Artistic Spotlight - Kitty Gallannaugh

Kitty, a 21 year old portrait and fashion photographer from London, England, began photography early on. As she states, "Part of me has forever been photographing, as a kid I would just casually photograph everything I saw whether it was through the car window, my socks or my family. By 13 I got into digital photography and taught myself how to edit with Photoshop; that was the beginning of my obsession." Kitty always edits her photos. As she states, "Without editing I feel they're too "vulnerable"-- they haven't the artist's final trademark stamp put on them. I try to do as little editing as possible and spend the longest time setting up each shot to ensure I won't have too much to enhance/change. I only ever touch the colours, either muting or brightening certain areas. The contrast is always fiddled with and I occassionally will change the lighting if I feel it isn't completely "right". Otherwise, I don't do anything overly fancy." At the moment you can pick up a free curve for photoshop on her website in order to emulate her look.

To take her shots she uses her Canon 5D Mark II and finds herself inspired by the works of Tim Walker, Annie Leibovitz and Sally Mann. When asked about her current projects she states, " usually keep them very secret but don't see any harm in hinting towards them! I'm working on a couple of new series - something to bring back the sleepy summery feeling and something to capture the wild youth." We look forward to it! To check out more of Kitty's work click here.

Artistic Spotlight - John Kilar

John Kilar, a 25-year old photographer from Venice, California, is completely self taught. He started taking photos only a year ago, and it shows, but the amateurish nature of his photos has a charm to it. He uses his Yashica T-4 to takes his shots and doesn't like to edit his photos with any major changes, just a bit of adjusting in Apple Preview. As he states, "I like to keep my photos as natural as possible."

This search for naturalness finds its way into the subject matter of his work. As John states, "I prefer nature over people," but he'll take photos of anything and everything that comes his way--"anything I find visually appealing." When asked to describe his work as a whole John says, "My whole body of work is a perpetually evolving project documenting my adventures and travels." You can check out his charming photos by clicking here.

Blogger Spotlight - Linnea Jacobson

Linnea from Umea, Sweden, is only 14 and already a style star. Recently featured on WhoWhatWear, this red head has a knack for mixing vintage with new. She also likes playing with photography. For camera equipment she uses a Canon eos 60d, with a Canon 50 mm 1.8 and a Vivitar 85mm 1.4. as well has a fujifilm instax 210 and a fujica. Her family takes her daily outfit posts and they definitely do a good job. Linnea's blog is more than just style, the photography is magazine worthy as well.

When asked about her style inspiration she talks about the website lookbook, a website where people can share their daily fashion. To check out her lookbook click here. To join her over 2000 + viewers on her blog click here. Finally, to check out her photography blog click here.

Artistic Spotlight - Carly Zinga

Carly, a student from Australia, has no formal education in photography yet her shots still turn out lovely. Carly likes to take dreamy photos with a focus on fantasy and childhood. To take her shots she uses a Sony DSLR camera. When asked about the editing process she states, " I like a natural looking photograph, so I mainly adjust the colour with curves and actions. People are who they are, I think we should celebrate that!"

For Issue 3 of The Fashion Press we're doing an underwater photo shoot so one of my major questions for Carly was about how she took hers. " I got suited up in a full length wetsuit with a weight belt (to keep me stable underwater), and goggles. It was in the middle of winter, so the water was freezing. I felt sorry for my models, because all they were wearing was flimsy clothes. I borrowed my twin sisters underwater, digital camera - it's nothing fancy. To take the photographs, I had to be close enough, because if I was to far away the water created a barrier and you couldn't see your subject. Luckily I had chosen a pool that was new and the water was very clear. All I can say is that it was a long process and took many hours to achieve. " And what are her projects for the future? " Right now, I am working on building up my portfolio, in between school and my dancing. I would like to get better at photoshop, because I realize that it is definitely going to be one of the tools of the future. In the future i hope to see my work published in magazines all around the world, and i would love to be traveling and taking photographs across a variety of different countries. " To check out Carly's online portfolio click here.

