or May, you have seen my complaints about not working, not shooting, feeling as though I had wasted my time moving. I had assisted, my now good friend, and amazingly talented stylist, Ani on a few shoots. I also worked on and assisted shoots with my good friend, Lisbeth, another amazingly talented stylist. However, when you're used to being top dog and working on big projects, that's what you do and nothing less. After a while, a photographer I have worked with before, Tak (HT Pixels) contacted me to shoot two editorials. When he presented the concepts, I immediately dismissed one, it was a little boring for my taste. I love finery, beauty, glamour, and drama. One of the stories was quite the opposite.

Both stories were for Z!NK Magazine, I acquired the information through working with another photographer (another story for another day, but most likely in person).

The idea behind this particular story was inspired by an old Gucci campaign where they projected different vanities around the models in the scene. The story started off as just very simple wardrobe, by which I mean, flirty minimalist designed dresses, with maximalist ideas. For that inspiration, Tak sent over Dolce and Gabbana inspiration. However, one thing I'm know for is taking a look at a mood board, saying screw it, and doing what I want. I don't know if that's always the best thing, but that's been me all my life. Again, another story, but most likely we should talk about that in person.

My thought process after I saw the shoot, immediately shifted because I had seen The Great Gatsby. I had read the book prior to, but it had been a while. The movie reinvigorated my inspiration for the shoot because I was drawing a complete blank. I was immediately researching the glamour of Gatsby. I wanted to recreate the luxury and nonchalance of those society women, but mix it with a noir edge. I'm completely obsessed with all things sexy, maybe one of the reasons I count prostitutes as a source of inspiration. 

When I began pulling I constructed a list of about 50 showrooms that I wanted to pull from, but only ended up pulling from 27, and ended up with around 34 different brands on my shoot. That was a world away from my last serious shooting, where I had pulled from maybe 5 or 6 designers and my racks weren't even full. 

The outcome was a 6 page spread for the Fall Fashion Issue of Zink Magazine featuring brands that I've long admired. Here are a few of the images, you can always go to my website, http://raymondgee.com, and let me know what you think.

(Amanda in Helen Yarmak, Houghton Brandon Sun, and Emm Kuo)

[Clara(L) in Mathieu Mirano, Helen Yarmak, and Charlotte Olympia; Amanda (R) in Helen Yarmak, Brandon Sun, and United Nude]

I want to take a moment to thank my team. They were amazing, every last one of them, seeing that we did two shoots that day, and this was the latter shoot. They all worked extremely hard during this shoot and I feel that we had an amazing product, one that I'm quite proud to include in my portfolio.

Photography: HT Pixels

Hair: Kia Sterling

Makeup: Maria Ortega

Styling Assistants: Rachel Addison and Angelina Scantlebury

Models: Amanda @ Major & Clara @ Fenton Moon

Pick Me Up Written On The Ride To My Annoying Part Time Job

Fashion is arguably one of the most mentally detrimental fields to work in.

Working in fashion you will doubt yourself a billion times before you “make it” and a million times once you have. Many people in the fashion industry turn to drug, alcohol, or a combination of the both to numb themselves from the detriments that this industry will inevitably impose on every person who enters its embrace.

I myself could be at the highest of highs and am always one cancellation, or one email with bad images from literally becoming depressed and doubtful.

Oftentimes I am not the biggest fan of my own work. I work at it and work at it and look at these amazing inspiration images, gather a talented team, and I can NEVER create the type of imagery that I feel equates to where I want to be as a stylist. See this quote below:

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. BUT THERE IS THIS GAP. For the first couple years you make stuff it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good. BUT IT’S NOT. It has potential. But your taste,  the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. AND YOUR TASTE IS WHY YOUR WORK DISAPPOINTS YOU.  A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn't have this SPECIAL THING that we want it to have. You gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is a LOT OF WORK. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story, it is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap. And your work will be as good as your ambitions” – Ira Glass

I don’t know Ira, but thank you very much for that quote. I’m glad to have that to refer to on days like this when compared to another stylist I feel incompetent and untalented.  When you see someone who is doing what you want to do and they are accessible to you it’s difficult to humble yourself to understand that it’s okay, everything takes time. I have only been in New York for 3 months and I have worked on some incredible projects so more than anything I should be grateful. And I am, but I have been styling for 3 years…. But not consistently and not in New York. I just want to be AMAZING and I’m not yet. Not to me….not where I feel I am equal in talent to someone I meet on the street. I need to work harder at this, do more research, invest more time in learning collections and networking in person versus networking online. One day I’ll reach that point. Today isn't that day.

Curated images from my inspiration folder.