Christian Larsen
New York based photographer Christian Larsen shot our collection of jewelry, objects and furniture in a series of tableaus.
Collaborating with his wife, jewelry designer Vanessa Fatton, Christian combines contrast and perspective to capture images which are pure and minimal, echoing a Scandinavian and Japanese spirit. After the shoot, we caught up with Christian to find out where he'd like to travel next and what is his favorite travel souvenir.
The photographer, self portrait for "Journeys In A Room"
Instagram @beforemyeye
1. How do you begin your day at the studio?
Simply and with an open mind….coffee helps too.
2. What inspires you as a photographer?
I know it sounds cliché, but everything inspires me. A scene in a movie, a walk in my neighborhood, a conversation, being on the subway. For me it’s all about tuning into and focus on being inspired, to truly look at what’s around you; I believe that no matter the situation you can always find something that will inspire you, even when life turns sad or negative.
3. What is the most rewarding part of your work?
Working with creative people to produce new and interesting ways of perceiving our world visually.
4. 5TH26’s founder and designer Brandon Tang was drawn to your work taken during your travels and has a portrait of a tribesman you took on a trip to Mozambique in his studio. How does traveling influence your work?
Traveling inspires my work immensely! There is an unlimited trove of inspiration to be found when embarking on a journey and moving makes you perceive things in a new light.
Like my fellow Dane and author Hans Christian Andersen said, “....To travel is to live.”
Mozambique tribesman, 2012
5. The 5TH26 collection is made up of various home décor objects created by different artisans and in different materials and forms. With each piece being so individual from each other, how did you approach the shoot in order to give a clear and curated point of view?
I tried to observe the contrast between the individual pieces and play with the juxtaposition of the materials, for example the lacquered trays with the organically shaped vases etc. And choosing the stark, graphic white environment elevates the products and makes their features stand out.
Using mostly daylight for the main pictures, also adds a great mood to the shots.
Christian Larsen for 5th26.
6. Originally from Denmark, and now a New Yorker, what do you like the most and the least about the city?
Most: The amazing energy.
Least: How that energy can negatively affect people.
7. As a seasoned traveler, can you share with us:
Favorite city to visit?
So many to choose from, but have to say Tokyo is always a city that gives so much on so many levels. Paris is a close second.
Furthest place you traveled?
Jack’s Camp by The Makgadikgadi salt pan in the Kalahari desert in Botswana! The journey to reach the camp involved planes, trains and automobile extravaganza that took two and a half day from New York.
But standing on the salt pan, the silence so deafening you could hear your own blood rushing through your head, was nothing short of a life altering experience. well worth the long haul.
Where do you want to go next?
Again, so many to choose from, but have been eyeing Jordan; want to see Petra (the famous rose-red city carved into stone walls) before it’s too late.
Petra, Jordan
Favorite souvenir you picked up while traveling and why?
During a job in Kenya, we stayed in a coastal city called Lamù. One day I stumbled onto a carpenters shop, who build and restored the local Dhow’s (traditional one masted sailing boat). The Dhow has a ornamented board on each side of the bow, a beautiful and colorful piece of local craftsmanship. It functions as a safeguard for the fishing boats and its crew, bringing good luck and fruitful harvest at sea. I gravitated towards one that was in the back of the store and asked if I could purchase it, the carpenter was very reluctant, but after a long persuasive conversation and explanation that I was from a nautical country myself, the carpenter agreed to sell it to me.
But the lucky charm came with instructions; the carpenter told me it was imperative that I positioned the board over the entryway of my house or apartment, because it was said it would allow good fortune to pass through the entry and safeguard the home from any evil or wrong doing individuals. To this day it hangs over my doorway in my apartment in Brooklyn, which has been kept safe ever since (knock on wood)!
Kenyan Dhow