Inspired by the unexpected beauty of an overgrown lot and low sunlight, Los Angeles-based photographer and filmmaker Chantal Anderson captures the translucency and sensuality of Volume 11 in motion. Lit with the afternoon sun, organic shades of silk and organza move with the body through walled and floral gardens.
In conversation with KAMPERETT, Anderson discusses her inspirations, fabrics, and the role of light and clean air.
How would you describe your creative work and some of your chief inspirations?
I am constantly moved by what feels simultaneously mundane and revelatory: Light crawling across a bookshelf for the first time in a year because the sun has shifted lower in the sky; catching a gaze from your lover’s eyes that you’ve never seen before. I try to continue looking deeply at what’s around me, in spite of familiarity or boredom.
Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind your photo story?
I was actually inspired by a patch of eight-foot-tall hollyhocks I noticed next to an empty parking lot. The organza immediately made me think of my friend Layna Vancauteren who is a beautiful model, dancer, and stylist—and modeled this story. I knew she would be able to carry the pieces in a way where movement could be explored and experimented with.
What role does light play in your work?
Light is the foundation for me, everything is built upon how the light will be in each frame.
Movement?
I’m interested in the minutia of gesture and how the slightest change can make or break an image, in reality or in story. It’s something I’m constantly studying and looking out for.
When shooting fashion, what are some of the elements of a garment you look for in considering a shot?
I’m interested in how the piece falls or floats, how the pattern (or lack of pattern) looks in motion, and of course, color often informs the location and who will wear the piece.
What do you look for in fabrics you wear in your own life?
On the everyday: comfort and good tailoring! Thing that are minimal but have enough of a shape to make them feel out of the ordinary.
Is there anything unique about California light that you find interesting?
In the wintertime, when the sun is low in the sky for most of the day, the light and the air is cleaner than usual. The light feels very special here. I love being here to witness the way the light changes throughout the year. Coming from the Pacific Northwest where I would sometimes go months without a sunset, most days, I’m grateful to see the sun at all.