Lauren Brown

Today’s Brand New Art is photographer Lauren Brown. Having lived in NYC and LA before moving to her current residence of Washington, Lauren’s photos perfectly mix the archetypal styles of the two cities; dark, raw and grainy meets a laid back and carefree attitude in Brown’s almost documentary style photography. Lauren’s influences aren’t just locational though, citing music and skate culture as her main interests, she perfectly captures these scenes in their most natural forms, from her pictures of bands and skaters smoking on pavements, backstage before a gig, shooting press images, practicing guitar on their beds, to all of these talents doing what they do best, either on a stage or skate park. Using light and location as her props, most of Brown’s photos have a such an honest and natural feel it’s as though she has captured her friends in their day to day lives, which is why her new project, ‘Best Friends’, suits her photography style so well. The first images in her Best Friends series can be seen below and follows a group of three around New York, perfectly capturing a day in female friendship. Shooting entirely on film, Brown’s photos feel like getting back a developed camera to find the most perfect results you could have hoped for. Take a look for yourself and read our interview with Lauren below:

Introduce your work in three words…

Nostalgic, carefree, serene.

Whereabouts are you based? And do you feel that this place influences your work at all?

For the past 6 months I’ve been based in Washington, DC but I used to live in Los Angeles for 5 years before that. I went to school in NYC so I think all of those places have really influenced my style. When I first moved to LA I had an awakening with photography again and my work definitely took on a more laid-back sunny type of vibe.

Is photography a profession or more of a hobby for you?

I guess you could say both. There are a lot of shoots that are personal or passion projects but I also get commissioned to shoot look books or bands press shots or live shows.

The first pictures on your website are called ‘Best Friends’, was this a concept for a shoot or are they actually your best friends?

It’s a new concept and a shoot that I’m working on. I met one of the girls through Instagram and when I went to NY I asked her if she wanted to shoot with her best friends and voila! I’ve just completed a set with two 15 year old girls last week that I’m very excited about.

A lot of your work feels really natural and personal, like you’ve just shot a day out with friends. Do you work in that way or do you prefer to organise shoots?

When I worked in LA I had a team that I worked with for editorials. Since moving back to the East Coast I’ve been working with different people but also doing more work with just me and my camera. I really like the aspect of working with a group of creatives to put together one project, on the other hand I really enjoy just being spontaneous and letting the moments happen.

I loved your Nikki series, what’s it like to shoot someone in their day-to-day environment like that?

Thanks so much! I wanted to start a “day in the life” series so when I was in LA I contacted an agency to find a model who would be interested. At first I asked them to pick a location that means something to them, Nikki picked the “Little Tokyo” area because she lived nearby. The next day we ended up shooting at her amazing loft early in the morning and on the roof overlooking downtown. It really couldn’t have worked out any better.

I love the aspect of capturing a routine. It’s so specific to each person and it’s often not captured in the world of fashion. Getting ready and seeing someone drink coffee the moment they wake up just brings everyone closer together, seeing the realism that exists beyond organized fashion shoots.

A couple of the shoots like ‘Dylan’ and ‘reVolt’ document a skate and music scene, how did you get involved with that?

Well music is my first love and it always will be. The first subject I began shooting while studying in school was bands in the emo music scene. I’ll always be down to shoot musically inclined people.

As far as the skate scene; growing up in DC I was always intrigued by the skating scene but it wasn’t really around like it was on the West Coast. The closest I got was in movies and magazines. When I first moved to LA I started to reach out to a few friends I made when I moved there. Eventually I started to shoot more skateboarding and became immersed in the culture. It’s definitely something that I plan on shooting more of.

It looks as though all of your work is shot on film, do you prefer working with film rather than digital? And why?

Yes, now I shoot only on film. When I was in school I first learned about photography with film and working in the darkroom. After a while I became frustrated with the ability to shoot so many photos on the memory card that I wasn’t focusing on each individual photo as closely. So, about 2 years ago I reverted back to film and I’ve never been happier with the results. There is something about the grain and tones of film that just can’t be compared with digital and post processing.

You shoot places as well as people, do you prefer one over the other?

Ohh, that’s a hard question. I absolutely love to travel so there is always a love I have for new places, or discovering something new in the familiar.

One of the best aspects of shooting people is revealing the stories behind them. I definitely love shooting both in equal measure.

What would you like to do next?

Well, travel for one. I’m concentrating now on more projects that are larger in duration. Right now I’d love to create a book based on one of my long term ideas. The ‘best friends’ concept is one I’m incredibly passionate about right now.

Our Muse issue is out now! Do you have a muse or inspiration?

As far as one muse it would be Kurt Cobain, always and forever.

Check out more of Lauren's work on her website and blog fashiongrunge.