Artistic Spotlight - Sarah Tue-Fee

Sarah Tue-Fee, a Fine Arts Major at University of Ottawa, uses film stills and promotional movie images as references for her work. She tries to link the time-based film medium to painting, which is largely based on still moments. As she states, "It's fan art, but with a conceptual backing, so it's okay." When asked about her favourite materials she talks about oil paints. "I find that there's so much more you can do with them due to the extended drying time and looser texture. Plus it looks 'sexy.' Her works have a sex appeal to them that adds to this effect of the oil paints.

When asked about the connection between education and artistry, she believes that is has helped her practice. "The studio classes especially have given me concrete experience with new materials, as well as new ways of thinking about art. The history classes also inform some of the conceptual frameworks." At the moment she's renting out studio space at the Universtiy and experimenting with a bunch of different styles. Sarah also works with film! A couple of months ago we posted her video with Howie Tsui. Click here to check it out. To check out Sarah's blog click here.

Artistic Spotlight: Dead Paper

Dead Paper is the latest project by Rebecca of the popular style blog The Clothes Horse. I've always loved Rebecca's blog for her great style, cool stop motion videos, and her awesome red hair. Her latest venture, Dead Paper, is a collection of collages made from vintage magazine cut outs that are both clever and creative! Click here to check out Dead Paper.

Artistic Spotlight - Elena Ayllon

Elena Ayllon was born in Madrid, grew up in Tokyo, and then returned to Madrid to study photography and work for an art gallery. When asked how her interest in photography began she states "the world moves so fast, I use photography to try to stop time." At the moment she works with a 35mm old Canon and a Polaroid camera because film has a "special touch." This summer she's going to begin working with pinhole cameras with a German photographer. She doesn't edit her photos but prefers high iso films for colour and black and white. She also loves Kodak Tri-x Film. But that's all the mechanical stuff.

In terms of the subjects within her photos, she aims to provoke feelings. As she states, "The camera is my tool to express and create images connected with me, like a painter with its brush. I consider myself more of an artist than a photographer." All of her photos are of a very personal nature. As she states, "I like to show my life as a diary." She finds herself inspired by other photographers and is very into "this independent analogue photography movement," a movement which seems to be on the rise. To see more of Elena's work visit elenaayllon.com

Style Inspiration - Jim D.

Jim, a 22-year-old art history student from France, has a simple take on fashion and describes his style as minimal/vintage. As he states, "My style is a lot of vintage and second hand pieces mixed with some basics, but i think my style is more minimalistic." His look is simple with a preference for flannel shirts but it all ends up looking very class.

Jim started his blog and lookbook because he likes the idea of street fashion rather than magazine fashion, but with the craze of blogs the divide between the two is starting to become a grey area. To me, Jim fashion appears magazine worthy and his preference for above the knee shorts is something I'd love to see in Ottawa. Very cool! In the future he wants to live in a small house in the woods, always barefoot and with long hair. Sounds like fun! To check out Jim's blog click here. To check out his lookbook click here.

Artistic Spotlight - Shannon Armishaw

I first came across Shannon Armishaw's work while volunteering in Rental and Sales at the Ottawa Art Gallery, and it's been stuck in my mind ever since. Shannon Armishaw, an artist from Ottawa with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Major in Painting, makes beautiful artworks and has a real eye for colour. Recently, she had some of her works hung at the Manx on Elgin and her use of pastel colours in those works really brought the Manx alive.

On top of her excellence in painting, she also makes impressive works on glass. At the Invitational this past month she displayed some of her paintings on glass and, with proper lighting, they created some of the coolest effects. At the moment, her artwork is in the permanent collections of The Brook Street Hotel, Personal Pilates Corporation, and A la Envy Custom Couture. You can also check out her pieces in Rental and Sales at the Ottawa Art Gallery. To visit Shannon's website click here. To see her works at the Ottawa Art Gallery click here.

Style Inspiration - Annie W.

