My Look

As photography becomes more pervasive and our ideals of those we see as models continues to grow, My Look is a reimagining of what modeling is in an attempt to bridge reality and our imagined ideals.

What is the inspiration for My Look?

As I’ve done photography over the last couple of years, a couple of things have really troubled me: I hear so often that people don’t see themselves as photogenic and beautiful, and as time goes on it seems as though the divide between how individuals view themselves and a seemingly unrealistic ideal portrayed in catalogs and magazines is growing.

When I was visiting Seattle I picked up a lookbook of featured clothes at a Bellevue mall. I wondered: what would a similar collection of photography look like if it were made with images of all kinds of people in the outfits each of thought was the most flattering on them?

What is involved in the project?

Each participant in My Look picks the outfit in which he or she believes s/he looks the best. The outfit is completely up to the model, and it can range from a t-shirt and jeans to lingerie to winter outerwear. It’s totally up to the individual model.

What’s the final product for My Look?

My Look will be an ongoing project, but the first set of photos will be displayed in a catalog-like format on justinrussellphotography.com. It is up to the individual model if they would like to be identified in the project.