— BRINSON + BANKS PHOTOGRAPHY | 706.296.3085 | studio@brinsonbanks.com

Brinson+Banks September 29, 2015

Tess Christine in a pretty hair how-to for Garnier

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We had a fun shoot with @rpa.ap today! Thanks for the good time and all the help @justinebarnes11 @ditchdigger @jackheristal and @drew_herrmann (who snapped this photo of us). Yes or no: Should we wear only coveralls/jumpsuits at our photoshoots from here on out? 📸👯‍♂️📷 #brinsonbanksbts

MENTORSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT: Since today is a day of spreading the 💗love💗, today is the day we are ✨thrilled✨ to announce who we have selected as our first 6 month mentorship recipient! *🥁Drumroll🥁, please!* We love Da’Shaunae Marisa’s photos. She was just one of an amazingly talented pool of candidates and we selected her work because she has such an incredible eye 👁 for both documentary photos AND portraiture (two of our specialities). Swipe 👉👉 through to see some of our favorite images all taken by the talented @__dashaunaemarisa (follow her!!!!), who is a 22-year-old photographer based in Cleveland, Ohio. We ooh-ed 😍😯and ahh-ed 😲 at each image and can’t wait to get to know her more these next 6 months. Thank you so much to each photographer who took the time to share their work with us.

LA Woman: Actress @ellissastarr // (swipe over and tell us if you prefer the first or second photo!) // “My home is extremely creative, comical truth is that it's not mine. It's a time capsule for a bohemian woman that left years ago and wanted to have a place to come back to, however and whenever that may be. Besides my bedroom, I enter somebody else's world. The most radical part about it is that it has, unexpectedly, shifted my perspective in unimaginable ways. The culture in my home is immense, when I come home I'm actually going to Paris (in a way). Everybody here is Parisian and proud of it. I'm honored to be welcomed here each time I get to my door. I've always struggled with having a home or even coming back to it. It's still very much alive, but with this space it's become easier because I have the comfort of acclimating to others which allows me to open up to entirely different perspectives. It's important to have that incubating in your safest spaces, I think that's where we grow most because we are present.”- Ellissa Starr 🌟 #lawomanbrinsonbanks

LA Woman: Actress Ellissa Starr making us laugh at her Highland Park, LA home. 👀 Swipe and tell us which photo is your favorite: 1, 2, or 3? #lawomanbrinsonbanks @ellissastarr

LA Woman: Actress and experiential producer with @yeahfieldtrip Ellissa Starr (@ellissastarr) in her Highland Park home. Ellissa is originally from Missouri and landed in LA in 2014. “I wouldn't use the word nurture for what living here has done to me. Living in Los Angeles has enlightened me, although I recognize now I could have done that anywhere but I lacked that understanding until I reached this point of being. I just keep wanting to say that it's the people. No matter the experience with every single one of them, I'm really f*cking thankful for it all.” #lawomanbrinsonbanks

We ran all over LA and Pasadena today following two rad women for The @nytimes and this is @davidwalterbanks straddling the railing of the Michael Myers Halloween House in South Pasadena taking photos this afternoon 😂😂😂😂🔪😳 #brinsonbanksbts

LA Woman: Mixed media artist @jiliartist // “Having a studio inside my home is so incredibly wonderful. Being surrounded by my art day and night gives me a deeper sense of immersion and commitment. Each drawing takes a really long time, sometimes months. When I’m faced with life’s ups and downs, I still keep plugging away at the same piece. As a result, I end up connecting each piece to a moment or mood experienced while making it. Of course, this means nothing to the viewer. But for me, each artwork carries very personal memories and emotions, which are pronounced by the fact that everything is created inside my home.”- Jillian Nalty aka J I L I // #lawomanbrinsonbanks #makeportraits

We photographed Jeffrey Katzenberg for Fortune (He is the former CEO of Dreamworks, now founder of Quibi! and almost completely irrelevant in his long list of accomplishments and running things in Hollywood, but not irrelevant to two 80s kids, he produced Disney’s The Little Mermaid, y’all! 😂🧜‍♀️) // A white from Katzenberg from the Fortune article: “Five or 10 years from now, we’ll look back and go, ‘There was the era of movies, there was the era of television, and there’s the era of Quibi.’ ” @quibi @fortunemag @fortunephotodept