Annie, a 15-year-old from Regensburg, Germany, has a flowery style that's got me amped up for spring. With her quirky hats and flower-feather mixes, she's a classier version of hippy - and very French looking too! When asked about her style inspiration she talks about her favourite website - We Heart It - an image bank with everything from clothes to new hairdos.

And we're haven't been the only ones to notice Annie's style. Her style has gone viral with features in the New York Times and Teen Vogue. In the future Annie wants to live in Paris and study in Berlin, a very European dream for a very European girl. To check out her blog click here. To check out Annie's lookbook click here.

Artistic Spotlight - New Works by Jen Mann

Jen Mann sent over some of her new works and they're really spectacular. Compared to her previous works featured on this site they're a lot more colourful, and it works! When asked to describe her new works she states, "They're called Subconscious vista - which I am planning a show for sometime this summer in Toronto hopefully. They are all dreamscapes, places that don't exist, birds guide the viewer through this spirit world, and help tell the story of the character in each painting. The subjects are mystical, and belong to our subconscious, telling us stories of ourselves, and our own world." She's also working on another series as well about toxic beauty. When asked to describe her new series she states, "They're girls mixed and merged with flowers that are poisonous. It's actually astonishing how many common flowers are toxic." To see her artistic spotlight with The Fashion Press click here. To check out more of her works click here.

Artistic Spotlight - Nuria Rius

Nuria Rius, an artist born in Barcelona who now lives in London, started her career at the age of 14. "It all started when I was fourteen years old in my mum’s butcher shop. I started my professional career there, doing the best burgers at the Market, a job that I combined with my studies in Arts." Strange combination indeed but since then she's gone to great places. After finishing her degree, she decided to study photography for four years at the Institut d’Estudis Fotogràfics de Catalunya. In 2002 she earned a prize of Lux Junior. Since then she has had personal and collective exhibitions and continues to work as a freelance photographer with commercial work for Wranger, Levis, and H&M.

Her images are incredibly raw though she is anything but amateur. Maybe it's the dirtiness of the hallways, and her ability to show exactly what's there, that makes her work stand out. Her works expose what's behind the gloss but also contain an element of sympathy for her subjects. To check out Naria's artwork click here.

Artistic Spotlight - Johannes Santangelo

I came across Johannes Santangelo's photos on flickr and, though I couldn't find anything about him on the web, the mystery behind his shots made them even more intriguing . He's an artist who really excels at portraits and people in nature. Though he goes by the name "arti_ficial" he really is anything but. His use of 35 mm film and a minolta camera give an authenticity to his already intimate shots and his best work by far is when he captures his subjects in the moment, without pretense or pose. At the moment he runs a photo blog with artist Carolin Walch called Parallel Lives - to check it out click here. To visit Johannes' flickr click here.

Artistic Spotlight - Aëla Labbé

Aëla Labbé, a contemporary dancer and freelance photographer from Bretagne, France, takes mesmerizing folky photos. A lot of her photos seem to look to a previous time and have a deep connection with nature. In terms of portraits, her photos contain elegant movements inspired by her training in dance. As she states, "I see photography as by essence connected to dance, so the body language and its expressive power is an important element… as well as the composition in space (most of the time in the nature) and “time” (with a strong feeling of nostalgia)." Her interest in photography began three years ago, when an injury, and a long recovery, caused her to look for other ways to get back into life and rediscover its beauty. As such, she uses photography to generate and share emotions as well as to escape reality and enter her own dream world.

My favourite photos are the ones she takes of children. In particular, her "Jeanne" series on flickr is somewhat spooky. She portrays Jeanne as a spirit figure and the use of double exposure and eery scenery create a dialogue and story within these photos. To see more of her work, you can check out her flickr by clicking here. To check out her etsy shop, where you can purchase cheap prints, click here.

Artistic Spotlight - Jocelyn Catterson

Jocelyn Catterson is just finishing up high school but already her photographs are showing the eye of a pro. In the fall she's going to be going to school for environmental photojournalism at the University of Montana and I couldn't think of a more fitting program for her. Her photos involve a fascination with nature. Growing up in Colorado the natural world inspires her and she spends as much time outdoors as she can. Her photographs are really truthful in terms of the way they are without pretense and appear to be a look into the everyday life of a beautiful world.

