newton creek

today we've successfully launched location photography season 2009!

despite of the gloomy weather forecast we decided to take the risk. location was chosen more then a year ago and carefully preserved until the right moment.. right moment was created by my beautiful girls - dina (wardrobe) and anetta (make-up&hair), as well as by gorgeous lisa jackson (you probably saw her at american next top model show) from major models.

our location was a hidden greenpoint's gem (so hidden that i managed to get lost driving everybody there), newton creek park at the far east end of box street. it charmed me with its minimal concrete walls of organic shapes - an unexpected piece of architectural design in the middle of nowhere. it was the perfect background to our fashion - minimal clothes of unusual shapes and neutral colors that look stunning on our 6"0 tall jamaican beauty. overcasted sky made me a big favor by serving as an oversized softbox giving the most amazing even lighting while not being too flat.

we finished just on time (again, a record - 7 looks within 3 hours) - at 4pm the downpour started, but we were already driving back to my studio to have delicious polish food bought for all of us by anetta. a little bit of red wine, a friendly chat & laughs about our adventures today, and we are all saying goodbye to get some rest before tomorrow's shoot.. but that will be another story.

weird beauty

last weekend i've attended ICP's exhibition "weird beauty" devoted to contemporary fashion photography with a twist.

it was great to see many of my favorite editorials (alas&piggot, steven klein, steven meisel, hedi slimane, nick knight, tim walker, paolo roversi - among others) on the wall in the striped sequence. almost none of them were new to me but it was great to refresh the memory and see it altogether united by one theme, revealing some kind of pattern. curator's selection was questionable sometimes - there were lots of pretty images (steven meisel's pastel color story for vogue italia, for example) that didn't have anything "weird" about them. i also think that lots of great editorials were omitted without any particular reason. i wish they included some less famous names who have a lot to say on the subject matter. for example, i was missing chadwick tyler's nightmarish creations, or gray scott's dreamy sets, eugenio recuenco's carefully staged and retouched horror fairy tales..at the same time steven klein on its own could take over the whole exhibition space with almost each of his shoots.
way more i enjoyed the second room with "this is NOT a fashion photograph" exhibition, as well as downstairs retrospect on edward steichen who's precise and very graphic compositions combined with immaculate lighting created magic on the pages of vogue several decades ago.
the exhibition is up for this weekend only. rush to see it!

H for Hair

shooting a pure hair story today with a classic trio - blond (jae), brunette (tianna), and redhead (samantha) - all from major models.

make-up by amazing rebecca casciano (it was my first time working with rebecca, and i am definitely looking forward for more) & magic hair by linh nguyen (it's a shame this artist doesn't have a website.. such a talent!)

the girls were very sweet (can't say the same about my cat fidel who was misbehaving a lot today) and i think we all had fun. we also beat the time record - 6 haute-couture looks within 4 hours! amazing. can't wait to show you the result!

all about eve

style by dina yassin
make-up by anetta klemens
hair by sato taeko
model: olga (FORD)

please visit beauty section at nymfea.com for more

new portfolio

last week i picked up my new portfolio books (11x14 and 9x12) from house of portfolios. first time they did the placement of my logo was wrong, but now i'm pretty happy with everything. i especially like the way red color is "hiding" inside - the silverish grey cover looks minimal and discreet only until you open the book...

red has always been my favorite color. it's a color of passion, sensual yet strong. it has personality but also goes well with other colors. neutral grey is a good companion, i think. not as harsh and definite as black.

another important element of design in my corporate identity is transparency. i mean literally. i like see-through, clear materials with a little bit of frost or just slightly muted. like plastic they used to make my business cards. it's very practical indeed - you can even wash your jeans with my card in the pocket, or drop it into your martini by mistake. weather proof, washable, lightweight. and apart from that, you can create your own design with it by placing the card on top of different materials, layering and mixing colors. it's clean and ambiguous at the same time.

astali guns&bullets

sunday was a pleasant day to do jewelry shopping in soho - i started at sample sale of dinasaur jewelry (we just shot a beauty story using their colorful beads and bangles), then walked along street vendors with their hidden gems, and ended up at young designers market on mulberry. there i met shannon de jong, astali jewlery designer who's creating bold stylish pieces using toy guns and bullets casings. i couldn't resist and got myself the whole set - two necklaces that can be layered together and a chunky bracelet. LOVE it! hope to use their designs in my upcoming fashion shoots.

dina yassin

i want to introduce you to my good friend and amazing wardrobe stylist dina yassin. i met her half a year ago on behance networking party. we decided to meet for a cup of coffee in williamsburg - and a week later were shooting our first story. since then there were lots - inlcluding 3 cover stories, 2 celebrity shoots, and trip to LA. and more to come!

dina radiates energy. her laughs are making any shoot go at ease. she is focused, persistent, ambitious, and very talented. i know she will go far and i am happy to be part of the process. please follow up on her interview with ROUGE magazine (may issue).

heels to die for

when i see heels like that it makes me miss my office past and russian notorious "stiletto culture". now i can not afford wearing those in my every day running-around-carrying-heavy equipment life. but instead i can photograph them on skinny long-legged girls - and make you drool.

by DSQUARED2

color fusion

please see studio portfolio at www.juliapogodina.com

new york models

yesterday i had a go-see at new york models and discovered two gorgeous red-heads i'd love to shoot with. meet camille & lindsay. i hope to show you the way i see them soon.