Sometimes when we create we don't know what it truly symbolizes until we take a step back and look at what we've created. Zarina and I wanted to shoot at the beach and we started to add ideas and settled on having an old dress desk with a typewriter but we ended up shooting a similar concept with the typewriter in studio. We went back to the drawing board and I had an old reference to a dress made out of Belts and found our inspiration.

A Suit is Amor but A Belt Is A Weapon.

Zarina is from a Eastern European country where it is extremely difficult and traditional. It was only after the shoot was over that Zarina told me what the shoot symbolized for her. The belts came to represent being tied down by culture when your spirit just wants to break free. The Ocean Symbolized Being A Free Spirit. I had always actually wanted to do a dress made out of belts and presented the idea not understanding the true meaning. For me, after hearing her story, I remembered when I was whipped by teachers and my parents with belts and the concept really rocked me to my core.

Always Make Your Art

For the majority of my professional photography career it's been commission'd work with brands and musical artists that rarely would never do extremely creative ideas. A lot of times its either too extreme or not the vibe. My quest to create editorial photography and craft the styling of the dress is a creative outlet that breaks the ties that have bound me by not owning the art. I shot digital and film but the images at the beach presented here are on Film. I also started shooting on film for similar reasons. Brands rarely ask for Film Masters. They don't even know that Film are called Masters. They only know to ask for RAW files. For me Film represents Freedom and Dominion over my craft.

These photographs were shot on 70 millimeter Ektachrome Kodak film on my mamma mia MamiyaRB67. if you're reading this, please take this time to think about what type of belts are tying you down and how you can break them and pursue your dreams

to become free