In early 2013, a unique active wear line called Outdoor Voices emerged on the New York scene, bringing with it an urban, aesthetic style and an artistically designed marketing campaign. The company’s unique marketing campaign (posting film photos to its blog) has caught the attention of both commercial and fine art photographers. One such photographer, Emily Hlavac Green, was put in touch with Outdoor Voices by a friend in New York and worked with the company on a laid-back but unique photo shoot:
The inspirational blog is full of gritty, artfully-shot film work which inspired me to collaborate and shoot something for them on film.
Minimal preparation was needed for the project, requiring only a small amount of scouting in Central Park to find some good vantage points. The only true challenge was shooting with film:
Film can be costly and risky- you might get two good shots off a roll, or a whole bunch. But I feel that the flaws and imperfections give a little spontaneity back to photography. I shot digital simultaneously just in case!
While the work was for a client, Emily approached it just as she would a personal project, bringing her own aesthetics to the shoot:
Personal work underpins everything I do and think about on a daily basis. Photography. Life. The two are intrinsically tied and so it just makes sense to shoot what I feel and what is around me. In this respect, I think applying personality to commercial work is also important.
The positive response to the images has inspired Emily to continue shooting with film, as well as think about future work with Outdoor Voices.
The Outdoor Voices crew has a great collection and aesthetic. I am always interested in revisiting collaborations and seeing what can come next. Perhaps something with an even softer approach – I’d love to shoot with Polaroid.
To view more of her work, visit Emily’s site.