How did you get into fashion photography?
My mom is a photographer so I’ve been surrounded by the language of images and light since I was a
child growing up in Beijing and then in the US. I flirted briefly with modeling when I was younger, but I
was awkward in front of a camera, and I was always more curious about what was happening on the
other side of the lens. Several years ago, my mom was offloading some old camera equipment, and I
decided to take some and give photography a try. I was immediately hooked.
How would you define your style?
It’s probably a misnomer to call me a fashion photographer because I’m more interested in people than in
clothing. I don’t really follow fashion trends, and I’m not drawn to glamor. The question for me is always
how do the clothes or the space or the light help me to understand the person in front of my lens. In that
sense, my style probably gravitates more toward portraiture. Last year, I had my first gallery exhibition,
and recently, I contracted with an art gallery to represent my fine art and portrait work on a more
permanent basis.
I have also shot for a number of local designers, and I do enjoy the collaboration and creativity of styled
shoots. Some of my favorite designers have told me their goal is to make clothing that helps the person
wearing it tell the story they want or need to tell. In that sense, my goal in photography is similar to a
designer’s but we use different tools. Peter Lindbergh said this in an interview published in his last
collection Untold Stories: “Fashion photography’s purpose is not primarily to show fashion. Instead,
fashion photography is its own cultural contribution, in the same way that fashion is.” That idea really
resonates with me.
Do you have a favourite shoot to date you can tell us about?
I really loved the shoot with Jocelyne that’s published in this issue. It was my first shoot of 2021, and I
couldn’t have asked for a better team. Also, this year, I decided that I want to start every shoot with no
makeup and, if possible, with only natural light. There is a real intimacy and honesty in that kind of
photograph, and it takes a certain amount of courage on the part of both the model and the photographer
to embark on this kind of shoot. Most of the images in this series are from this first set. I just had my
makeup artist, Sarah, apply a touch of gloss to the highlight areas, and we shot in the lobby of my studio,
where there’s a lot of good light through the windows. I think we were able to capture the rawness and
authenticity we were aiming for. It was also a treat to work with a model as naturally gifted as Jocelyne.
This was, I believe, only her first or second shoot, and she blew us all away.
Do you prefer studio or location shoots?
For a long time, I could not afford a studio of my own, so I shot mostly on location. When I got my own studio a year and a half ago, I was so excited and only shot with strobes in studio for a long time. Now, I’ve gravitated back to natural light. I hope to get back to more location shoots this coming year and hopefully do some traveling.
What's your go to equipment?
I shoot with two Canon 5D Mark IV bodies. My most used lenses are my 100mm 2.8 and my 24-70mm 2.8. I’m not much of a gearhead. I love my Mark IVs, and I’m sticking with them as long as they hold up.
Who are some of your favourite other photographers (past or present)?
My primary inspiration is Peter Lindbergh. There is an emotional power in his photographs that draws me back repeatedly. I don’t have any formal education in photography, so I study his photographs and interviews like a textbook. I also love Paolo Roversi’s work. My training is in Victorian literature and culture, and a lot of Roversi’s photographs remind me of the work of nineteenth-century photographers like Julia Margaret Cameron and Charles Dodgson. At the same time, as a middle-aged, Asian woman, I’m also keenly aware that my photographic idols are mostly white men. I think my interest in photographers like Lindbergh and Roversi is partly driven by a need to understand why the male gaze has so dominated fashion photography and, relatedly, how my perspective can fit into this history.
What's your favourite kind of lighting setup?
Currently, I like hard sunlight best, preferably diffused through a large window with multiple panes. In the studio, I shoot a lot with a bare bulb. I also use my 22” beauty dish quite a bit. I like one-light setups with judicious use of flags and negative fill.
What is the fashion photography scene like in Philadelphia?
The Philadelphia fashion scene is small, compared to other major cies. We exist in the shadow of New York City, which is only a couple hours away. The smallness has its good and bad sides: good because everyone knows everyone; bad because everyone knows everyone. My Philadelphia studio will always feel comfortable and homey to me, but this year, I’m renng some studio space in New York and am hoping to stretch my wings a bit.
View Shanyn’s website here:
www.shanynfiskephotography.com
Instagram:
@shanynfiske