t
hough we emblazon our motto, “Written by Students,” on the front of every magazine, Study Breaks is equally indebted to the phenomenal talents of student photographers from across the country. Without beautiful, arresting imagery, even the best text falls short. As a result, we have chosen to dedicate this entire issue to showcasing the extraordinary ability of five student photographers. ¶ Though each artist has a distinct style, what they share in common is a rare breed of ambition. The students featured in these pages, outside of the normal rigors of school, are working for companies like HBO, Scholastic Press and Urban Outfitters, as well as coordinating photo shoots, compiling portfolios, travelling the world and collaborating with other luminaries. They are testament to the idea that talent without hard work is a tragedy. ¶ Alex Currie, a senior at USC studying Film, was called the “Peter Pan of Photographers” by “Wired,” and rightly so. His photos, many of which possess a dreamlike quality, are supersaturated with color and shot in alien, almost inhuman settings. Among others, Currie has worked with Complex Magazine, Refinery 29, HBO and Capitol Records, and he has been the recipient of a number of awards and exhibitions. ¶ Evan Blaise Walsh, a senior at Emerson College studying Creative Nonfiction and Photography, uses photography to ask questions about gender and sexual orientation, especially of young men. His latest project, “The Space Between Us,” portrays unvarnished young men posing, often with a scowl, in mundane, spartan surroundings. Male identity, especially as it is inf luenced by sexuality and class, is under the microscope. Walsh has been the recipient of numerous awards, and most recently his photo thesis “Paragons” was exhibited by the Boston Photo Resource. ¶ Shayna Colvin, a senior at the Savannah College
of Art and Design, shoots largely fashion photography, much of it with a vintage patina. High-waisted pants, jumpsuits, gap teeth, cigarettes, f lorals and the air of a distinctly 1970’s feminism imbue Colvin’s work, a collection so picturesque in its details that many of her photos seem to have been transported through time. Her personal work focuses more on the dull beauty of small town life, capturing beautiful, listless teens in scenes that could have been plucked from a Harmony Korine film set in Savannah. Colvin has an array of commercial clients and artistic collaborations, though she has most frequently worked with Urban Outfitters. ¶ Madison Neumann, a sophomore at Rowan College in New Jersey, photographs intensely dramatic, stylized portraits, mostly of women. Models in her shots smolder, sneer, stare and smoke in derelict greenhouses, turquoise bathhouses, withering barns and fields of baby’s breath. Neumann has received numerous awards for her photography, and was most recently featured in “Alwayz Therro.” ¶ Olivia Lim, a fourth-year Molecular Cell & Developmental Biology student at UCLA, plays with the intimacy and sensuality of the familiar. Many of her portraits feature girls posing with aplomb amidst the stark stucco of the Los Angeles cityscape, though they at times escape into gray beachfronts, blossoming trees and azure pools. Lim’s work has been featured in “Nasty Gal,” “Denizen,” “Tongue Tied” and “The Paper Mixtape.” As always, thank you for reading, and we hope you enjoy.
MARK STENBERG EDITOR IN CHIEF @MarkStenberg3