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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Angela Marklew: Ahead Of The Curve

Angela Marklew is a young, L.A.-based professional whose photography is playful, ironic and full of unexpected elements

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Bringing a literal scientific approach to photography, Marklew produces a body of fine art centered on found objects, abandoned locales, Polaroid transfers and emulsion lifts, but it's her diverse portfolio of eclectic and exciting portraiture that's gaining her a name in the high competition of Los Angeles editorial and fashion work. She's clearly not afraid to introduce a certain degree of humor to her work, either, as you can tell from her f word series on food as fashion.

"Just seeing how other people work, and seeing other people try to figure things out and them asking me for help kind of gave me a little more confidence that, yeah, maybe I know what I'm doing. I'm not just flying by the seat of my pants all the time," she laughs. "Now, I'm much more confident in my ability to just picture it in my head and figure out how to get that with the lights that I have available to me—whether it be natural light and reflectors or studio light and light modifiers. I think that if I hadn't worked with Mark, it would have been a much slower process."

Beyond working with Halper, Marklew continues to look at magazines that she would like to work for, like Vogue, Vanity Fair or Genlux, and keeps abreast of new ideas and techniques. "I feel that if you surround yourself with really great images, you'll create really great images," she explains, though she warns budding photographers against merely duplicating what they see in the glossy pages on the newsstands: "I think it's important for photographers that are starting out to not get caught up in mimicking other people's styles or jumping from trend to trend. I think it's important to just do your work and do what you like and shoot it the way that feels right to you because eventually someone will pay attention. If you're jumping all over the place, you can never really develop a style if you're just mimicking whatever is popular at the moment.

"There are a lot of trends that I really like, so I try and incorporate some of that stuff into my work, but there are a lot of trends that I don't like and I never want to incorporate into my work," she says with a sheepish laugh, then earnestly continues, "I think you just need to pick and choose."

The result of Marklew's dedication to her own style and personal preferences has led to several bodies of work that evoke different styles, emotions and ambiance that appropriately reflect the concept or subject at hand while simultaneously revealing her careful and creative approach. She seems capable of presenting any type of fashion story or editorial with a unique flavor, while her clients undoubtedly will be confident that the final product will be professional, beautiful and appropriate in theme and grace.
Marklew admits that one of her proudest moments was when Halper called her after her internship to tell her that he thought she was coming into her own as a photographer. He may be ahead of the curve, but the rest of the industry certainly will have Marklew on their radar as one of Los Angeles' leading fashion, beauty and editorial photographers in no time, no matter what flavor she brings to the table in her next venture.

See more of Angela Marklew's photography on her website, fstopinertia.com. Amanda Quintenz-Fiedler is a photographer, writer, artist and educator. Visit www.amandaquintenz.com.