What inspires you?

Biggest fear in life?

Advice for someone who isn’t feeling inspired?

John, what sparked your interest in photography?

I had worked with, and was friends with, many photographers so I always had an eye and interest for photography. My father was, and still is, into photography as well. One day, I decided to pick a camera up myself and document my adventures.

What made you realize that photography is something that you wanted to do with your life?

Everything I ever pursued was consistently artistic, and I love being able to perpetually create. I realized that photography was a brilliant outlet for self-expression, and something I wanted to incorporate into my everyday life, after I developed my first roll of film.

What has been the hardest part about being an artist?

Making a living off your work and becoming completely self-sovereign.

If you could change anything about the world, what would it be and why?

Everything is perfect just the way it is.

Where do you want your work to take you?

Around the world.

What do you try to convey with your images?

I’m just trying to share bits and pieces of my life with the world.

What is the best place you have ever been in the world? And what made it so special?

Venice, where I currently reside. The beach, the people and the art is what makes it quite special.

Read our interview with 19 year old, New York photographer, Mitch Zachary. You can also check out also look at more of his work on his website.

How old are you and where are you from/where do you live now?

I am 19 years old (almost 20). Originally I am from Dominican Republic, but I moved to midtown west when I was about 12. So now I consider myself a New Yorker.

Do you think your age gives you an advantage or disadvantage in the industry?

I feel like my age gives me an edge. I have always carried myself as an older person. In this industry, when people see one take themselves seriously, most importantly a talented individual, age doesn’t play a major factor. Nevertheless, in some instances one could be undermined because of age. Luckily I have never been alienated or hindered from performing due to my age.

What is your biggest inspiration?

This one is tough one. Photographers like Mert & Marcus and Patrick Demarchelier inspire me on a technical level. I admire their lighting techniques, their editing choices, and their ability to push concepts to new boundaries. People like Terry Richardson and Steven Klein, inspire me to be wild and to make an image that shows what I am feeling, thinking; a picture that shows who I am.

“There is a passion and intensity that I apply and connect to my world; an ever-changing world that I am still discovering and exploring in my sexuality and sensuality. My images reflect my impressions of time, and are not limited to just the visual, but are also inclusive of smell, taste and sound.”

What is one interesting fact about you?

Besides having two left feet, I actually have the Apple logo () tattooed in my left shoulder blade. I used to be an employee at an Apple Retail Store, and above being a lover and consumer of their products, being part of Apple taught me things about myself I never realized. They showed me not only how to treat others with the outmost respect but how to first respect who I am, but also respect to honor everything I create, but most importantly, I learned that there is always room for improvement and an unlimited supply of things to learn. As they say, when you’re part of something big, it makes you big.

Why do you make images?

Images are evolution; peeling back the layers of an onion, constantly discovering new levels. There are many layers to my photographs. Life experience, travel, friendship, love and nature itself define my images. The subjects I photograph become, in essence, self-representational; mirrors. The discovery of how light falls upon and shapes the body, like water that slides over rocks, excites me.

What is your dream job?

My dream is just really one that allows me to have creative freedom. I would hate to get sucked in by a corporate black-hole. I also would like to shoot campaigns for brands like Chanel, Dior YSL and Missoni . As far as fashion personalities, I dream of the day that I get to shot Lara Stone, Coco Rocha and Freja Beha.

Below is Mitch’s latest editorial entitled ‘Dangerous Boys’.

I was really excited when Nouvelles Blog first contacted me asked and me to write for them. The topic of “Youth in Fashion” came up and is something that I have a lot of interest in and have wanted to write about on my own blog for quite a while now. In the last decade, the debate over youth in fashion has become very heated. Being subjected to the demands of the fashion world can have a negative impact on someone so young. Everyone, from models to heiresses, and down to the average child who grows up seeing the fashion industries’ sometimes distorted views of perfection splashed on everything from magazine covers to TV screens, is affected by their views of beauty in some way. We hear about models thrown into New York City without any parental guidance at the age of sixteen and children being taken to photo shoots and parties when they have yet to even enter puberty. This leads to the controversial and hotly debated question. How young is too young?

