In Maxim’s new photo series, freedom and surreality remind us that fashion should not be taken so seriously. Tanel Veenre’s creations are welcome from the paradise of patterns and colours, allowing everyone to play with them according to their own rules.
Silk kimono from the "Kiir" collection and raw silk dress from the "Mineralia" collection
Please tell me a few words about your background. Who are you, how did you end up in fashion photography?
I tried myself in different genres from reportage to art photography, but in 2017 I started working with fashion. Here I can work in different genres, sometimes combining them within one shoot, which gives a certain freedom.
Beige Raw Silk Dress
What is your vision as an artist ... What triggers and motivates you?
I always create a story and work with my associations, even if it’s a visually simple project with photos on a white cyclorama. But at the same time, I try not to give direct references, to leave space for the viewer to think. Sometimes during selection and post-production, I manage to see the shoot from a new angle and notice new details. I am inspired by the very definition of creativity, the process of making a story out of nothing. Of course, teamwork is important here, the stylist, and the beauty team, we all work for the result, and it’s important that our vision coincides. For example, we have been working with the stylist of this shoot, Kate Route, and we worked together for a very long time, we have already formed a creative tandem. We have been through a lot together, we have developed together, motivated and supported each other. We understand each other without words, a perfect match.
Kimono from the collection "Kiir" and "Libellula" pendant
Tell us about the concept of this shoot. The mood, the moment.
The idea for this shoot came on its own, out of the blue. We suddenly thought that you have such creative yet luxurious silk dresses that if they were chosen as the outfit for Christmas or New Year’s Eve party, it would definitely be a bright woman, a rebel, an artist. And she is sure to celebrate in a special way. That’s where it all started, our heroine is going crazy in this shoot, she’s alone in her house, but she’s completely self-sufficient and happy in this moment. There are a lot of questions for the viewer here – is she already celebrating or is she just getting ready and expecting guests? Who is she, an artist, a performer, a painter, a zany? Why does she have a blue face, is it her makeup or her true face, unmasked for society? Or is she, after all, a glamorous Grinch who is already on your doorstep?
Silk scarf dresses from the collection "Mineralia"
What are your dreams as a photographer?
I like to think of myself as a photographer in a broad sense, without a label: fashion, advertising, etc. I am now experimenting in parallel with documentary and personal project formats, with film photography. At the beginning of the year, I took a break, now I’m back with new strength and the main thing for me is not to stop.
Raw silk dress from the collection "Mineralia" and "Libellula" pendant
Long sleeved dress from the colletion "Mineralia"
The products used in the photo shoot:
