Sybilla Patrizia

Today's Brand New Art requires very little introduction, it is a new editorial which encompasses everything that Ballad Of... stands for. Beautiful images shot by student photographer Sybilla Patrizia in collaboration with upcoming stylist Charlotte Ghesquiere, all clothing by fellow student designers Yushan Li, Ben Rice and Hannah Fickling and modelled on new face Kris B. This calm, earthy and natural editorial really is some of the best new art that young London creatives have to offer right now. We chat to photographer Sybilla below...

Introduce your work in three words…

Light, Natural, Energetic

What made you get into photography?

The drive to explore the world!

For someone still at University you have already had a lot of work published and a lot of awards! Do you feel like this has given you a head start in the industry?

I do feel that especially having had work published helps me get new commissions and publications. It’s sad truth however, that nowadays many young people have awards and many publications which means there is a really tough competition out there. In the end though it’s all about the quality of the work and the connections you make in the industry.

One of your shoots for Suitcase Mag is in Hong Kong, it must be pretty amazing to be able to travel and work like that?

Yeah, I was fortunate enough to witness the so-called ‘Umbrella Revolution’ which took place during my exchange semester in Hong Kong last year. I think for me, traveling is a big part of my work and meeting new people or living in foreign countries opens my eyes to what’s out there in the world. That’s why I always end up spending all my savings on traveling :)

I love the ‘Jessica’ shoot on your website, the way you’ve mixed location settings with a sort of cut-and-stick technique, do you like experimenting with edits like that?

Wow, it’s funny that you mention this because the ‘Jessica’ editorial is actually one of the first ones I have ever done, so I think I was really inexperienced at the time. But rather than leaving the shots as they were, I wanted to experiment with these really obvious cut-outs because I think they look really fun. For me playing with the layout and incorporating aspects of graphic design is exciting and I think these two art forms complement each other really well. I love editorials where photographers have merged their work with different media, but I also like editorials which are clean and to the point.

Looking through your portfolio of work there seems to be quite a wide range, are you more interested in one area in particular, like fashion photography for instance?

The two main areas I work in are documentary and fashion photography. They are both super interesting and require completely different skills I think. I love documentary work because it helps me understand the world and observe people, cultures, political changes etc.. With this kind of photography you have to be really patient and I think the strength of a documentary photograph lies in its honesty and authenticity. Fashion photography on the other hand is really fast paced - I love how dynamic and energetic fashion can be. Doing fashion photography also means that you have to accept working in a really artificial (and superficial) world which can be at times frustrating but also inspiring.

You’ve worked with three designers in particular for this shoot, Yushan Li, Hannah Fickling and Ben Rice. How have you come to collaborate with those?

Living in London, I am lucky enough have access to fabulous young designers and I really love collaborating with people who are sort of at the same stage of their careers as I am. For this particular shoot I consulted with my stylist Charlotte Ghesquiere and we both agreed that we wanted to work with graduates from my university (Westminster) and Central Saint Martins because we always find their graduate shows really exciting. Charlotte did an amazing job sourcing their garments and incorporating them into this natural, wood-ish story we ended up creating.

Do you find it helps to create a more consistent mood for a shoot if you use just one or two designers throughout?

The mood is certainly more consistent, but I would normally recommend using a variety of designers for fashion shoots. Most of the time the problem is that it can be hard to get clothes from designers when you are not a big name in fashion yourself.

You’ve already interned at some big magazines like LOVE and Elle, how have those experiences been for you? Have they influenced your fashion photography?

Working at both LOVE and ELLE has been a great experience. Perhaps more than learning about fashion photography, I have been able to gain insight into the fashion industry itself and I now understand the process of running a fashion magazine much better, like how to set up shoots, pull garments from designers, how magazines communicate with their readers, etc. Overall this translates to my own work in the sense that I have learned what magazines are looking for, how important contacts are and just generally the way the industry works.

What was the inspiration behind the shoot we’ve got here today?

I found a beautiful location in Hampstead which was so much defined by its light and shadow compositions that I decided to make this my main concept. We used mostly natural lighting and tried create this beautiful tension between the vegetation, the natural materials used in the garments, the strong colors and the contrast of the light. Whenever I do a fashion shoot I love to experiment with the model and see what everyone in the team can contribute. I think it’s always really exciting to have this element of spontaneity because it’s a beautiful and powerful part of photography.

Finally our Muse issue has just launched this week! Do you have anyone you’d consider a muse or an inspiration?

In the past I have been inspired by fashion photographers such as Benjamin Lennox, Txema Yeste, David Sims, Camilla Akrans,… I also love Japanese fine art and contemporary architecture, documentary photography, traveling, beautiful food and kawaii things.