People always ask what the best part of Pattern Pulp is, and I can say with full assurance that it’s the new friendships and working relationships that organically develop from interviewing new subjects. Today’s feature highlights Ella Manor and her exquisite reel of fashion photography. Manor’s use of color, light and photo manipulation creates whimsical story lines that are both playful and intelligent. In using geometric shapes and decorative light, Manor shows us how to seamlessly incorporate patterns when shooting a campaign. Check out our Q+A for a glimpse into Ella Manor’s daily routine!
* * *
PP: What websites and news sources do you generally start your day with-do you have a daily routine for news/blog/information consumption?
EM: I am subscribed to Interview, New York Magazine, After Capture, Harper’s Bazaar, W, and Juxtapoz. I have tons of web sites and blogs of favorite photographers and artists bookmarked that I scroll through from time to time. Some of those are Heather Sherman, Gail Sorronda and Carol Gamarra & Mario Ville. I also read fiction and love collecting art and photography books.
The list goes on. More and more lately, I find myself skimming my carefully curated list of Twits on Twitter. Less time scouring blogs, and more time surfing suggested links.
PP: How do you decide if a particular picture is going to get a textured treatment and what is your preferred method of execution?
EM: I am learning children’s book illustration now, which is really cool. The main reason why I decided to take that class is because I’ve always adored collage work and wanted to explore it further. The illustrator teaching the class specifically focuses on both computer and handmade collage work. We also made our own textures which we later cut and glue or scan in or photograph and collage digitally. It gave me so many ideas! So that’s definitely something I am doing a lot with. The way I decide how to treat an image or a series of images is very much by intuition. With personal work many times I just have a story that I shot and I need to forget about it for a while and then look at it again with a fresh take, then I usually just for it.
PP: When is the last time you took a professional/creative risk? Please explain.
EM: I believe I take them all the time! Almost every shoot and every project is something new. When I am out of my comfort zone and I try something for the first time there is a always a risk involved. But it is my belief that the bigger the risk the bigger the reward.
PP: How do you incorporate commercial trends into your work and is this a factor that drives your design?
EM: I believe I instinctively have a very sharp eye as to what sells, what’s beautiful and what attracts people. But I do not prioritize any commercial trends over the purity of the art, what the art work calls for. In other words I think my work lends itself very well to various commercial properties but I do not plan for it when creating the work. It just happens organically.
These days, the lines between commercial work and fine art are very faded, and are becoming more and more indistinct every day. Many brands don’t want commercial looking imagery for their brand. They want to stand out, be unique, say something new, be forward thinking and modern. And art is the only way to do that, art is the only medium that isn’t afraid of change, but lives for it.
