What is it exactly about an image – whether moving or still – that catches our eye and makes our pulse skip a beat?
As avid consumers and curators of images, we find this question constantly playing on our minds. The same goes for our friends over at Stocksy, a stock photography and cinematography collection that’s raising the bar for our expectations of stock. Working as a co-operative – think profit-sharing and co-ownership – Stocksy’s team of curators casts a discerning eye over the oceans of visual content out there to select exclusive and royalty-free still and moving images that are a cut above. Joining forces with the Stocksy team in our search for exceptional visual inspiration, we present two photographers and a cinematographer that are making our heads turn over and over again.
Taking the timeless, ethereal charm of film-based cinematography to new heights is the photographer and filmmaker Stkyler Dahan, whose richly textured visual language is equal parts grit and velvet, luring the viewer into ethereal, escapist new worlds. Drawn to the 8mm format for its forgiving quality – “There is more room to “mess” up…you don’t have to worry about using a light meter or changing your aperture, and loading film is much quicker,” – Dahan waxes lyrical about his choice of medium. “Qualities such as color, grain, and lighting feel amplified and authentic. This authenticity draws me to shooting in film because it feels pure and alive.”
This talented duo came to photography from two unlikely backgrounds: Electrical engineering and urban planning. Joining forces in the city of Izmir, Turkey, their works are noteworthy for their striking compositions, saturated palettes and subtle sense of humour. Citing cinema and the approach of Juergen Teller amongst their inspirations, the duo focus their practice around color, which they consider a “very strong element to express an idea or feeling. It may pop something up or may blend something in. Color is usually the starting point of our shoots. We think of one certain color and build other things around it.”
Having honed her craft whilst working at her family’s tattoo studio, Varela – also known as Azulclaritocasiblanco – has fast become known for her vibrant portraits of loved ones. Usually focussing on the subject’s interaction with an object, the photographer allows emotion to guide her eye, capturing the moment with her Canon 6D and a 34mm 1.4 objective: The only equipment she currently needs. Varela describes her practice as “a tool to take out all the thoughts and feelings that I have inside.” And what’s next for the emerging talent? “I really want to work with film – that’s my pending task,” she explains. “I never want to stop learning and being challenged.”
