I’ve made some lasting friendships over the last five years of an exciting, turbulent career as an editorial fashion photographer. A few were memorable, but went as fast as they came; LA has a habit of doting on the “new and different”, and for a time, that was me […in the circle of photography I broke in]. The others have been meaningful friendships that I’m so very grateful to still have. Of them, none is as dear to me as the incredible friendship, and collaborative relationship that I have with Jasmin Rodriguez; known to internet fame as Vintage Vandalizm. On Steemit, @vintagevandalizm.
It was the summer of 2014. I’d been shooting in Los Angeles for about two years, making a name for myself as the new guy, upending the sorely mundane genre of cheesecake pinup photography. Jasmin was a buyer for Pinup Girl Clothing, the premiere vintage inspired women’s clothing line. As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, my start on the west coast came after first shooting with Doris Mayday, a model and boutique manager for Pinup Girl.
In hindsight, I’m kind of surprised we hadn’t crossed paths earlier. At a small dive club in downtown Las Vegas, Jasmin sat down next to me during a loud rockabilly show, I recognized her and introduced myself. We chatted a bit and decided that although my schedule was slammed before flying back to Minneapolis, it was worth it to try and make time for a shoot. Jasmin is a brilliant artist, she has a really unique taste in fashion, and she has an internationally recognized blog she’s been writing upwards of ten years. She also has a huge, loyal social media following. It seemed too good for either of us to pass up.
From our first shoot to our most recent […April on this past year], one of the best things I can say about Jasmin is how seriously she takes her shoots. She doesn’t shoot often, so if she agrees to working together, it’s because she genuinely feels you’re worth the time and effort […and what an effort it is]. I was awe struck when I met her at our friend Ralph’s Speakeasy in Paradise Palms, NV, looking over her outfits, coordinated to the last detail. She’s a creative powerhouse, having done her own hair and make-up, in addition to curating looks from a massive collection […I’ve seen her closets].
These photos are from that first shoot in June of 2014. I don’t think either of us knew this would be the beginning of such a prolific relationship as artists, let alone the friendship it’s become. As always, I approached our first shoot the same way I do all of my shoot. No artificial lighting or strobes. Available light only. This is the antithesis of most pinup photographers, and I feel extremely privileged to be the first to capture this unseen side of Vintage Vandalizm. There’s an esthetic that I feel was a perfect symbiosis between Jasmin’s beauty and the rawness of the time and place these images were taken, just as it all was.
We shot three looks over the two hours we were there. Many of these went on to be published in Pink Bow City and other vintage lifestyle publications. The last look was a knockout Dominatrix outfit that came close to breaking the internet […at least by our standards], taken in the Speakeasy backroom of Ralph’s gorgeous mid-century modern home. It was a finale for such a meaningful partnership and are still some of my favorite photos of our ongoing collaborations […and my portfolio, in general].
As promised in my previous post, “I’ve officially become a Steemit ambassador!”, Jasmin is joining the community here at Steemit. You can follow her now at @vintagevandalizm. She just finished a class in NYC and is back home, and she’ll be making her introduction shortly. I’m positive she’ll be an invaluable addition to the community, especially serving the women of Steemit with her signature style and east coast attitude about fashion, life and blogging. Of all the words spent on her art, taste and talents, above all, she’s one of the most sincere, intelligent, empathetic and loyal friends I’ve had the pleasure of making in my life.
All photos here were taken with a Nikon D7000, 35mm Nikkor lens. Future posts, I’ll be sharing images taken later with my upgraded DSLR body, a Nikon D750. Fortunately, there are a few more shoots in bank, all unique to their own concepts. Take a minute to visit Jasmin’s blog at www.vintagevandalizm.com and follow her on Instagram @vintagevandal.
I post daily. Follow my blog @kommienezuspadt.