We’re so smitten with this image of our Australian Fashion Week show – Activewear launch this past April. Photographer Jay Patel captured ballerina Juliett Burnett in the opening of our show so beautifully, really capturing the warm up, the cadence and the flexibility of our fit girls.
Don’t forget you can also listen to & download to our activewear soundtrack from the here: It is the perfect length for a short 15 min workout with warm up.
One of my fave moments and shots from our recent trip to Thailand and Kata Rocks Hotel.
After a long 4 days shooting our campaigns, we dined as the sun set on another brilliant shoot.
Within the majestic landscape of Cambodia, photographer Hannah Roche set out on a fisherman’s boat with two fresh faces to make magic. Nearly capsizing a few times, interacting with the locals and taking in the beautiful surrounds, Hannah and her handsome babes (who had never modelled before..can you believe it!?) represented what it is to be a WAH girl; fit, fun, travel inspired and embracing of culture.
Follow Hannah on Instagram @hanro and see more of her talent here.
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This week I’m excited to share the art of a visual artist who we’re big fans of. Katherine Gaskin is potentially more obsessed with summer than we are, and her colourful, sun-soaked photography and edits always have us wanting for more.
We asked her to take some of my unedited #neverendingsummer instagram shots and make them her own, as well as finding out a little bit more about her. I highly encourage you to check out her work and tumblr page.
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Katherine Gaskin and I’m a graphic/web designer with a serious case of wanderlust. I started my own freelance business Salty Pineapple two years ago and haven’t looked back since. Now that I can work remotely, I enjoy travelling, soaking up as much creative inspiration as I can and sharing my tropical adventures on Instagram.
What’s your motto?
Live your greatest life.
Are you actually obsessed with Pineapples?
Is that even a real question? Ha. YES. When I named my business Salty Pineapple back in 2010, I never knew it would grow into such a crazed obsession. The pineapple has become a constant reminder to always follow your dreams, keep pushing forward and do it all with a big, fat smile on your face. It also reminds me of warm tropical climates, tastes delicious, has tons of nutritional benefits, is a very geometrical fruit…I could go on. I mean have you ever seen a baby pineapple?
What artists/designers do you love?
Signalnoise (James White) – If you like hot pink neon things then look no further. Aside from his strong artistic talents, his career path continues to encourage me to push for my goals, stay creative and never forget to enjoy the journey.
Goldfish Kiss (Rebekah Steen) – Ultimate beach blogger and graphic designer. She’s the kind of person you want to be friends with without even knowing her and epitomizes “being your brand”.
Eric Cahan – When I first laid eyes on Eric’s stunning photography of sunset and sunrise gradients it took me a bit to pick my jaw off the floor. Check them out and you’ll see why.
Matt French – In this new age of mobile photo apps, Matt French’s edits of landscapes and portraits on Instagram are a great source for my daily inspiration.
Ocean Ave (JP) – Unique, beach-inspired hand lettering and design. JP is awesome and I relate to him on a creative level as a fellow designer and pineapple lover.
Favourite summer destination?
Anywhere with waves, the ocean, sand and sunshine. Hawaii has definitely stolen a piece of my heart, but I love the thrill and excitement of new adventures and new beaches.
What’s in your beach bag?
A teeny bikini, coconut oil for tanning/sun protection/after sun/moisturizer, lip balm with SPF, GoPro + Nikon DSLR for snapping pics, a sarong for laying on the beach and a pineapple of course!
“It’s pronounced Moldeeves…or paradise” was the response I got when I first landed on the island and even though, out of habit I still refer to it with more of a maal and diives, that gentleman was absolutely correct about the second part, paradise it is! All that you know about The Maldives being idyllic & picturesque is absolutely true and then some!
As I sit here and reminisce over our glorious week of ‘workationing’, the first thing I’m struck with, is how much I miss it. But yes of course you’re thinking, ‘why wouldn’t you’?!
Well, we live a few hundred meters away from the ocean, so that’s not that part I miss. What has me wistful is the complete serenity, the total lack of cars, the smiling faces, the rainbow of ocean blues and an unhurried schedule the island moves to. That’s what I miss the most.
In a world that has become so small, and interconnected, the Maldives is still very much uncharted territory by the masses – it retains it’s elusiveness through it’s remoteness. It took us almost 24 hours of traveling to reach Ayada from Sydney, but unlike all the other times I’eve traveled that kind of distance, I woke up to the sounds of the ocean lapping below us, threw open the doors to an endless turquoise and cobalt ocean and shared a moment with a turtle we named Roger, who was not even 3 meters from our (over-sea) hammock. Roger just bobbed his head in a knowing way, while I marveled at all that was before me.
The island of Maguhdhuvaa is located 30KM’s from the Equator and so far from civilization that you can’t help but feel like you’re a modern day Robinson Crusoe. Except where Crusoe had to fashion his shelter, scrounge for food and occupy himself so as not to go mad, at Ayada, your shelter is a 5 star suite or villa with a private infinity pool, the food is varied and excellently prepared and occupying yourself is the furthest thing from your mind.
