Sometimes you don’t get to decide. The idea chooses you, screaming at your creative insides until brought to the surface. For Singapore fashion photographer Shavonne Wong, the idea of photographing an astronaut and his alien surfaced and quickly propelled as she took a trip to her favorite fashion capital, New York City.
Shavonne was itching for something out-of-this-world to showcase some playful styling and knew a few creatives in New York that she wanted to collaborate with. After presenting her shoot’s vision, Shavonne’s team was immediately on board and began presenting their own insights to push the idea of an outer space feel even further.
I definitely love playing with shoots like these where there are costumes, fantasy and some story telling involved.
During the planning of the shoot, Shavonne sent her team mood boards of inspiration. From that inspiration, Shavonne’s stylist was able to plan an outer space look by pulling garments from the fashion label, Amehl, and by mixing metal tones from various jewelry designers.
The selected Amehl apparel Shavonne’s stylist used for the alien displayed a mix of smock shaped silhouettes, color blocked fabrics, and quilted stitches. The garments incorporated unconventional hardware and fastenings that provided hints of utility, creating the presence of an edgy, modern alien.
The most challenging part for the team was finding an astronaut suit. Luckily New York is full of some pretty eclectic costume shops so they eventually got their hands on one. The suit was very expensive, but Shavonne took the risk and bought the suit out of pocket.
On the day of the shoot, the weather couldn’t have been better…a mild chill and plenty of light. Shavonne’s favorite part of the project was simply being in New York with the fresh air and creative energy.
Just shooting in New York was a pleasure. Art just pours out from the streets in that city so any time I can be involved with my passion over there is such a special moment for me.
The Astronaut and His Alien has been published in No Name Magazine to great reaction. “It’s always nice to get positive feedback on my work but considering that this was my own concept, it’s that much more rewarding,” says Shavonne. She hopes that getting more exposure on these types of projects will give her more opportunities to do these kinds of shoots in the future.
To see more photography from Shavonne, visit shavonnewong.com.