LA Woman: Mixed media artist @jiliartist // #lawomanbrinsonbanks

LA Woman: J I L I is Jillian Nalty @jiliartist // Her current series (made from tiny circles!) that focuses on a mother and child is beautiful and intimate, but also political and directed at the US detaining children at the border. In her words: “I’ve always looked for ways I can help affected groups and also change opinion through driving empathy. Art should of course always aim to connect with the viewer viscerally and is therefore one of the most powerful ways to get the viewer to understand and feel the experiences of others. In my series “So Close”, which depicts an emotional mother and daughter being seperated, I wanted to remind people that there are real, human lives at stake. Instead of talking numbers, quotas and policies, I want people to recognize the suffering. The simplification of figures down to black and white circles shines a light of the dehumanization of migrants by politicians and the media and also reminds us that we sadly live in a world where people are treated differently because of the color of their skin.” (👉👉👉 swipe over to see details of this incredible art she creates in her LA home). And we love love love this: J I L I is raising funds for an organization called Kids in Need of Defense that provides legal representation for unaccompanied refugee and immigrant children in the United States. Those that make a donation receive a giclée print from her “So Close” series. If interested, drop her an email at info@jiliartist.com and check out her Instagram at @jiliartist #lawomanbrinsonbanks

LA Woman: Kyoko aka @jinjabrew serenades us in her LA loft // From Kyoko: ”Currently creating in: music, film, acting, body movement (wushu, butoh and experimental), performance art, photography and multi-media collage. My current favorite is finding ways of combining everything at the same time - I’ve been experimenting and sharing those creations through my instagram (@jinjabrew). That’s kind of where the name “Jinjabrew” came from. Jinja means “I am human” in Japanese (人じゃ; or also temple if you spell it differently 神社); I wanted “Jinjabrew” to be a place where I brew my thoughts and ideas without judgement and share it. My name Kyoko roughly means vibrations of sound child.” Go hear her beautiful voice on her Instagram account 🔉🎶🎵✨🎶💗🎶 #lawomanbrinsonbanks

LA Woman: @jiliartist aka J I L I // We photographed this talented mixed media artist in her South Carthay, Los Angeles home (and no, we absolutely could not ignore this pink bathroom with its 1950s tiny princess tub 😍). Jillian Nalty, whose artist name is J I L I, is originally from Sydney, Australia and we love what she had to say about how Los Angeles is a unique place to be an artist: “In Los Angeles you’re always meeting people with big creative ambitions. It’s only very recently that I’ve started to feel comfortable identifying as an artist and I definitely think living in LA has had a lot to do with this. It’s like the whole city collectively gives its inhabitants permission to be who they want to be no matter what stage they are at. If you’re trying-out stand-up, you are a comedian; if you dabble with writing, you are a writer; if you are going from audition to audition; you are an actor. I just love that. Self-identifying as an artist in a confident way has definitely propelled me forward.” We are so excited to share more photos of her work and her home soon! #lawomanbrinsonbanks #prettyinpink

✨ANNOUNCEMENT:✨ We are offering a free 6 month creative mentorship for one up-and-coming portrait, documentary, or commercial photographer based in the United States. ***Please note: At this time, we are only offering this mentorship to a person of color because we know the editorial and commercial photography industry is saturated with white, male visions and voices, and we believe everyone is served better by diversifying the photography community.*** This mentorship will focus on building your visual voice and setting goals to build a photography business (though if you’re looking for a list of clients, this isn’t that). It isn’t required, but if our mentee is in Southern California, there *may* be additional paid assisting opportunities. If this sounds like something you are interested in, please email us at studioATbrinsonbanksDOTcom with the subject line “2019 Spring Mentorship” and tell us what your dream shoot would be, why you think you could benefit from this experience, and a folder or link to 10 photos. And please spread the word if you know a photographer who might be interested! Submissions due February 8, 2019. We will announce our 2019 Spring Mentee here in February. Thank you!

