This was the first photo of his shot on medium format film, experimenting with the double exposure effect. Braband recalls this shoot as, “fun to do, but harder compared to digital or a smaller film.” The colors were inspired by Neil Krug, as the red was meant to look powerful against the dark background.
Cheltenham-based fashion photography student Kristian Braband found his passion for photography during his time at school. He originally had only picked it for college, but after studying and doing it more, he realized that this was something he wanted to pursue.
“I liked it more than I thought that I would have, and I did want to choose a more creative subject in college.” Since being given the opportunity to explore whatever piqued his interest in college, this freedom to choose allowed him to fall on studying portrait and fashion. The fashion and photography student fondly mentions that his lecturer throughout his endeavors was encouraging of this as well, only further solidifying for him that this was something he wanted to do.
He explored his photography passion outside of the classroom, as well. After getting the opportunity to take some photos for a sustainable fashion brand in his area, he enjoyed it and liked the atmosphere. “I realized that I wanted to continue being there, and when they used my photos I really realized that I could make a career out of this.” Now having decided that this is a path he wants to go down and follow the rest of his life, he’s developed more of a style when he approaches projects.
“I think I imagine people my age looking at my photos, purely because most of the models that I use are my age. I do like to take ins inspiration from older photographers though, but I think that my photos appeal to people of all ages.” When asked if Braband had a certain direction in mind or theme for his shoots, he said that it depended a lot on the piece itself. “Some photos, I’ve done for specific reasons — like if the model deliberately has no makeup and there’s no editing, I want people to realize I have a statement to make against beauty standards.”
A piece shot for an experimentation with nature, “changing the trees state to a blur which has started to consume the model.” This photo and more can be found in Braband’s fashion on location tab.
When asked how his style and approach to photography have evolved overtime, Braband mentioned that in college he was introduced to the photography studio available to students there. Being in the studio, he felt the sense of professional photos, however, now he prefers doing shoots outdoors. He had added that “overtime, I think I’ve definitely become more experimental with my photos.”
For his shoots, the photography student draws a lot of inspiration from a variety of sources, with Pinterest being one of them. “I think Pinterest is quite good because the photos I find aren’t from established photographers — so it could be something an unknown person did and it won’t mean that it’s not a good idea.”
Photographer Neil Krug is also a huge inspiration for Braband. Krug has done photos for singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey, and has a very grainy aesthetic to his photos. Color casts and the fact that he works on film are also distinct features of his style, and that is what inspired Braband to try shooting on medium format film himself.
Lastly, he recalls that his lecturer in college was an inspiration and a huge reason as to why he’s continued following through with his fashion photography studies. The portraitist mentioned that his professor had worked in the industry for about 20 years, giving him familiarity to many well-known photographers and a variety of different styles. His exposure to a diverse amount of artists and artworks allowed him to better recommend photographers to Braband to help further his artistic studies.
A self-portrait shot during and inspired by the quarantine. “I wasn’t at college, but I still wanted to carry on somehow with photography.”
Throughout his time pursuing fashion photography, he’s realized that being a collaborative person is a skill he has and continues to use. “When in the studio, you have to work well with the model or models, and since you have somebody else doing makeup and have someone else doing the lights for you, a lot of people get involved,” he said. “I like that the whole team is part of the final output.”
For now, Braband sees his future as a continuing fashion photographer, later on working for more larger brands. “If I develop my own style a bit more as well, I would like to hopefully become a slightly more-known name,” he said.
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