Dillion Richardson & Ellie Rich: Fashion as Art
CALEB SCHAFTLEIN,
1. Could you please give us a little introduction and tell us about your first experience with photography? Who or what inspired you to begin photography?
We both had different beginnings in photography. There isn’t ‘who’ or ‘what’ that prompted our journey through photography, more so the desire to capture the beauty that surrounds us, telling a story with every moment. It’s so mesmerizing: people, places, things, and all the intricate details that coexist together in one moment that can be frozen in stills from the movie we call life.
2. From your point of view, what are the most difficult aspects of professional photography?
Every project brings its own set of challenges that we must overcome, however, we welcome them as part of the journey. We would say that from the artistic side nothing is difficult if you are experienced enough and eager enough to take on another challenge. We love what we do and we do what we love, so complex, demanding, and daring projects are most appreciated. Something that might be a bit more tiring for creative minds is to deal with the business aspect of professional photography.
3. As the experts you are, what distinguishes your work from others, and what are the keys to mastering photography?
We genuinely love to create. Time spent through not only hard but smart work is what creates mastery. Having the perspective to always learn and grow with every project allows us to transcend far beyond what an obstinant mind could imagine. We want to better ourselves every day we can and exercising our creative minds while still implementing the fundamentals allows us to do this.
4. What type of models do you prefer to shoot with? Why?
Every person is interesting and uniquely beautiful. We love to work with people from all over the world as we can always learn something from every individual we encounter. It is definitely easier and more enjoyable to work with clients who know what they want and can paint it with words. It helps us to create custom-tailored projects that would include all of the elements that are important for our clients.
5. Are there any other photographers you look up to? Who?
We draw inspiration from many photographers, although none in particular. One stand out, in a genre we don’t necessarily specialize in would be WithLuke. He is a landscape photographer who utilizes light and mild color tones very well. He is one of those artists who are capable of seeing all of the beauty of this world in detail and presents it from a perfect point of view.
6. Can you walk us through your planning process for this photoshoot and how you went about conducting it?
The photos from the desert of Dubai are inspired by the idea of capturing fashion in motion. When we felt the force of the wind, we decided to go with the flow instead of trying to fight it for more classic photos. Strong and uncontrolled gusts of the wind, flowing silk from the dress Ellie created and dance alike posing did the trick. We followed the same logic while shooting on the wing of the plane. Nature lent us a hand in art creation.
Stylist & Model & Fashion & Cr Dir: Ellie Rich @ellierich_artistry Photographer: Dillon Richardson @dillonfilmphoto
When planning a photoshoot we start by getting to know our client and laying out all of the details of the project they have in mind. We tend to help lead their ideas in a direction that brings their vision to life. During the photo shoot, we provide all the assistance they may need, whether it is posing, brainstorming, etc.
7. What are your upcoming projects and what are your goals for the future?
We have plenty of upcoming projects in 2022, from Fine Art High-End Fashion photo sessions to weddings and events. As we both are models and photographers, we also initiate and implement a lot of creative projects ourselves.
We prefer to speak about achievements – not goals, so we would prefer our plans and next steps to be wrapped in mystery.
