TonyWardStudio.com

Alex Remnick

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Alex Remnick

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……….She’s a bad bitch. A broken-glass, rock and roll, I-don’t-give-a-rat’s ass type, who knows all of the best parties and has gotten thrown out of all of them. All the girls hate her; all the guys want to get with her. She hangs out in seedy dives and knows that guy in that band you like. She’s always backstage but she never has a wristband.

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Alex Remnick

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This is the persona that I tried to create in this series of pictures. I tried to steer away from the stereotypical fashion world. Instead, I abided by one of the key rules of modern hipness: thrift or bust. All of the clothing was either purchased at the Salvation Army or were owned by the amateur model, Jennifer Cole. I was inspired by the styles of urban nightlife photographers, such as Nicky Digital, The Cobrasnake, and especially Merlin Bronques and his Urban Pinup spreads. For this particular series, Bronques goes to parties and finds interesting and exotic party-goers who agree to collaborate in erotic or fashionable photo shoots. This was the back story that I chose to give to this shoot.

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Alex Remnick

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Alex Remnick

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I chose to create split-screen images because I wanted to add a sense of chaos to the images and capture the whirlwind of a blackout night out. Sometimes, the split screen denotes the passage of time, sometimes it shows multiple perspectives. In the close-up of Jennifer’s face, I wanted to allude to the dichotomy of hipness and depravity, something that is at the core of the nightlife scene. People go out all made up and dressed to the nines and come home sweaty with smeared makeup and foggy memories.

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Alex Remnick

About The Author: Alex Remnick is a senior enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2012 – Copyright 2011

Alex Remnick

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Alex Remnick

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SELF PORTRAITS: Reactions

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……….Photographing myself has always been an interesting challenge. First, there is the technical issues. Jumping back and forth from behind and in front of the camera – is a dance in and of itself. My confidence as an image maker is shot. How can I be sure I’m taking good pictures if I can’t even look through the viewfinder? At the same time, not looking at the viewfinder can also be incredibly freeing. I’m always worried about the menial, technical issues: is the flash firing at full power? Am I in focus? Am I in the center of the frame? Taking self portraits can be very discombobulating.

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Alex Remnick

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Then there is the personal aspect. As confident a person as I am, I always worry about the way I look in photographs. Obviously, this project wasn’t a beauty competition, but you still want to look good. Partly as a way of controlling my own self consciousness, and partly as a way of controlling the massive mop the that used to be my hair.

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Alex Remnick

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Alex Remnick

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I decided to slick it back and take on a kind of persona. I cocked my eyebrow and ran my fingers through my hair while hoping to channel James Dean. Though it appears I more likely channeled a Grease-era John Travolta.

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Alex Remnick

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Alex Remnick

About The Author: Alex Remnick is a senior enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2012.

www.TonyWardStudio.com

Posted on August 26, 2011

Anne

……….I was shooting for Met-Art.com for a while. The models had to be young and naturally beautiful. On one of my many sojourns to Amsterdam, Anne stopped by the apartment to be cast for a Met shoot.

A Perfect Casting

As soon as she disrobed I thought for sure she was perfect for the shoot I had in mind. Test photos are very helpful for making more definitive creative decisions down the road.

Basking In The Sun

Anne Rear Torso