Some people may ask, “Why PATTERN?” but I ask myself, “Why not?”
When people hear the words “I live in Indiana,” they may think about fields of corn and the Amish country. But inside Indianapolis, there’s a whole world to explore.
PATTERN has introduced me to that world. Through my experience at PATTERN, I discovered designers, photographers, and artists who are in the creative community. I’ve learned about collaborating as a photographer. I was introduced to Indy-based fashion brands when shooting editorials or shooting flatlays for PATTERN’s social media. One of my favorite takeaways from this experience was the ability to form and develop connections. The opportunity to communicate with others who are currently in the field of work that I am wanting to pursue has allowed me to have questions answered not only for my career, but also for life in general.
Before PATTERN, I studied fashion styling and creative direction for three years, which allowed me to learn how to work with photographers when collaborating for editorials. This internship allowed me to trade in styling for a focus on photography, giving me a chance to discover what it is like to work with others from a photographer’s perspective. Everyone was very welcoming and encouraging!
Learning to collaborate with others was very eye-opening for me. The PATTERN internship provided multiple connections with different model agencies such as Lmodelz and Wings Model Management. Because of these connections, we were able to cast the models we needed for our editorials. Being at PATTERN made me realize I want to pursue a career in photography specializing in editorial work and model shoots.
During my PATTERN internship, I shot two editorials. One was in the studio and the other was shot outside of PATTERN. The first one was inspired by an Italian filmmaker named Feredico Fellini. I got to work with Emily, one of the styling interns. We wanted the styling to emulate the surrealistic aesthetic of Fellini. The shots we got were amazing, but we actually ended up changing the idea to an Italian summer aesthetic.
After the photoshoot, I collaborated with the graphic design intern Gab about making a booklet that incorporated cool, surrealistic graphics into the pictures. Gab made my dream come true with the graphics in the booklet.
The second editorial I shot was one Emily presented called Most of the Moment. It was a wild aesthetic with different patterns and colors put together. The concept of the editorial was to show chaos in the styling but still make it burst with color. The model acts in her own world, not caring much about what others think and staying true to herself. I enjoy shooting outside, so it was fun to see what Emily came up with style-wise.
Looking into my time at PATTERN was amazing, not only did I make friends but I gained learning experiences and found out what is the next step I need to take into becoming a fashion photographer specializing in editorial and model shoots!
