Jess LaFrankie: First photo, shootings & Professional photography - Interview with a fashion photographer - FIV

Jess Lafrankie is an australien based photographer and member of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography. She has been published in over 40 international magazines and has developed a style and technique in the middle ground of art and advertising that has bought her many of Australia’s clients and publications. The FIV Magazine did an interview with the fashion photographer, talking about her first picture, inspiration for shootings and her future plans.

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Personal information: interests, photography & her first picture

Career: Professional photography, inspiration & shootings

Jess LaFrankie: Instagram

Jess LaFrankie: Website

Personal information: interests, photography & her first picture

FIV: You live in Melbourne on the beautiful Gold Coast. How long have you lived there and what means Melbourne to you?

Jess: I moved from the Gold Coast to Melbourne when I was 18 to study and work as a photographer. While I constantly miss the sunshine of the Gold Coast, I enjoy the atmosphere of Melbourne and the creative environment it offers.

FIV: Do you remember the first picture you ever took? Have your creative talent been noticeable since you were a child?

Jess: I was more interested in other creative outlets as child. I didn’t connect with photography until I was 15. I transferred high schools and was accidentally put into a photography class instead of business. The class quickly became my favourite and sparked an interest in pursuing photography after school.

FIV: For our readers is interesting to get you known as person a little bit. How would your friends describe you?

Jess: I’m not too sure to be honest, they sometimes refer to me as the grandma of the group because I like to garden, read and can’t go past a cute cardigan.

Career: Professional photography, inspiration & shootings

FIV: What other parts of photography have you tried? Why did you decide to specialise on the fashion photography?

Jess: I was originally a portrait photographer and experimented in most of the other photography genres when I first started. I love specialising in fashion photography because it allows me to dream up concepts and then execute them, giving me the chance to distort reality on a regular basis.

FIV: With the number of pictures you post on instagram you get the feeling you have a new shooting every day. How does a normal day in your life look like?

Jess: Everyday is different, the amount of times I shoot a month always changes, no two months are really the same. I usually post less than half of the work that I do online.

FIV: You have got a great passion for photographie. Are there other passions in your life?

Jess: I’m a huge green thumb, I have about 350 plants in my home which I love taking care of and I’m also passionate about ancient history and travelling.

FIV: You also host retouching and photography workshops. What led you to this decision and what kind of teacher are you?

Jess: I was drawn to creating fashion photography workshops because there’s not a lot of opportunity for young photographers to have access to top models and luxury locations so I found myself wanting to create these opportunities for them.

I think overall I’m really open about my industry experience and happy to share as much information as I can to those who attend my workshops.

FIV: Where do you get your inspiration for your different projects?

Jess: Mostly I’ll find a location and build a concept or idea around that. You can find inspiration anywhere though, in books, art, conversation and reflection.

FIV: Do you recognize a bigger change process in this fast changing industry over the past years? How do you stay up to date?

Jess: You’ve just gotta do your own thing, this industry relies on changes and trends so as long as you’re focusing on your own style and interests you’ll find a way to create images that are relevant and personal.

FIV: You spend many hours taking photos. Tell us a little story that happened within the shootings and which firstly comes you in mind.

Jess: There was a time we were shooting on a busy bridge in Brisbane and the model was throwing her dress into the wind and a very expensive bracelet flew off her wrist and into the 4 lanes of oncoming traffic. It was stressful at the time but pretty funny looking back at it.

FIV: What are your plans and goals for the future? Where do you wanna be in your life in 5 years?

Jess: Hopefully doing what I’m doing today, I honestly love what I do and I’m so grateful for the incredible lifestyle this job affords me.