You may be familiar with the photorealistic panty paintings of John Kacere which depict a flawless female mid-section. Or the misty, sensual portraits of young teen girls by David Hamilton. Nowadays depicting this type of idealistic femininity is old hat, especially when it’s done by an old dirty man. I see glimpses of Kacere and Hamilton in 21-year-old Ashley Armitage’s work, only her’s is refreshingly realistic. Ashley uses her own female-centric real-world as the subjects for her photography. Documenting her close friends hanging out in soft magenta tones, Ashley portrays her version of femininity in its natural habitat. Taking cues from photographers like Petra Collins, Ashley preserves body “imperfections” like stretch marks and pubic hair, reshaping our notion of female beauty standards. She’s also co-founder of a body-positive female photo agency called Girlfriends. To see more of her work, follow her here. -CM
1. How would you describe your photos?
Lisa Frank. Pink. Dreamy. Relatable.
2. Do you carry your camera with you everywhere you go? No, I used to, but now I’m less into the snapshot and more into controlling my shoots.
3. What celebrity would you like to shoot most? Amanda Stenberg.
4. What animal would you like to be, if not a human? Definitely a cat.
5. What’s your current obsession? Eating full course meals in the bathtub. Today I ate Totinos pizza rolls and Doritos in the tub. This is what adulthood means.
6. Would you like to live forever? Yeah sure, why not!
7. What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? Show up on time.
8. What do you do in your spare time? Lately I’ve been going on long night city walks and also watching a lot of Gossip Girl.
9. Do you like having your photo taken? NO.
10. Which photographers do you like right now? Ryan McGinley, Awol Erizku, Chloe Sheppard, Maisie Cousins! So many.
Shoot the Breeze: Ashley Armitage
You may be familiar with the photorealistic panty paintings of John Kacere which depict a flawless female mid-section. Or the misty, sensual portraits of young teen girls by David Hamilton. Nowadays depicting this type of idealistic femininity is old hat, especially when it’s done by an old dirty man. I see glimpses of Kacere and Hamilton in 21-year-old Ashley Armitage’s work, only her’s is refreshingly realistic. Ashley uses her own female-centric real-world as the subjects for her photography. Documenting her close friends hanging out in soft magenta tones, Ashley portrays her version of femininity in its natural habitat. Taking cues from photographers like Petra Collins, Ashley preserves body “imperfections” like stretch marks and pubic hair, reshaping our notion of female beauty standards. She’s also co-founder of a body-positive female photo agency called Girlfriends. To see more of her work, follow her here. -CM
1. How would you describe your photos?
Lisa Frank. Pink. Dreamy. Relatable.
2. Do you carry your camera with you everywhere you go?
No, I used to, but now I’m less into the snapshot and more into controlling my shoots.
3. What celebrity would you like to shoot most?
Amanda Stenberg.
4. What animal would you like to be, if not a human?
Definitely a cat.
5. What’s your current obsession?
Eating full course meals in the bathtub. Today I ate Totinos pizza rolls and Doritos in the tub. This is what adulthood means.
6. Would you like to live forever?
Yeah sure, why not!
7. What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Show up on time.
8. What do you do in your spare time?
Lately I’ve been going on long night city walks and also watching a lot of Gossip Girl.
9. Do you like having your photo taken?
NO.
10. Which photographers do you like right now?
Ryan McGinley, Awol Erizku, Chloe Sheppard, Maisie Cousins! So many.