MA in Fashion Film and Photography Students Talk About Shooting for a Brand + Storytelling

Dhruvin Shah and Alma Rosaz, students in the MA in Fashion Film and Photography, share their impressions of shooting for a brand for the first time, as well as the added value of storytelling in photography.

What did you learn during the class project for the brand and PCA partner Tsumori Chisato?

Dhruvin: I had never worked with a brand, so it made me aware of what it is like to work with specific aesthetic constraints imposed by another artist. I learned a lot about the brand’s aesthetics and values, as well as how to incorporate them with my own style to create a series of work.
Alma: The experience was challenging, it was the first time I was shooting for a designer, with my own concept, instead of just being there to photograph the models. I feel like it made me more aware of the importance of the clothes themselves. I do see progress in the way I work since I started the MA program, for example, working with Tsumori Chisato’s clothes made me add colors to my personal projects!

Do you see a difference in the way you create since you started attending the course “Storytelling” with Lily Templeton?

Dhruvin: Writing before shooting helps to navigate the story, it provides me the next direction for my work. Before studying at PCA and taking this course, my photos did not have a narrative: I was good with technique, or with commercial photography, but now I express myself.
Alma: Our faculty push us to tell stories in all our photo projects: I have always shot “pretty” and spontaneously, so building a narrative and a storyboard is a real challenge. I am learning a lot also from the other students, who each bring a different background and experience to the mix.