MIRAZ
Unveiling GMARO Magazine July 2024 Issue #36 with the radiant Mia Zeko gracing the cover, captured by the talented Stella Mesic! Dive into Stella's world in an exclusive interview where she shares her journey from a fashion design background to becoming a renowned fashion photographer. Discover her passion for blending light, location, and design to bring fashion to life in every shot.
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Photographer - Stella Mesic @partsofthesun
Cover Model - Mia Zeko @miazeko
Fashion Designer - Ines Baric @inesbaric4
Makeup Artist - Marija Soldo @marrisol.beauty
What inspired you to pursue a career in fashion photography?
I actually come from a design background. I graduated high school as a fashion designer and wanted to pursue career in fashion, but ended up majoring art history. Through all the years of college, my passion for fashion never went away. Shooting fashion is like becoming a part of the process with the clothes and the design. You get to give your own vibe with the location, light and edit which makes the design come to life in the images. A lot of materials are so hard to translate into the digital, so you have to make a huge effort to stay true to the fabric, while at the same time creating a photo that’s both your style and the designer’s vision. I’m not a big fan of fashion world in a sense of trends, celebrities and similar. What I love most about it is a chance to work with amazing designers who absolutely love what they do and give you freedom to do your part because they love your photography. And I just love clothes.
How do you find inspiration for your photo shoots?
When I create my own concepts, inspiration usually comes from words. Song lyrics, books, quotes, lines from a movie etc. I love visualising ideas that are thought forms into a photo because of the difference in the mediums. But I like to keep an open mind when it comes to inspiration. Sometimes the ideas come from a couch commercial, other times when I see a sign at the supermarket or on Pinterest, art books and similar. Everything around us can be a source of inspiration. We just have to learn to observe and absorb. And I always carry a notebook with me in which I write down all my ideas for a shoot, because I believe that if I don’t catch the idea, someone else will.
What projects are you currently working on, and what can we expect to see from you next?
This time last year I’ve opened up a photography studio in my hometown, but since I spent most of my days traveling for work, I didn’t have enough time or energy to dedicate myself into making my studio a creative heaven as I imagined it to be. Soon I’ll be hosting workshops for locals that are into fashion, portrait and commercial photography, transferring my knowledge on to people who are in love with photography the same way I am and I’m so excited to share that passion with others. There are also a few upcoming editorials for bigger clients which I’m also very happy to start, but I think my favorite project will be establishing a shop for prints. That way all my digital work can finally be physical and people can hang it up on the wall like a real work of art.
What is your favorite type of fashion photography (e.g., editorial, runway, street style)?
Editorials are my favorite. The reason is probably because of the storytelling part of the shoot. Every collection has a story and I love sitting down with the designers and learning about what inspired them to make it. That gives me so many ides into how we can use their inspiration and translate it into a “movie” made out of photos.
What role does lighting play in your photography, and how do you manage it?
Ah I love this question because my art name is actually Parts of the Sun, which tells you a lot about how important light is in my work. When I host workshops I talk about light for 2 hours straight before we move on to the next part of image creation. You can have most amazing clothes, location, make up etc., but without proper use of light, your photos will just look bad. And the same goes in other direction; you can have the most unappealing subject, like for example a trash can, and when you shoot it in good light, it’s art.
I love shooting in natural light, mainly around 2 or 3pm because I love harsh shadows and contrasts. Most photographers run away from those conditions, but I love the challenge. Besides that I have my own studio and use Profoto B1X lights which are my best friends when winter comes. My favorite light positioning is the Rembrandt light because it gives enough depth while at the same time keeping the details and drama.
What is your approach to capturing the essence of a fashion brand in your photographs?
As I already mentioned, I love sitting down with the designers and listening to their story behind the collection or the brand in general if I’m working with a new client. I like to research what makes their essence true to them and create a moodboard which gives them insight into how I see their brand.