The fresh faces of today seem to be the crowning jewels of the industry, something that has never really happened to the extent to which we see it now. Everywhere you look, you see new talent who may be the next supermodel or gone by next season. The industry is constantly changing. Whether it’s on a magazine cover, in an ad or fragrance campaign, or opening a show during fashion week, models Daphne Groeneveld, Lindsey Wixson, Barbara Palvin, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Bambi Northwood Blyth have been dominating the industry in recent seasons and don’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. The most shocking thing is that these girls began modeling when they were only fourteen or fifteen years old. How young is too young?

Twenty-three year old supermodel, Coco Rocha recently sat down with Anderson Cooper and Carré Otis to talk about youth in the modeling industry. During the interview, she revealed that she was scouted at fourteen years old, started modeling at fifteen and was living in a model’s apartment in New York City at just sixteen. Having no mentor or parental figure in a young woman’s life can have a profoundly negative effect. Not only may these girls be told that they are too big by their potential employers, but they also may be targeted and harassed by the media who argue that runway models are too skinny. Rocha worries that these girls do not have a mentor to look up to. They don’t have anyone to tell them that they should be changing and developing into a woman. Whereas one designer may dislike them, another may see them as the next “it” girl. Working in an industry that demands perfection and increases its already high standards daily can take its toll. Many times, girls who are targeted by the media and are labeled “too skinny” have yet to physically mature. The desire to achieve perfection can become an obsession. In 1997, at the age of eleven, Allegra Versace, niece of Gianni Versace, was left with a 50% controlling share of the Versace fashion house after her uncle was killed outside of Casa Casaurina, the family’s mansion in Miami. She had been around the modeling industry since she was born and was constantly subjected to her family’s views of perfection. From a young age she lived the life of an adult, attending fashion shows, photo shoots, and even parties. She internalized the idea that she had to look like the super models she grew up around. By the time she reached puberty, Allegra had fallen victim to anorexia. We hear about anorexia quite often; it can be considered the most visible collateral damage of our media’s unattainable ideal. Models are constantly harassed with claims that they may be anorexic. We hear about young boys and girls becoming anorexic in a desire to reach the perfect weight, to emulate the glossy photos on the pages of magazines such as Vogue and Vanity Fair. Although Allegra has since recovered and supports anorexia awareness, she is another terrible example of how youth can be affected by fashion.

Every year, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, or CFDA, focuses an issue and tries to improve the fashion industry. In 2007, the topic was eating disorders. Diane von Furstenburg, president of the CFDA, proposed a Health Initiative and expressed her concerns with the growing epidemic: “While some models are naturally tall and thin and their appearance is a result of many factors, including genetics, youth, nutritional food, and exercise, other models have or develop eating disorders.” The CFDA educated designers on the signs of an eating disorder and says that any model affected should be required to attain professional help. This year, the CFDA made a new addition to the Health Initiative that took place during New York Fashion Week in September. In order for a model to walk in a show, she had to provide some form of personal identification on the day of the show to prove that she was at least sixteen years of age or the model must have some companion, whether it be a family member or an agent that is with them at all times. The CFDA’s Health Initiative is definitely a step in the right direction, but it does not apply to print modeling-where the majority of abuse can take place. A young model looking to please everyone around them in order to “make it” in the industry and can easily be taken advantage of. There are stories of people snapping pictures backstage of underage models changing during a show and even models who have said nothing about sexual abuse experienced from photographers’ who said they would help start up a girl’s career. The industry needs improvement in this area similar to the work done with NYFW.

