Personal Branding: Yearbook 1996/2016
The series 'Personal Branding' shows 19 photographs of staged student portraits in an idealistic Yearbook. It explores the implications of showcasing oneself due to the evolution of social photography since the 90s.
I always observed this strange paradox: While I live and breathe photography, I had never shot portraits before. I couldn’t bear dictating someone else’s image. As this stupid sentiment was paralyzing my photoshoots, I decided to focus on still life and completely gave up shooting human beings.
Later on, I found the first professional portrait that someone had taken of me. It was 1996 and I was in 6th grade when the school photographer took this picture. I had just began adolescence and like everyone else, it was difficult. This picture made me so upset! My self-esteem was already low and this didn’t help.
Now in my line of work, I’m immersed in the fashion industry and social media: A world in which teenagers spend their lives shaping their self-image. In the realization of my Yearbook, I assembled a team of stylists, hair-stylists and make-up artists working in fashion photography. I got in contact with modelling agencies in search of young models who were just beginning their careers. Together we played with the concept of school photography. I was surprised that they were happy to play this role, and interestingly many of them would go on to use these pictures for their self-promotion on Instagram and other social media.
This series of artificial portraits uses elements of school photography with a few secret ingredients of fashion photography.
I always observed this strange paradox: While I live and breathe photography, I had never shot portraits before. I couldn’t bear dictating someone else’s image. As this stupid sentiment was paralyzing my photoshoots, I decided to focus on still life and completely gave up shooting human beings.
Later on, I found the first professional portrait that someone had taken of me. It was 1996 and I was in 6th grade when the school photographer took this picture. I had just began adolescence and like everyone else, it was difficult. This picture made me so upset! My self-esteem was already low and this didn’t help.
Now in my line of work, I’m immersed in the fashion industry and social media: A world in which teenagers spend their lives shaping their self-image. In the realization of my Yearbook, I assembled a team of stylists, hair-stylists and make-up artists working in fashion photography. I got in contact with modelling agencies in search of young models who were just beginning their careers. Together we played with the concept of school photography. I was surprised that they were happy to play this role, and interestingly many of them would go on to use these pictures for their self-promotion on Instagram and other social media.
This series of artificial portraits uses elements of school photography with a few secret ingredients of fashion photography.