I came across Aiko while surfing through Deviantart. Aiko’s work doesnt seem to have one style nailed down and seems to have many influences from a lot of very different people, but has a serious craving for being creative and producing something that isn’t just another photograph. Her works seem to progress and twist into new things and each one of them keep her work fresh and interesting. I followed a few links from her Deviantart and ended up on her Facebook, some call that stalking, some call it research. I was super please when she said she’d be up for a bit of an interview. – Editor

Interview by Sophie Arscott

When the creative process begins, do you plan around an individual model or try to stick to any themes? Does your own experience as a model help you?

For the majority of the time I will only plan around a specific model if I find him or her particularly striking or if they have contacted me for a paid shoot to boost their portfolio. I don’t think of my models as just ‘models’ but as those that are looking to collaborate to create art rather than just increase their popularity. I love when models (or designers, artists etc) come to me with their own concepts or themes, but I equally enjoy working a shoot up around just a small piece of inspiration. As far as the creative process is concerned, I feel that my photography work has informed the way I approach other photographers as a model. I make sure to discuss my own ideas, themes and inspirations rather than just ask for a shoot for the sake of it!

How much time is spent planning costumes and make-up, and do you use the help of a make-up artist?

I find clothing, make-up and hair as important as other factors that go into making my photographs, such as light or colour. The shoot could even form around a specific piece of clothing or a certain style, so such things do require a fair amount of planning! In the past I have been lucky enough to have worked with models who also happen to be talented at make-up, so I have only used a make-up artist if we are looking for something particularly extreme or different from the model’s usual look.

Do you enhance your images using certain effects, or tools like Adobe Photoshop?

Something I would really LOVE to learn is how to print using metal plates and collodion, however at this point I can only use Photoshop to recreate similar aged effects. The majority of my work isn’t too heavily Photoshopped, unless I’ve added in backdrops or textures; a lot of the lighting is created using coloured gels on the physical lights rather than tampering with it in post-production.

How would you describe your style or photography? Are there any particular genres or scenes that interest you?

I feel that over the past few months my work has moved in a different direction. I have always been inspired by Victorian-era photography, but had previously focused more on colour and creating quite vibrant characters. I was mainly inspired by photographers such as Bruno Dayan, or other photographers working in alternative fashion. I feel that, although I enjoy such images, I have exhausted that way of working and have become increasingly interested in more traditional ways of working, in particular the collodion process I previously mentioned. After working on my own Victorian “Spirit Photography” album for a university project, and about to embark on experiments in lith printing for my final project, I feel more drawn to aged prints. I’m particularly inspired by the work of Joel-Peter Witkin, Sally Mann, Jan Saudek and Katarzyna Widmanska among others. I hope to start working on a set of images that will portray these inspirations as well as themes such as my Ukrainian heritage, religion and memento mori.

Do you think living and working in London has helped your career?

I think that it has definitely allowed me access to a lot of interesting culture, people and events that have inspired my work. I’ve been lucky enough to have grown up on the outskirts of London (unfortunately these outskirts were called “Essex”, which is not a particularly diverse place to live) with parents who have encouraged my creativity since a young age. I couldn’t imagine not living in or near London, I love it too much! Saying that, most of the models I work with don’t live in London, there seems to be quite a nice spread of talent throughout the UK.

How do you feel your artwork has changed over time, perhaps while you have been studying?

I’ve already covered the direction I feel my work is currently taking but as for my work as a whole I am pleased to see that I have improved both technically and theoretically over the past few years. University has certainly been an eye opener as to how difficult I may find working as a photographer in the big, wide world; I have found my standards growing ever higher, thus putting pressure on myself to produce work that will reach those standards. Education has not only allowed me access to equipment that I wouldn’t normally have been able to use, but it has given me a wider understanding of the visual world as a whole. Therefore I feel that I now have the ability to create pieces that can be read on several levels; for example, recent work has dealt with themes of feminism and voyeurism.

Are there any artists or photographers that you feel have particularly inspired you?

As previously mentioned I adore the work of Joel-Peter Witkin, Sally Mann, Jan Saudek, Katarzyna Widmanska and Bruno Dayan. I also like photographers such as Paolo Roversi, Sarah Moon, Eugenio Recuenco, Chris Anthony, Josephine Sacabo and Irina Ionesco; I must also mention that I am particularly inspired by the work of designer, John Galliano.

Check out Akio’s work:
Aiko’s Website
Deviantart

Aiko’s modelling contact:
Model Mayhem