This brings us back to the question at hand: how young is too young? Fashion is ever-changing and doing so at a breakneck pace that has created a sort of frenzy for the models as well. The turnover rate is higher than ever, with scouts hiring at a younger and younger age, and perhaps most alarmingly, this trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. As Carré Otis said: “Would you let a thirteen or fourteen year old drive a car? They are not ready.” As a young photographer just entering the industry myself, I have the same questions and concerns. I find myself standing with the CFDA. The teenage years are highly volatile and it is easy to be pressured into looking or acting a certain way in order to gain prestige and an upper hand. I understand that youth can be beautiful, but can’t a safer beauty be found at all ages?

 We are so happy with Ryan wrote for us. I hope that he can guest blog for us again sometime in the future. Here is some of Ryan’s photography work.

Check out Ryan’s portfolio on his website.

“I believe my work is a true representation of who I am,” says Paul Phung, the 24 year old, London based photographer.

Paul went to school at Leeds College of Art & Design in England, and he said the most important thing that he learned in school is to “always push yourself to new levels of creativity.” 

During our interview we asked Paul where he pulls inspirations from. He responded with,“Seriously everything, my surroundings, friends, music, films! A few ideas recently have come from long bus journeys when drunk and just staring out the window thinking.”

“Most of my work reflects current moods I was in at the time of taking the photograph and to be able to capture that mood in a photograph I believe is truly amazing.”

Check out some of Jesse’s work below, and the keep scrolling to read our fun interview with him!

What kind of photography are you most passionate about? What gets you fired up and excited to shoot?

I’m most passionate about portraiture. I love taking pictures of people, getting to interact with them and learn about who they are is a really cool and special thing to be able to do. When it comes to what gets me excited to go out and shoot myself, whenever I see pictures from peers, music magazines and fashion magazines they really get me excited! There’s so much beautiful work out there that I find inspiring!

I see that you do some photography projects with a lot of meaning behind them. Why do you do those, and what makes them so special to you?

Particularly for Strong, a project that I’m doing based around LGBTQ youth and their stories, I want to lend a voice to the fight for civil rights and the many issues surrounding the community. My hope for that project is that the youth will stumble upon it and realize that at the end of the day, regardless of all the crazy things that can and might happen that it does indeed get better. The hope that the stories have helped or inspired somebody is what makes the project so special for me! I was super inspired by Dan Savage’s amazing It Gets Better project.

What direction is your work taking you, and what do you hope to be doing in the future?

My current work now is taking me into a more fashion world, which I find really new and exciting! I hope to be doing more of it in the future along with some editorials. I also would like to start profiling people and bands for magazines, that would be awesome!

If you could change anything about the world, what would it be and why?

Hm, there’s a lot I feel I’d change haha, but for starters I’d make ice cream free for everybody haha! If ice cream was free, a lot people around the world would be much happier!

Do you ever get frustrated balancing school and your personal work?

YES! It’s one of the most difficult things for me! You have to find time to shoot for class but also for yourself and that’s an incredible struggle. It’s nice though because sometimes I can use some of my personal work for certain class assignments so it’s like killing two birds with one stone! But ssh, don’t tell any of my teachers that! haha.

If you weren’t a photographer, what would you want to be when you grow up?

I’ve always loved music, so that’s something I still plan on exploring eventually. However if I never decided to go down the art career path I might have done something in education. For the past two summers I’ve worked at a camp and have had the most enriching time there getting to know these amazing campers and making great friends with my co-workers so who knows, maybe I would of been on my way to becoming a teacher!

Check out more of his work here.

Mike Bailey-Gates was born in 1993 in Rhode Island, USA. He became interested in photography at the age of thirteen when he began taking photographs of the landscape in his surrounding countryside. Over time the hobby progressed into a passion for portraiture, fashion, and living . Michael is currently living in New York City studying at the School of Visual Arts.

Mike’s work is something completely new to us. Something that makes a great artist is when they have a style all to themselves. Mike’s images are unique to his style, and stand out in a crowd. They are so creative, but at the same time they are simple and magical.

We got to ask Mike some questions about his work.

