Steve Elias, master stylist and NAHA icon, get’s a behind-the-scenes perspective of Australian editorial stylist Richi Grisillo’s collection “Spectrum” in the November issue of Tantalum Magazine. Below is an excerpt of the interview:

STEVE: Can you tell us a little about the shoot for “Spectrum”?

RICHI: This was a shoot submitted for a hair awards in Australia but really was an expression of my style of hairdressing with a strong emphasis on color - from the hair to the fashion styling.

STEVE: Obviously this shoot has a heavy hair influence but it also has a fashion slant, which I find most hairdressers loose in their shoots. How do you find that balance?

RICHI: I’ve always loved the work of Aussie designers, in particular Josh Goot, who did the entire wardrobe for the shoot. I feel his work echoed what this shoot was all about; playful and energetic with a lot of structure and clean lines.

STEVE: Where do you draw you inspiration from?

RICHI: Everywhere and anything. As a colorist, a lot of organic and natural color really gets my brain ticking… from sunsets and flowers to the way water changes color makes me try and reproduce it on a medium like hair.

CLICK HERE to read the full interview with Richi Grisillo and other amazing artists in the November issue of Tantalum Magazine.

About Steve Elias

Steve Elias has more than 16 year experience as a master and editorial stylist. A nine-time nominee and two-time winner of NAHA, Steve is a guest artist for major haircare brands and a constant fixture at NYC Fashion week. See steve’s personal work at www.steveelias.com or follow his hair pages on twitter and facebook to find out about his latest editorial, classes, etc. His latest project, Tantalum Magazine, was launched in September: See it at www.tantalummag.com.

Steve Elias, master stylist and NAHA icon, sits down with photographer and designer Henryk Lobaczewski to peer inside the creative process behind his editorial collection “The Glass House”  in the latest issue of Tantalum Magazine. Below is an excerpt of the interview:

STEVE: How as the layered effect you used in “The Glass House” editorial collection achieved. Why did you decide to use that effect?

HENRYK: The shoot was a test that was last minute. All I set out to do was separate studio and woodland shots. At the retouching stage, I had to figure out how to make the two interplay together. I played with overlaying the woodlands over the plain studio shots. It turned out perfectly… like the woodlands were a reflection. A lot of my retouching is problem solving, rather than tidying or sanitizing a shot. In this case I had plain studio shots to vitalize. I usually don’t like to see anything wrong in a shot, but lately I’m consciously choosing certain imperfections to be left in. The soul in a shot is in what you leave in. An image will become soul-less if it’s too cleaned up. Now I prefer to let my photos breathe.

STEVE: Would you say you have a “style” of shooting?

HENRYK: I have been told that some of my work is advertorial, which could relate to my earlier background. But I didn’t like hearing that as I want to be a straight fashion photographer. So I’ve been working on this. I’m trying to let my photos breathe a bit more. Just letting things happen. Not contriving. I’ve learned that getting shots in between poses when the model is not directed is often when I get the best shot. However, I always try to get a beautiful, striking, and engaging shot which sometimes is not necessarily technically the ‘best’ shot. What I’ve learned is to not control things too much, bring in all the elements and let things evolve.

STEVE: What do you look for when figuring out who to use for your editorial team?

I always look for amazing talent. I don’t even care if they are hard to work with as long as they are amazing talent. A lot of people wouldn’t do that. It’s not a hindrance. I just want to do the best work. Some team members are unstoppable and we get incredible results. I love that.

CLICK HERE to read the full interview with Henryk Lobaczewski and other amazing artists in the October issue of Tantalum Magazine.

About Steve Elias

Steve Elias has more than 16 year experience as a master and editorial stylist. A nine-time nominee and two-time winner of NAHA, Steve is a guest artist for major haircare brands and a constant fixture at NYC Fashion week. See steve’s personal work at href=”http://www.steveelias.com/”>www.steveelias.com or follow his hair pages on twitter and facebook to find out about his latest editorial, classes, etc. His latest project, Tantalum Magazine, was launched in September: See it at www.tantalummag.com.