But back to her photos. She enjoys using film and especially the aspect of working in a darkroom and the way film receives light. As she states "it's much more hands-on and authentic to me than digital photography." I completely agree! Her photos have that diary feel because of the use of film For the past year or two she has been using her grandpa's old Canon Rebel 2000 but she's not against a little digital. "I do edit my photos: I try to take out a lot of the scratches on the photos after I scan in the negatives, and maybe lighten up areas that turned out darker than they were suppose to. That's all." Jocelyn just finished up a project called "This Wind", which is a handmade, multi-media book that is currently on display at her school. It has writing, paintings, and tons of photographs all put together in about 50 pages. Essentially it's a product of her love for nature. She's also working on a project called "Saving the Outdoor Lab," which is a project to bring awareness to the recent suspension of the Outdoor Laboratory School in her county and hopefully help to raise money so that the school may continue to run in the future. To check out Jocelyn's artwork and her current project be sure to check out her website by clicking here.

Artistic Spotlight - Christine Jones

Christine Jones, a graphic designer from Scotland with a Bachelors in Fine Art, makes incredibly peaceful works that just calm your mind. When asked about the themes in her work she talks of love, romance, the banal, loss and memory. At the moment her favourite medium is pencil but she also enjoys oil paints. When asked about her art school experience she has good reviews. "Loved it, pretty much all positive. Studying with really great peers and basically 4 years of self indulgence and access to great facilities, workshop, studio, lectures, library, etc. Challenges were and still are, talking about about my work."

When she's not doing design work she tries to concentrate on her own art practice, which is at the moment drawing. A project she's consumed with right now, that will also be taking her to spain soon, is Still Cause - a reinvestigation through drawing of Gerda Taro's heroic photographic reporting from the first year of the Spanish Civil War. When she's not doing that she loves to wander around with her camera and, as she states, "doing a lot of nothing". Perhaps something the rest of us are in need of! Her pencil drawings, and the simplicity of her work, are really captivating and I suggest you check out her website for sure! To do so click here.

Blogger Spotlight - Lisa from Sweet Salting

Diamond Rings' makeup artist, Lisa Howard has recently founded a website worth checking out. SweetSalting has gained momentum and popularity these days. This attractive and polished website includes daily posts on music, fashion, art and beauty. Lisa also keeps her readers interested by updating them on her latest adventures with Diamond Rings. She is one of the luckiest girl I know. Her job enables her to travel across the continent with the singer and attend the best shows at the most amazing music festivals.

[Credit - Chris Laputt, New York, Radio City Music Hall]

Lisa's interest in makeup art began at a young age. It must help that her entire family is artistic. She realized a few years ago that makeup was the best creative outlet for her. However, other art forms have also been very influential. "The music and fashion industry is fluid and exciting. It has a unique energy that you can't find anywhere else. Two words - totally addictive." Lisa has definitely found her passion and the response seems to have been highly positive. She states "The Diamond Ring's project has been a really unique and positive experience. We change things quickly and are constantly moving forward. [John] pretty much lets me do whatever I want. People are excited about the freshness of his look and style. I love the buzz before he takes the stage. There is so much anticipation about what he's going to be wearing and how he will be presenting himself."

[Credit - CBC radio 3]

When asked about where she sees herself in the future, Lisa confirmed that she will continue to work with Diamond Rings as the project takes the "next level". She will also keep developing her website, although she's hoping to write for bigger publications one day. It all sounds super exciting. The Fashion Press wishes Lisa the best of luck and will continue to follow her path to success. Click here to check out SweetSalting and get updated on the latest news on fashion, music and beauty.

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Ps: John O's side-project Matters (formerly known as The D'Urbervilles) will be playing at Café Nostalgica this friday evening along with many other acts. To get more info on this event, click right here.