Traversing the entire island will take you approximately 20 minutes or you could have your butler chauffeur you in a golf cart to and from your meals and massages. We, however, chose for most of our time to ride the island’s simple white bicycles, peddling our way through palm tree lined avenues and down boardwalks suspended over a coral reef teeming with all manner of fish, reef sharks and sea life.
Incredibly, 99% of the Maldives comprises of water and at no point in the Maldives are you above sea level by an average of 1.5m, but I don’t think at any point on our ‘workation’ were we further from the water by that same distance! The azure hues of the water are like nothing any of us had ever seen before, the spectrum of colours are almost like a painting, perfect and clear and never-ending.
When one heads to a tropical island you are generally accompanied by your nearest and dearest, in this case Jem and I we’re joined by four of ours, and having done so we would highly recommend turning this romantic destination on it’s head and making it a friends-in-tow getaway. Where, as a couple you may lounge by the pool, sip your cocktails, read a book or two and just ease into relaxation. We spent a lot of the time laughing together, mastering our jumps off the infinity pools edge (shhh don’t tell Ayada), biking from one side of the island to the other and and topped it all off with couples massages for all at Ayada’s fully equipped spa retreat.
For a couple of days we ventured off the resort and took a jet boat trip over to neighbouring islands and sand banks where we explored rough terrain, met up with Roger’s buddies while snorkeling a reef drop off that spanned at least 3 KM’s. We also got into the spirit of it all and kayaked half the way round the island, well Margo and I kayaked – the boys occupied themselves with taking photo’s of us and everything around us. We also spent some time surfing one of the Maldives infamous over-reef breaks and then back to Ayada in time for a hearty afternoon lunch.
Since arriving home, oddly enough everyone has asked us about the food and we can absolutely say it was plentiful and sumptuous. Tuna is the Maldives 2nd main source of income (after tourism) and happily it is in abundance on the island. The sashimi lovers in our group we’re so spoilt with the freshest tuna we’ve ever tasted! On our last night we had a celebratory dinner at the Mediterranean themed restaurant Ocean’s Breeze, like everything else on the island it’s all focused on the ocean and as we sat on the deck watching the sunset and the lights of the bungalows twinkle onto the water, the food just did not stop arriving – we we’re quite literally drowning in excellently prepared and presented sea fare. The standout was the scallops, they were soft and buttery and, well, simply the best scallops I’ve ever had.
Ayada offers a varied array of accommodation, from a beachside villa or suite and of course the quintessential over water bungalow, and having now experienced this slice of bungalow life, I don’t know how I will ever be able to stay in a villa that doesn’t’t have a glass bottom lounge room to watch as the underwater world swims by, or for that matter doesn’t have an infinity pool that stretches over and into an endless blue. I have been totally spoilt by the vistas and serenity of Ayada.
Every suite and villa island-wide has a private pool (of course) and so we found that through the day most of the guests chose to vacation in their secluded spaces – who wouldn’t’t! Which left the main pool area, swim up pool bar and restaurant, well, quiet – which is an absolute first for any resort I’ve ever been to and we relished the opportunity to do some lazy laps and partake in a couple of in-pool cocktails!
As the term ‘workation’ implies it wasn’t all long lunches, sashimi, cocktails and working on our tans. Our team we’re there to shoot our Pre Fall campaign, which will be released in Mid-May and I say without hesitation that it is the best campaign yet. So much so, we’re having a very tough time choosing from the thousands upon thousands of images we created, but this is the best problem to have after any campaign shoot.
The Ayada team went above and beyond and catered to all our needs, and then some, our model Margo celebrated her birthday with us on the island and the the staff marked the event with a cake and a song! There’s one thing for certain, besides the tan lines and endless memories, the Maldives has left an indelible mark on us all.
Lately I’ve been experimenting with different processes within my iPhone, and the myriad of photography apps I have downloaded over the past few years.
I’ve found some great processes and colours (usually completely by accident) and have really enjoyed the results thus far. In case you missed it, last month I gave my top ten tips on how to take unforgettable photos with your phone camera – you can read the article on Harpers Bazaar.
In preparation for our next trip to the magical lands of Africa, I’m reminded today of some of the amazing sights and sounds from our last trip in 2012.
Below is a very small selection of some of my favourite shots from that trip. All shot and edited in my iPhone – for lots more go follow @wearehandsome on Instagram!
We are excited to present the next installment of The Handsome Project. Each month we’ll showcase an amazing young photographer who blows our minds, shoots our stuff and is all together fantastic. Read on to see the rest of Amanda & Chris’ WAH photoshoot and interview…
What was the concept of the shoot?
Chris and I have worked together this year creating images focused on our pure love for the outdoors. When we came together to create some images for We Are Handsome, we were very conscious in our intentions to focus on using bold, saturated tones, as well as capturing and preserving the underlying core essence of the We Are Handsome brand. The sweeping beaches, sheltered coves and raw headlands surrounding Sydney proved the perfect backdrop against which to juxtapose dominant, physical lines with the vibrant tones and streamlined details of the swimwear pieces.