What inspires you?
It’s hard to find just one particular things that inspires me. Everything has some sort of inspiration in it, everything has some sort of story to it I think. It’s bringing those stories or ideas into a photo that I have always found interesting. I grew up in a small town in the middle of the woods, so I’ve always been busy with stories. It wasn’t until I was older that I started making them into photos. I get some sort of happiness creating characters and new settings, it’s hard to say why.

Where are you currently with you work?
I think I’m at the point where I’m just trying as many things as possible, and building a style. I’m never 100% sure what I want to do with my photos.

Where do you hope to be in the future?
I hope to eventually be able to make a living off my work, living in a house in the country with my own family. I’m not really worried about fame or money, I just want to be good at what I do.

Thanks so much Mike for answering a few of our questions. You inspire people around the world with your imagery and we are grateful for that.

You can look at tons more of Mike’s work on his website.

Nouvellesblog.com is all about the up and coming creativity that is jam packed into this generation of leaders and innovators. Rachel has caught the eye of the fashion industry and the eyes of her readers. She currently runs her own personal blog, and two style blogs online (here & here).

Rachel is interning at Teen Vogue currently, but the skills that she has go so far beyond her work life. The way that she puts her thoughts into words is the reason that we think she is going to go so far. Rachel is no amateur when it comes to literature. That is also why we asked her to be a featured blogger on our site. Before you get to read the article that she wrote just for us, we asked her to answer some of our questions so that you can get to know her a little bit more.

You live in New York City currently, but have you always lived in the city?

I’m originally from San Francisco, California. I lived all throughout Northern California until I was ten and from there I moved to Dallas, Texas. I only stayed there for about a year and a half and I’ve been in New York City for the past eight years or so.

What are your favorite things about living in Manhattan?

Honestly I can write a book in regards to this question. But honestly, I think the better question is “What are your favorite things about living in New York City?” Manhattan is always the borough that gets the most attention, but the other parts of the city really shouldn’t be forgotten–they hold culture, history and a lot of hidden gems! I think to really understand the answer to this question, you kind of have to live here, so I’ll just keep it general for now. The whole city has great food, fun, entertainment, history, people and of course style. I’m always discovering something new and there’s always something to do. There’s no other place like it, the vibe is indescribable!

When did you develop your serious taste for style?

When I stopped being afraid to stand out. But then again my sense of style may seem absolutely ridiculous to someone else… Beauty is in the eye of the beholder right?

Your style is one of a kind and that sets you apart in a crowd. Do you enjoy the individuality and attention that great style brings to you?

Well first off thank you. And yeah I think I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it at least a little bit. Fashion is about visuals, so of course I’m happy when people react to something I’m wearing because in a way I’m communicating with them. I’m naturally soft-spoken, so wearing “loud” clothing does the talking for me!

The experience department is something you are definitely not lacking in. You are so young, but have already seen and accomplished so much. What has been the most rewarding experience that you have been a part of?

Everything I have endured whether by choice or not, has been rewarding in some way. As far as my experience in the industry goes, I have worked tremendously hard to get where I am today and because I’m so young I know that this only paving way for a bright career and life ahead. In terms of life in general, although it’s been hard I’d say that moving so much has really contributed to who I’ve become as a person. I’ve been exposed to various groups of people, lifestyles, customs and beliefs which ultimately has given me a much clearer view of the world, in the sense that it’s not always a nice place. But like I said, absolutely everything I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of us has taught me what I like and don’t like to do, and it’s helped shape me into the person I am today!

Where do you want to go with all of your talents and skills? What’s your ideal future?

I’ve always loved to write, but very recently it’s dawned on me that I absolutely need to turn it into a career and pairing it with my love of fashion I’d say my future could turn into something lethal! I currently blog, and contribute to some other websites/publications and I’m interning at Teen Vogue, so I’m getting my foot in the door of the fashion journalism sector of the industry. Writing for a fashion magazine or maybe even starting my own magazine, that’s where I want to see myself in the next few years. But I’ve been told a lot to live in the moment, so for now I’m taking things day by day.

