At last. Warning: this may get emotional….. Before you dive in, I’d first like to take a few moments to express my gratitude for every single one of you. Whether you’ve been here since our inception in 2012 or this issue being your first, thank you. Because of you this brainchild of mine has grown to what it is today, which is more than I could’ve ever imagined. These past seven years have been a whirlwind of blood, sweat, and tears - mostly tears - and I couldn’t feel more grateful. We’ve covered and discussed topics of all kinds. From love, war, sex, lucid dreaming, politics, free-boobing, intimacy, queer identity, ego, toxic masculinity, destiny, and everything in between. We’ve always themed our issues around topics that felt near and dear to our hearts, and we couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve produced and shared with the world. To the Austere team present and past, I can’t thank you enough. Your hard work and dedication are what make these pages special. I have been blessed to have all of you come through the Austere doors to collaborate and I hope that it has served you well in your careers. My goal has always been to serve you back the way you served this magazine. When thinking about what I wanted to do for this last issue I began to reflect on how it all began. Early in my creative career I did what almost all other creatives do, I picked up a camera. Desperate for a way to express myself and create beautiful content I sought after photography as an outlet. That outlet then became my passion, my side hustle, then my full time job, and so on. Thinking about it further I realized it was only fitting to fill the pages of this last issue with the beautiful images of the creatives around me. Thus Issue 20 was born. It is our last, and although I’m deeply saddened at the end of this chapter, I’m very proud of how it’s closing. I hope you look at these images and feel all of the feels. I hope you see the work these creatives have put into every image and get inspired. I know I have. Keep creating. With love & gratitude, Natasha Brito Editor-in-Chief // Founder
OUR WINNER marlene Lacasse Marlene Lacasse is a film photographer and art director based in Los Angeles.
She discovered her passion for shooting and developing
film in 2008. Photography led her to study art and cinema at the University of Michigan. Now Marlene challenges the boundaries of a traditional medium by cooking up film soups while she works in a new frontier at an immersive media agency designing worlds for AR + VR.
What made you become a photographer? I became a photographer because the few memories I have from my childhood all center around photographs – my mom always gave us disposable cameras for family outings as kids, which turned into boxes of prints and scrapbooks. Revisiting those documents over time and holding them in my hands created an ingrained connection to photographs as a vessel for story and memory. But memories are subjective; they fade and change over time. Photography gives me something to hold onto, while also serving as a powerful tool of expression and interpretation for my experiences.
"Photography gives me something to hold onto, while also serving as a powerful tool of expression and interpretation for my experiences. "
How would you define your photography style? I would define my photography style as experimental, dreamy and visceral. I have a reactionary approach to shooting and combine it with the process of souping my film. I take my camera with me everywhere, chasing light and capturing moments as I see them unfold. I heat and soak the film in various ingredients which causes the film to change and take on a life of its own.
What is your ultimate goal with your photography? My ultimate goal with photography is to go wherever the journey leads and continue to explore my craft. I hope to connect and collaborate more with other artists along the way. Eventually, I want to make a photo book of film soup recipes to inspire other people to experiment and spark imagination for what they can create! It’s sometimes hard for people to take the leap into film because it takes practice, faith, and commitment. It’s a true joy to share my love of film with others and help them learn the process.
Second place clayton browning
THIRD place hope bidinger
ALEXANDRA HULSEY
AMY PARKS
LINDSEY KENNEDY
JOELLE ROSEN
LAURA KNIPSAEL
KYLIE JOO
SHON CELE RAINEY
JOELLE ROSEN
MICAELA LAPEER
KYLIE JOO
KELLI MCGUIRE
JOELLE ROSEN
NATALIA MOLINA
ANGIE BANDARI
MARCUS SORIANO
PRISCILLA MASTRODOMENICO
ADRIAN ORBE
ADRIAN ORBE
COLBY KNOX CLAYTON BROWNING
JANELLE BROSNAN
CLAYTON BROWNING
MAE HAINES
CLAUDIA GRANDE
LINDSEY ALBIN
NATALIA MOLINA
GABBY SALINARDO
MARIAH WYNN
JAKE WANGNER
SISTER KOKORO
CM CARNEY RUTH CHAPA
LUIS KIER
MAYA JOUBERT
MYLES COLEMAN
LAURA KNIPSAEL
HOPE BIDINGER BROOKE GRANT
MARCUS SORIANO
CLAUDIA GRANDE
EBONY GALLANT
JULIA DURR
SILVIA GIGLI
EMILY BATTERS
MIGUEL SALGADO
SHON CELE RAINEY
LAURA KNIPSAEL SHELBY ECKERTY
AMY PARKS
AMY PARKS
CLARA JEANNE REED
LINDSEY KENNEDY
JULIA DURR
ANGIE BANDARI
MYLES COLEMAN CLAUDIA GRANDE
CAROLINE RUFFAULT
LYNNÉ BOWMAN CRAVENS
OH JEE NAM
TATUM MANGUS
ANGEER AMOL
JULIA DURR
JULIA DURR
JULIA DURR
KRIS KING-JOHNSON MAE HAINES
MAE HAINES
ALLYSIA ANTOINE
JANELLE BROSNAN
SISTER KOKORO
SHON CELE RAINEY
ADRIAN ORBE
MIGUEL SALGADO OH JEE NAM
NATALIA MOLINA
CLARA JEANNE REED
CLARA JEANNE REED
MYLES COLEMAN
CM CARNEY
ADRIAN ORBE
EBONY GALLANT
JESSICA VREDENBURG
MIGUEL SALGADO
MEGAN MATUZAK
MYLES COLEMAN LUIS KIER
MYLES COLEMAN
LINDSEY KENNEDY
LYNNÉ BOWMAN CRAVENS
JULIA DURR SHAYLIN WALLACE
MYLES COLEMAN
AYLA READING
BROOKE GRANT
JOELLE ROSEN
ALEX RUIZ
SHON CELE RAINEY
LUIS KIER
GABBY SALINARDO
LINDSEY ALBIN
LINDSEY KENNEDY
THANK YOU