Tell us a bit about yourselves?
AB: I have been involved in sport since the age of 3 and have always had a passion for healthy and active living. My background in gymnastics and athletics led me to find pole vault, where I represented Australia at the World University Games in Belgrade in 2009 and the Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010. Chris and I actually met because of athletics!
Following the games in Delhi I had plans to prepare for the Olympic Games in London. In 2011 I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue, which forced me to retire from pole vault. This turned my life around and for a long while I felt lost.
In the last year I have really focused on living the most happy, healthy and active life possible. A year ago I found yoga (a form of exercise that could help my chronic fatigue symptoms), which has really helped me in my transition into normal life after being an elite athlete for so many years. I have also taken the time to educate myself about nutrition and food and have discovered how important this is for our health and wellbeing.
I am now a pole vault coach at the Western Australian Institute of Sport. I absolutely love it, it allows me to pass on my knowledge and see athletes master their skill and fulfill their dreams in sport. For my own well being I love keeping active and I try to do as many different sports and exercises as I can. I am involved in running the Perth Nike Run Club every week, which I combine with yoga, strength training, bike riding, surfing, gymnastics and anything else that comes my way.
I really believe variety in life is essential, and this applies to everything including food, exercise, mental stimulation and social experiences. We need a balance and I try to channel this through my pictures on my instagram and facebook accounts. The work Chris and I have done in recent months has really captured some amazing moments.
CL: I had a pretty active childhood, you would have found me on the monkey bars, the tennis court, rugby field or on the athletics track. I found a talent for running at high school and was lucky enough to compete at national level for a few years. I dabbled in rugby for a few seasons, but I returned to running after getting belted by overweight forwards a few more times than I enjoyed.
I traversed the traditional route after school and studied finance and accounting at university. I worked in the corporate world for close to a decade, but eventually left it in the rear view mirror to pursue full time commercial, advertising photography. Creating something that matters and chasing things you love ultimately proved more important to me.
The athletics community is fairly tight-knit in Australia, I met up with Amanda earlier this year to collaborate and decided to work together long-term to build a platform to help and inspire others. I love her positive attitude to everything, and it’s been an easy partnership.
What is your photography history Chris?
CL: I had my start in photography at an early age. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been surrounded by cameras. I was born in the 80’s, we were the last of the film generation, long before the internet had arrived and mobile camera technology was the norm. I carried my camera everywhere, before you could be labelled a trendy hipster. I found I always had a point-and-shoot lying at the bottom of my track bag and would snap candids at the running track, eventually progressing to the competition arena. Many of my friends were sponsored athletes, and I began shooting images off the beaten path, travelling to remote locations with the specific intention to chase and create unique and captivating images. My work began being published in print and online, and a number of shoe and apparel companies began noticing my work.
I dabbled on the internet in the late 90’s, I taught myself how to code at the age of 11. The advent of social media, mobile communication and web 2.0 have been powerful vehicles with which to transport my images and voice across the globe. The raw image will always make my heart beat faster, and I’ve always been big on producing and sharing interesting and unique content, and helping others in the industry.
What makes you tick?
AB: Being around wonderful people. My family and friends give me energy and make me happy. If you are surrounded by positive, motivating and inspirational people it is really contagious and you have no other option but to feel amazing.
CL: I love the collaborative and the creative process. I’m a strong advocate of shooting personal work, images that you’re passionate about, with no underlying agenda, client or creative directive. Everyone owns a camera and is a photographer these days, and it’s an amazing time for the industry, but being unique will set you apart from everyone else in the industry and lets you stand out from the crowd.
Where to next?
AB: Chris and I have a great friendship and we really enjoy working together. There are definitely plans to continue our work and to just keep discovering new and exciting concepts. Each time we come together I feel like our images are better than the time before so I can’t wait to see what the future holds!
I am also currently developing a website with my partner to share my knowledge and experience of health and exercise. Chris’ images will definitely be a centerpiece and these will be combined with a blog and compilation of food, fitness, wellbeing and motivation. I want to show people that healthy and active living doesn’t need to be boring and that it can be achievable through simple changes.
Photography: Chris Lew
Model: Amanda Bisk
We are excited to present the next installment of The Handsome Project. Photographer Jill Wright and her team constructed a story the likes of which we haven’t seen from a project shoot before. Shot in 3 locations across Queensland in 1 busy day, the results are an exercise in finding focus in the chaos that surrounds us.
Each month we’ll showcase an amazing young photographer who blows our minds, shoots our stuff and is all together fantastic.
Read on to see the rest of Jill’s WAH photo shoot and interview…
We are excited to present the next installment of The Handsome Project. Each month we’ll showcase an amazing young photographer who blows our minds, shoots our stuff and is all together fantastic. Continue reading
There’s no denying that we love our animals at We Are Handsome, so when we came across these photo-manipulations by Christopher Meyer, we couldn’t help but have a little chuckle. Happy Friday!
See more of his fantastic work here: http://www.behance.net/kriz