What advantages does your youth give you?

We live in such a youth-driven world, there’s always that one product that people buy into that can supposedly make you more youthful or look ten years younger or some nonsense like that. In a way it gives me a power, and I feel that because this generation has grown up with technology, young people have so many more resources to tap into and generally are so much more aware of what’s going on thus making them more goal-oriented. I know that’s the case for me at least.

Who is your biggest inspiration/role-model?

This is so funny to me. On my blogs and interviews I’m usually the one asking this other people, so to actually have to think about it for myself is something that’s new. My inspiration changes just as much as I do, but I think as of now I’m very inspired by other bloggers and street-style sites. I feel that they provide the most real take on fashion and I find it interesting how other people interpret the trends and make it work for them individually. As far as role-models go, I have a newfound love for Daphne Guinness since seeing her exhibit at the Museum at FIT. She’s fearless and fierce, and I have so much respect for her, and of course I love the Olsen twins.

Thanks so much for talking to us Rachel!
If your looking for more links to Rachel’s work click here!

Keep scrolling down to read out interview with him, but first check out some of his images that we particularly fell in love with.

Hey Nicholas! Thanks again for taking the time to answer these questions.

First of all, how old are you and where are you from?

I am 17 years old. Born and raised in Portland Oregon. The lovely pacific northwest.

I don’t think this question gets asked enough, but I am always curious to know, why do you make images? What drives you, and what is your reason for doing it in general?

I found taking photographs was really the only sufficient way I could get those emotions that I had no other way of expressing out and into the world. I make photographs for me. Well at least in my personal work, photos that I love and really mean something to me. In a more professional setting I do my best to create the work that I feel is my best, and still holds the same emotional quality of any other photo I would take. My drive comes from a deep unexplainable place. I get restless. My mind wanders, picking pieces from my everyday life, from daydreams and eventually I just have to create to stay sane. I also expect so much out of myself and my work that it leads me to keep going and keep pushing through. Taking photos is the only way I really know how to express myself and the ways that I am feeling. As corny as that sounds.

You are a senior in high school and have so much of your life ahead of you, but what are you trying to accomplish currently in your work?

I really am trying to focus on refining my skills and creating work that I am excited about and happy with. If I am not happy with something it is very hard for me to let it out for the world to see. Lately I have been receiving a lot of work in the fashion field, which is really where I hope to end up. I am now at a place where constant work flow and creativity is required and always flowing. Learning how to keep my integrity with all that I do while still creating work that I am proud of and happy with is the current task at hand. It’s super fun and exciting to get to create work that I love.

I also have a senior project for school that I have most of the year to accomplish that I am brainstorming for.  What do I want to create and what I want to tell the younger body of students at my school? That is currently one thing I have on my mind. I hope to create an abstract blur of beauty and whimsy and reality to finish of my high school experience.

Where do you want to be in the future with your art? What is your goal with photography?

My biggest goal is to not lose myself in what I am creating for others and myself. I want to keep my artistic voice in whatever I make, no matter what that may be. I hope to become a commercial editorial photographer. I want someone to be able to pick my photo out of a magazine and recognize that I took it. Recognizing my style and look. My goal with photography would really be to travel, photograph what I love, photograph things that I really care about, and really love whatever I am doing.

If you weren’t a talented photographer, what woud you want to be when you grow up?

That’s tough.. when I was in kindergarden I wanted to be an Air Traffic Controller. I couldn’t really tell you why.. maybe it was getting to be in the tower way up high. I think in the last year or two if photo didn’t work out for me I was considering the possibility of Public Relations or Advertisement. I also really love the idea of being a stylist and dressing people to tell a story and creating with clothes what I do with my photos. I hope to always have a camera in hand with whatever I am doing.

What are your plans for the next year? College, etc.?

