In the 1980s, a bright and bold form of simple cartoon art — mostly of humans, animals, and other motifs — became a prevalent aspect of New York City graffiti. Frequent sightings could be seen on the subways, especially on empty advertising spaces that needed some temporary tenants. The art originated from the mind of Keith Haring, whose work functioned as social commentary and activism in addition to catching your eye. It was a unique form of pop art, one that could have been mistaken for ancient scribbles and drawings had they been found inside a Paleolithic cave. In that regard, it was timeless.
This past winter, Cotton On Group’s Typo, a brand offering a range of gifts, homeware, stationery, and arts and crafts, decided to raise a glass to his genius. They released an exclusive collection in his honor, featuring items from floor rugs to soccer balls displaying Haring’s iconic imagery. In addition to product photos, part of the marketing campaign required aspects of lifestyle imagery, and the man to do the job was Melbourne-based photographer Peter Tarasiuk.
In addition to the Keith Haring collection, Peter had to capture a couple of other product assortments, suiting the requirements of multiple markets for various seasons of the year.
It was an international campaign, so it had to have a different feel for different countries. Some of the shots would not be seen in Australia, and some would be released in winter in other countries. The outdoor shoot was for the Australian summer post-Christmas. The indoor shoot had two components – one was for a post-Christmas New Year’s Day recovery while the other was set for a northern hemisphere winter.
Three campaigns were rolled into one, all to be shot in September 2022, when it could be “sunny or arctic” in Melbourne. Given the capricious instincts of the natural world during that time of the year, the world’s worst topic for small talk became the most talked about topic in pre-production. To mitigate this volatile factor, the team decided to get all the photography done simultaneously.
The shoot was all done in one location. We rented a designer house in inner city Melbourne that had a backyard and a pool. It was tight with all the crew and props, and we used almost every spot in the house. Working conditions were great. In such an intimate space, we had to move people and furniture around constantly. It’s a good way to get to know people!
Peter and the team used the same models across all three campaigns, an accommodation that lent itself to more efficiency on set. The first images were taken in the morning, outdoors by the pool. Peter was tasked with making it feel like a summer afternoon in January (Australian summer, that is), so his biggest challenge was the light: adjusting for daylight and avoiding any horrific scenarios when setting up lights close to water. It was also the early stage of the shoot when everyone was a bit jittery, but the photographer adopted an approach that matched the client’s persona.
Typo is a fun brand aimed at the youth market. It’s colorful and vibrant. To make sure it was captured accurately, we had to keep the vibe light and positive. I like to direct talent like actors and give them a character to play. For example, “You’re at a party with your friends the day after Christmas” or “You’ve had a big night, and now you’re recovering on the couch with your buddy.” That seems to work pretty well and gets me in the right headspace, too.
Off-camera shenanigans also helped lighten the mood. Each subsequent take didn’t involve fresher food for the models, so they munched on treats that grew colder by the minute, especially for the Australian summer set outdoors. The team also kept passing prop beers to an underage model, a mistake that was corrected once their age came to light. But even with the sunniest of times on set, Pete found a hint of doubt lingering around.
On this shoot, it was a “trust your gut” moment for me. I feel like I’m still recovering from almost two years of being unable to work due to Covid. My confidence was still a little low, and I felt out of practice. I was second-guessing myself. It took a couple of hours to realize I knew exactly what I was doing and that I can do it well. Trust yourself.
Second guessing eventually gave way to second nature. Much like the hundreds of times Haring picked up a brush during his lifetime, Peter’s been behind the camera on just as many occasions. He just needed a reminder. That was all.
See more of Peter’s work on his website.
Credits
Head Art Director: Jeremy St. Quentin
Art Director: Genevieve Camilleri
Senior Stylist: Aaron Patterson
Stylist: Alethea Stirrat
Producer: Paige Wilton
Coordinator: Alice Trow
Socials: Meg de Jong / Emily Brown
Talent: Rusty, Olivia, Ben, Jenny
Videographer: Patrick Franco
Assistant: Laura-May Grogan
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