For example, the designer Ines Barić, whose designs are in the photos, is my colleague for years and I’ve shot over 5 editorials for her. She’s all about recycling old materials, ethno design, cultural heritage of her country and rich fabrics. And all editorials we did together can be exhibited side by side no matter the time gap in which we shot them. I create my own presets and adjust them according to the client so when a client is with me in the long run, there’s a coherence in the style of photos and their edit combined with freshness and newness of our growth through years.
How do you ensure that your work stands out in a competitive industry?
I’ve been noticing that a lot of creators are blindly following trends, even if it costs them their own creativity. Trends are great and I also take new things into my process if I find they resonate with me, but standing out in an industry that’s so competitive means staying true to yourself. Authenticity is always favoured when it comes to serious brands. I always imagine having a few of my photos from different concepts or editorials next to a few from other photographers, and I know that by the way I compose and edit them, you could pick them out and say; “Same person made these”. That’s how I know I’m staying true to my creations and standing out.
What role does post-production play in your final images?
Post-production is the part in which I take an image and turn it into a work of art. Colour palette I use in my photos is something I’ve been working on for years. I rarely shoot black and white because I love how color makes the image come to life, so I take inspiration from black and white photography in a way it makes emotions the first thing you see on a photo and try to transfer that principle into my work in colour. I use exclusively my own presets that I’ve been developing for years and spend a lot of time retouching the skin on models because I want to achieve a clean look while at the same time keeping it light and natural. It’s also a time in which I allow myself to contemplate over the photos and make notes of the things I would do better the next time I shoot.
How important is it to have a signature style, and how did you develop yours?
Having your own signature style is the most important thing ever, because as I already mentioned, it makes your work stand out in world dominated by mass production of images. Today, everybody who has a camera can call themselves a photographer, and even though we are blessed through shooting digital, we stop being intentional with how we compose our photos because we can shoot a thousand photos and then pick out the best. Having your own style means developing a vision of how you want your photos to look even before you go out to shoot.
Before I actually started booking clients, I had a clear vision about what my style is and how my final photos will look. And I managed to do that because I spent years, and I’m not even kidding, years, looking at artworks, paintings, sculptures, photographs, scrolling through Tumblr and Pinterest and saving up every single thing that made me think “Oh I can make a concept out of this”. And then you just start taking photos of the things you fall in love with. When you know what you love, you will make yourself learn how to get it.
Can you describe your creative process from concept to final image?
When I see something that sparks my imagination I take a photo or a screenshot or write it down in my notebook. After that I expand on the idea with a moodboard. Sometimes ideas are not ready to come to life, so I give them space for growth and re-visit them in a month or so. When I feel like an idea is ready to become a photo, I gather all the needed info for the shoot like; who is the model, what is the location, where will I find clothes, who will be the hair and make up artist, and make a pose reference sheet. That goes to everyone in the team so I know we’re all on the same page. When the idea is completely black on white in the moodbard and there’s no room for roaming, the shoot usually takes about 3-4 hours. I also shoot a lot of self-portraits so it’s easier when I’m the only one in the team.
After shooting comes my favorite part which is editing. That’s when the magic happens because I am very intentional with my colour palette and believe that edit can round up your image into an rel work of art; painting made with photography.
How do you handle creative blocks or periods of low inspiration?
Two years ago I fell into a creative block that lasted for months. I was so depressed I genuinely thought I will not be able to produce any new work. I think the biggest thing that triggered the block was spending too much time on social media and comparing my work with others. There’s no genuine engagement on social media anymore and when you don’t have that, you start to think your work sucks, but it doesn’t. What worked for me is going through a book by Julia Cameron called “The Artist Way” which is a 12 week recovery program for blocked artists. Also, spending a lot less time on social media, hanging out with friends and brainless activities also helps. Sometimes we just need to rest in order not to burn out. After the rest, go through your maps of inspiration and make a plan to create something every day even if it sucks. A glass of wine now and then also helps.
