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Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Jane Queen: Dangerously Dolly

Bold, striking and sexy, photographer Jane Queen’s alternative portraiture is a stylistic blend of gorgeous women, vivid tattoos and a modern approach to classic pinup

This Article Features Photo Zoom

Queen is quick to credit a large measure of her success to the talented models with whom she works. Far from the glamour of the Paris runway, Queen's models are often part of a subculture that's heavily tattooed, and they travel from all over the world to pose for her. Above: Rachel Ann Aust.

Queen says her direct influences are Ellen von Unwerth, Mert and Marcus (Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott), David LaChapelle and Annie Leibovitz, but she says she has learned more from traditional art than photography, particularly from her grandfather, who was a painter.

"My mom is also a very big influence on me," says Queen. "She raised me well and did all she could for my sister and I. So I'm a strong believer that achievement comes from hard work."

Queen says the name Dangerously Dolly is designed to cater to the market of 17- to 25-year-old females who make up a large part of her fan base, but there's so much more that she would like to accomplish outside of that market.

"The name Dangerously Dolly was thought up in a matter of 10 minutes," explains Queen. "I had already been photographing things for a year under a different photography name that described me, but found that a lot of people had trouble pronouncing or searching for it. So because some of my pictures portrayed a strange and fierce, but still girly-like quality to them, Dangerously Dolly just popped in my head and it rang a bell. Marketing is crucial when you're freelancing. There's a lot more serious conceptual work I'd love to do, as well as commercial work, whether it's portrait, fashion, beauty or advertising. The Dangerously Dolly project is based around an alternative pinup style. It's all about the tattoos, retro and fetish-inspired concepts. I'm definitely interested in exploring other areas, which is why I'm expanding work onto the name Jane Queen."

Learning to edit on the original Jasc Software Paint Shop Pro and later Adobe Photoshop at such a young age was a great training ground for playing with the potential of digital imaging. Queen's groundwork has helped her to understand what's most important to capture in the camera and what can be done later.
"My mind is my favorite piece of gear," she laughs. "Until a computer or another object does what my mind can do, I'll always have use for it. Aside from my mind, I use my trusty Canon, AlienBees, a range of modifiers and Photoshop to buff it up and make it shine."