Making Waves from Mexico City to the Big Apple

A recent transplant to the Big Apple, Mexican-born Fernando Rodriguez considers himself relatively new to the city and its creative community. However, in the short time since he relocated from Mexico City, Rodriguez has managed to book cover shoots with fashion magazine heavyweights, such as Harper’s Bazaar, while garnering accolades for his inventive and colorful style of work.

The Beginning

Born and raised in Durango, Mexico, the new Capture One Brand Ambassador, who goes by the alias “Nobody,” reflects on his upbringing, which he highlights had very little connection to the arts.

“My parents are accountants, and it was assumed that I would follow a similar path,” he says, laughing.

Beginning with a degree in graphic design, Rodriguez became interested in photography during the middle of his studies.

“I took one or two photography classes, but unfortunately, the first class was discouraging as the professor was not so inspiring,” says Rodriguez. “Despite that, I had to complete an assignment. Otherwise, I would not pass the course.”

The assignment was a studio shoot, which turned out to be more fun than Rodriguez expected. The interactions and creative transactions that transpired during the shoot ultimately turned Rodriguez’s attention to photography, particularly fashion photography.

“My mom gave me a camera six months later, and then I started practicing and doing research,” says Rodriguez. “What I liked about photography, particularly from studying fashion magazines, was how you could tell a story visually.”

But to evolve his practice, he had to take a risk and leave the nest of Durango. Relocating to San Francisco, where he could improve his English skills and take evening classes, allowed him to hone his skills. Working in a bakery provided the funds he needed for equipment.

A masterclass with London-based photographer Nick Knight, whom Rodriguez considers his favorite photographer, led him to realize that photography could become more than just a labor of love, but also a livelihood, and one where the artist’s vision is not necessarily compromised.

Fashion Cliches

While Rodriguez would not consider himself bound by any discipline of photography, he has, in just a short time, made a name for himself, especially within the field of fashion and beauty photography.

Entering the minefield that is fashion photography without any prior experience or connections, Rodgriguez confesses how easy it is to romanticize the discipline and that professional photographers are no exception.

“When you are beginning as a photographer shooting fashion, people tend to think you will be this dictator on set, where you will be telling everyone to do this and do that,” says Rodriguez. “People think that because you’re the photographer that you will be entirely in charge, especially when it comes to creating fashion editorials.”

Rodgriguez prefers the more collaborative nature of fashion editorials.

“For me, it’s important to have the opportunity to work with people that I admire,” says Rodriguez, who claims that working with different creatives often provides him with new perspectives and ideas that have since come to influence his work and vision.

“Often, there is this central idea on set that drives the direction of an editorial,” says Rodriguez. “But this idea is not binding, and I have noticed that often, people on set will bring and even suggest their ideas that end up pushing the shoot in a different and also better direction.”

For Rodriguez, studio teamwork is what he loves about working on fashion editorials. He credits his experience shooting fashion and beauty with helping him grow and develop his vision and style as a photographer.

“I like the collaborative aspect of this work, and each time, it always inspires me. You start talking to all the people on set, and you hear different stories and notice that each person has a different journey. We come from other worlds, yet we can find this artistic common ground to create something that we are all proud of in the end.”

The Business of Fashion

While Rodriguez still feels new to New York City, he says his experience thus far is a positive one and now includes some of his favorite fashion shoots, including one he did for Harper’s Bazaar last year.

“I got invited for Harper’s Bazaar fashion editorial last year that one of my friends who is a creative director put together,” he says. “He invited this artist who works with clay, specifically on models. We worked together with stylists and makeup artists to create his beauty editorial focusing on nature.”

This very shoot would later lead to winning the 2021 ADC Award and is perhaps fortuitous of what’s to come for the “Nobody.”

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London Calling: From Amazon to Street Style Mavens

For German-born London-based photographer Tina Eisen, shooting fashion was never the goal. Her first foray into the “fashion” world occurred via the e-commerce route while shooting fashion products for e-commerce goliath, Amazon, and later for ASOS.

While Eisen says that she was never super interested in fashion, she admits that she was always drawn to the editorial side of fashion, particularly its ability to craft engaging visual narratives.

“I love witnessing the transformation that occurs with fashion,” said Eisen. “You can see these models show up on set, completely knackered and uninterested, and when you see them put on these nicely tailored outfits, and then witness how suddenly their mood – even their character completely changes.”

As for her own transformation, Eisen said it did not happen for at least ten years, pointing out how she only noticed the change occur in models and never thought of it as something that could happen to the person behind the lens.

“Always for years, I said I am not interested in fashion – I am just here to take the picture,” said Eisen. “Finally, one of the brands I worked for approached me and said, you are always wearing black, do you want to try something else? Afterward, I became a lot braver in what I wore, which until then was primarily all black.”

Soon, Eisen began experimenting with more patterns and injecting more color into her wardrobe.

“I realize that there is some joy in being the only person in a floral dress,” she said, “You can easily make yourself feel good without necessarily showing off.”

Fashion Week Mania

Before the pandemic, Eisen was covering Copenhagen Fashion Week and New York City Fashion Week. She had also covered London Fashion Week, covering the Sibling show while dividing her time as a speaker for Canon – her camera brand of choice.

For Eisen, the main challenges covering a fashion week are balancing between speed and quality.

“The first time that I ever covered for a client, I was amazed by the speed of delivery,” said Eisen. “You shoot the runway and then immediately deliver to the client, but I also did not know that as a fashion week photographer, you also see the outfit before they go on the catwalk. So, you get to see and document these new styles before they make their first debut, which is such a thrill. The first time this happened to me, I felt so privileged to see the trends before they reached the world.”

Eisen’s experience highlights a critical challenge for the most seasoned of fashion photographers – that of juggling speed and quality – in addition to two different devices.

Juggling different demands is another story as Eisen points out that some clients want the quality of footage while others prefer the speed to post immediately on social platforms, like Instagram.

As for the other fashion weeks she’s covered in the past, she notes that fashion weeks like Copenhagen Fashion Week have provided a window into the rise of Scandi-cool style and the minimalist trends that have emerged from the Nordics. While New York City fashion week tells a different story –one where beautiful frilly over-the-top styles tend to dominate.

Each fashion week’s designers and styles differ in their aesthetic attitudes and predispositions and the crowds they attract.

“There are massive differences in the characters of the crowds,” said Eisen. “It’s cool how outside of each fashion week show, these crazy characters are lurking nearby.”

Street Style Mavens

No Fashion Week is complete without its street style spectacle, which in Eisen’s opinion, can give you a good idea of upcoming trends.

“The first time I was asked to cover street style, I was nervous because I am not a people photographer – I don’t do weddings. So naturally, I was super nervous about approaching people on the street to snap their photo.”

Eisen’s reservations were immediately quashed.

“These people are there to be photographed and are ready with little business cards detailing social media info,” she said. “And some of them don’t even go to the shows – they are just there to have their photograph taken.”

The Future Forecast

As for what’ next on the fashion horizon, Eisen’s commercial fashion shoots have hinted to her that incoming trends will focus on being more environmentally conscious and using recycled materials.

“The whole theme of fast fashion is done, and there seems to be this push to be much more conscious,” said Eisen.

While recognizing its detrimental behavior is a positive step forward for the fashion industry, Eisen notes another theme at play- one that seems to be happy and celebratory.

“I noticed that there are a lot of primary colors – 90s smiley-themed clothing adorned with beads, which is quite fun and happy,” said Eisen recognizing that the fashion industry wants to shake off the pandemic and celebrate – in style, naturally.

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