Literal #squadgoals. @kendrickbrinson is back at it working on her Sun City: Life After Life project in a desert city of retirees. These are just a handful of the Sun City Poms, photographed in Sun City, Arizona last week. Swipe swipe to see ’em all 👀👯‍♀️✨😯💪

LA Woman: Kyoko Takenaka @jinjabrew // We were immediately struck by all the creative corners in Kyoko’s home—a giant desk, a backdrop hanging, a mic and two guitars on stands, a keyboard on the floor, a camera on a table. And, of course, that is intentional. Kyoko on having a dedicated creative space: ⚡️ “As an artist straddling many different mediums, I wanted to create an open and sacred space where I didn’t feel restricted to one medium. I strive in collaboration and wanted to create a space where everyone can show up with what they would like to communicate through - whether it be dance, music, or moving images; and also the space to create and finish things by my own will if I need to. A lot of projects I shoot and edit myself right here.” ⚡️Swipe over to see more 👉👀 #lawomanbrinsonbanks

LA Woman: @jinjabrew aka Kyoko Takenaka // This is long but so beautifully written and heartfelt that I’m not shrinking down Kyoko’s reply on what makes LA unique: “The best things in LA aren't shiny. It's hidden underneath a protected layer of closed doors, that's only revealed after consistency and commitment. The best events are intergenerational and intergalactic. The "we" defines you, not the “I”. It's the every day, it's the spaces and community you commit to being a part of - and knowing who put in the work before you that makes all of the difference.
I feel like NY is a city of full of constant chances. Magical shiny chances, unexpected connections, and life lessons - you could meet someone new who could alter your life forever on the subway, at a bar, on your stoop.
LA is a city of constant. There will be no surprise walk...you know exactly where you're going, and when you get there, you know exactly how you got there. The first time you meet someone almost means nothing. It's the consistency that begins to reveal strength - the second, third, fourth time - the constant that makes an impression. It's a city of persistence, where you work steadfastly toward your goals and really feel if it's worth it. Who or what are you willing to drive in traffic for on a friday evening? Focus, and you can steadily see progress and complete the projects you dreamed of.
In LA, I've learned more about myself; figuring out what you're willing to endure for. It's the quiet moments. It’s a city that’s allowed me the time and space to finally finish projects - my first music video, my first short film, my first performance art and dance shows - all the way to my first manager and agent, etc.”- Kyoko #lawomanbrinsonbanks

LA Woman: Kyoko Takenaka aka @jinjabrew is currently exploring her creativity in so many ways (through music, film, acting, performance art, body movement, photography and multi-media collage, we have no idea how she has time to sleep) and her light-filled loft is full of creative corners.
Kyoko moved to LA from London by way of New York and DC, and was raised in Boston by her parents who immigrated from Japan. We asked her why she has decided on Los Angeles for now and she said: “I think what attracted me most about LA was being a part of an Asian-American community. Growing up in the east coast, LA feels like an Asian-American Disneyland in so many ways. This is one of the first consistent times I’m going to events and not being the token Asian person; there’s a new sense of normal here and I really cherish that for my psyche, where all types of Asian-Americans are building with one another. There’s so much history and culture here where families across generations worked hard to celebrate, resist, and preserve what it means to be Asian-American for all of us -- to be able to learn from and be a part of that community is incredible.” More about Kyoko and her art to come! #lawomanbrinsonbanks

LA Woman: The lovely @iamstevienelson hangin’ in Los Feliz // We are off to another LA Woman shoot to photograph a mixed media artist right now! If you know some badass creative women in LA, tag them here. (We are especially looking for creative fields we haven’t already covered like woodworking, sculptors, leather workers, furniture makers, textile makers, etc) #lawomanbrinsonbanks

LA Woman: Musician, model, actress, filmmaker Kyoko Takenaka @jinjabrew /// more about Kyoko soon #lawomanbrinsonbanks

🌸🌸 Wahoo! We just read that @issarae and @kumailn are going to star in a romantic comedy together and that made us very happy because these two were some of the funniest and the nicest actors we’ve photographed yet. We photographed Issa for The Washington Post (in a hotel shower 💦) and Kumail (in a bush in Griffith Park) for The New York Times. (By the way, this photo of Kumail won in American Photography last year!) 🌸🌸

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Pssst! We just announced who we selected for our mentorship and her work is gorgeous. See who here: https://t.co/T6OGWlUHJT
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