Colour Explosion

FOR HIS ‘COLOUR EXPLOSION’ CREATIVE STORY, PHOTOGRAPHER ARVED COLVIN-SMITH TURNED UNBLEMISHED FACES INTO CANVASES, HIGHLIGHTING MAKEUP ARTIST LINDA ÖHRSTRÖM’S IMPRESSIVE EXPERIMENTS IN COLOUR AND FORM.

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How did you become a fashion photographer? What drove you to it? 

I was fascinated by photography from as far back as I can remember. As a child I spent many hours looking at pictures in books and magazines, and as I grew older I spent time in the school dark room, experimenting with something that was quickly becoming a passion.

Though my photographic skills were developing, I opted to study fashion and spent an eye-opening, yet wonderful, year sewing my clothes myself. At some point it was suggested that I explore other avenues within the fashion industry and I was very open to the idea. Around that same time there were two large retrospectives happening in London: one of Helmut Newton’s work, and the other of Guy Bourdin’s. I feel both influenced the path I decided to follow.

You photograph fashion and beauty. What appeals to you most about the two genres? Where do you see the greater creative challenge, if at all? 

I love to photograph people and both genres allow me to do this. I approach both in a similar way: beauty may be somewhat more technical, although this can vary from project to project. Your beauty series tend to be extremely close up. Why is that? If the make-up artist creates something amazing and beautiful I like to get close to it, and I usually shoot each look various ways. I think I gravitate naturally towards the close up: it often comes about in the edit when looking back at the options. Perhaps there is a meaningful psychological explanation to this, I couldn’t say!

For this photoshoot, you worked with Swedish makeup artist, Linda Öhrström. What was special about the collaboration and why did you choose her?