I got to do a 3 week color film intensive in new york city this past summer and had the realization that I needed to broaden my horizons and see what else was available to me. I currently have two options: 1. Attend the commercial photography program at the Brooks Institute in Santa Barbra. or 2. Move to Los Angeles and start working and hopefully assisting a photographer. If college doesn’t work out I want to jump head first into working and seeing where that takes me. It’s all up in the air at the moment but Brooks is looking like my next step.

If you had to pick your top two favorite artists of all time, who would they be & why?

The most influential person to me currently is Tim Walker, a british photographer that shoots for Vogue on a regular basis and his work has taken him all around the world on all sorts of projects. All of his work has such a whimsical and theatrical aesthetic vibe that is extremely inspiring to me. I also love Toulouse-Lautrec’s paintings. The dark magical quality of his work matched with the simple moments in time that only he could see is so inspiring.

Last question: Do you ever get unmotivated or maybe run out of creative ideas for a shoot, and if so, what do you do to get over it?

About a year ago I created a folder of images on my computer of things that I found particularly inspiring or that had something that I wanted to recreate. When I find an image that really sticks in my mind and makes me think I put it there to reference back to. If I ever find a time that I am out of ideas I flip through all of those photos and dig around for something to inspire me. I think writing or drawing your ideas can help to avoid those times of being unmotivated and at a lack for inspiration. Never beat yourself up too much if it isn’t coming to you, that magical idea will show up somewhere.  I am now finding that if I let myself just imagine and dream of new ideas that I can find something interesting and new.

Thanks so much for talking to us today Nick!

You can check out so much more of Nicholas’ work online:

flickr

website

blog

Photography is my main passion in life. So when I was assigned the task of finding young & talented photographers from around the world, I was very excited. I have a specific style of photography that I favor over others, but I tried to be completely unbiased to the images that I was finding online, so that I could find people that appealed to everyone.

Luckily for me one of the photographers that I had come across a couple of months ago has an aesthetic that I am in love with, and she was easy to contact through email. Even more fortunate was the fact that she is super friendly, and was willing to answer a few of our questions.

I love when artists have a studious attitude about their work, and don’t think that they have everything figured out. Even though Sandra is super talented, she is still focusing on learning new things and evolving her work into the body of work that she wants it be. My biggest pet peeve is when people think they know everything there is to know, because in reality there is no end to learning. Let’s see what the 20-year old London based photographer, Sandra Gorska, has to say…

Hey Sandra. Thanks for letting me interview you today! I just have a few questions:

The first thing I was wondering is how has living in London affected your art?

Living in london has opened up my eyes to different kinds of photography. I’ve learned how to get out of my comfort zone and try different stuff instead of photographing beautiful models all the time. My main goal is to grow as a portrait/fashion photographer, but I think it’s important to have an interest in other stuff too to grow as an artist and to make stories. In London there are so many beautiful exhibitions, different people and different cultures and that pushed me to understand and define different types of photography.

What is your biggest inspiration (over all)?

I don’t think that I have one big overall inspiration. The simplest object, piece of clothing or even shape and colour can bring an idea to my head.

Where do you want to see your work taking you? What is your biggest goal?

My biggest goal right now is to get published in a magazine and do test shoots for a decent model agency. At the moment I’ve been concentrating on my studies (foundation degree in photography) which is extremely time consuming and hectic, and now it’s the right time to build up a decent portfolio and put words into action. However, I think that I finally need to grow some confidence to actually do something that will get me there.

What is your biggest pet-peeve, in the entire world?

Oh, there are so many, but as this is a photography related interview… I will never understand why people are crazy about how many likes they get on their photography page. It drives me nuts when someone writes ”800 likes! but i want 1,000 ” why? It’s something I will never understand. People should be thankful that someone actually appreciates their art, not complain about numbers and statistics. It’s ok to thank, but not to complain. At the end of the day numbers don’t matter, what matters is if you get an email from that one person that can get you published.

Thanks so much for answering our questions Sandra. You can check more out Sandra’s work online on her flickr or her facebook page.