photography, styling, production : Cybele Malinowski
hair and makeup: Julia Green
model: Imogen Stuart

This was such a fun shoot! Catherine, my client, and mind behind Isson, came to me with a new range called Bauhaus. I was instantly excited. While studying architecture in uni, Bauhaus was a constant source of inspiration for me in my designs. We chatted on handsfree for over an hour while I drove down Parramatta Rd in peak hour. We were both on the same page and pumped. Catherine wanted to give me creative freedom, and see what I came up with. I was able to explore and delve into areas normally restricted by a tight brief. To help the creative process, I decided to fictionalize 4 kooky geniuses who studied at Bauhaus in 1934. Loosely based on a few of my 20th Century design heroes, and a few of stylist Mikey Ayoubi’s muses, firstly I came up with some funny German names, and then wrote a small character summary for each. I decided to add quirky pets to the mix, like in a classic portrait sitting. The fictitious characters were a way for the stylist, hair and makeup artists to understand and then visually create these characters, and it helped the models get into character on the shoot. The team was amazing, it was such a fun day. My house was turned into a menagerie, and Pushkin has still not forgiven me for letting Fluffy the cat in the studio.

Below each portrait I have included the little character study of each. Since then I have used character studies for other briefs. As I am not so fabulous at drawing, it’s a great way to get ideas across to clients.

Client: Isson
Photographer: Cybele Malinowski
Post Production: Justin Malinowski
Stylist: Mikey Ayoubi
Hair: Verity Griffiths
Makeup: Rachel Montgomery
Models extraordinaire: Daniel @ 6wolves, Lauren Moody @ Chaddys
Pets: Thanks Morten, owner of Fluffy the hairless cat, Raoul Tackelberg, owner of the parrot Nevill, Rachel, owner of the cute little pug Audrey, and Dorrie, owner of our 2 guinea pigs.

Alberta is a jewelery designer at Bauhaus. She is stunningly beautiful, a muse of many of the other Bauhausians. Her image is reinterpreted in world famous works of some of the greatest artists of the 20th century. She wears a turban at all times. No one has ever seem it off. What lies beneath- no on will ever know. She carries her dog ‘Gunther’ with her. He eats and sleeps with Alberta and her numerous lovers. This woman is the pinnacle of chic- women want to be her, men want to fuck her. Woman go out and buy pugs just to be like her. Alberta eats like a bird, and is constantly talking about giving up food entirely. She listens to jazz while she works. She is a collector of tribal art and a lover of all things African.

Victor is head of the architecture faculty at Bauhaus, and one of the founders of the institution. He will go down in history as the father of modernism. A severe man, people revere and fear him. He is the sort of person you cannot imagine ever being a child. Born a man. Always in control, he runs and swims every morning, even in the bitter winter. Sadly he dies of a heart attack at the age of 54. Married to his work, he never falls in love, though frequently has affairs with his students. They never last. During WWII he exiles to New York, and never returns to Germany. While in New York he builds 3 of the most famous skyscrapers in the world. He is loved by the yanks. Politicians, movie stars, they all want to be his friend. But he is uninterested in the glitz and glamour. This just makes them love VeeVee (as the press calls him) even more. He hates that name.

Henriette is Alberta’s best friend, and rumoured lover. She is everything that Alberta isn’t. Shy, introverted and understated. An architect by training, she lives in a world of order and logic. In her later years she wins the Nobel Prize for literature- she writes groundbreaking works on sexual liberation through design and art. The book is later shunned for being right-wing. She is a conundrum. Shy and meek on the outside, her mind is a force of sexual and creative power. She is rarely seen without a cigarette in her hand. She has a raw beauty, a fire burns within. Men fall in love with her from afar. Attracted to her physical fragility (she has the appearance of a rare bird), they fear her mind. Throughout her life she has 4 hamsters. All called Rathaus.

Tierry is an industrial designer at Bauhaus. He loves to work with wood, smoothing it down to a modernist perfection. Only ever using natural materials, he turns them into an object of unnatural perfection. Every year he travels to Mongolia to hike the summer alps. He has to travel by boat rather than plane, so he can take is beloved parrot Heinrich along. He has had Heinrich since he was a little boy. Tierry is a true romantic. When he falls in love, he falls hard. With rugged good looks, the ladies love him, but being such an intrepid lover of life, he can’t be pinned down. He leaves a trail of lovers behind him. He always remains in contact with them, writing heart filled letters to them into his old age.

Client: Nookie
Photographer: Cybele Malinowski
Hair and Makeup: Rachel Montgomery
Model:Celine

Director & DOP- Cybele Malinowski
Vid Edit & Sound- Stephen Claxton
Music- Daniel Arena
Label: Mad Love
PR: The Wonderland

And here is a before and after, I couldn’t not show Sarah’s beautiful eyes!

Thanks everyone who helped out, particularly Julia, Sarah, Justin, Nathan at Chaddys, Shauna at Eyecandy optics and Lylle at Paul Maloney. x

When I made this short fashion video I showed it to a director friend. I asked him to be brutally honest. He was. He said it is like so many photographer’s videos. A series of photos pieces together with movement, and sound, and no meaning. This has plagued my mind for months, in fact, has discouraged me from uploading my clip. Well, fuck it. I am constantly at odds with the banal eloquence of many mainstream films, tv shows, and tenuous threads of meaning in the stream of lo-fi video clips that are being churned out at the moment (that’s a whole-nother post, on the coincidentally timed rise of the video DSLRs and the dwindling funds of the music industry). This video has no meaning. Just a pretty song, a pretty girl and some pretty clothes. Enjoy.

Song by the perfectly twee Swedish duo First Aid Kit, singing “Our own pretty way.”
Hair and make-up: Julia Green
Styling: Yvette Herbert
Editing: Justin Malinowski

Tony encourages the new guard; when Daniel first started shooting streetpress covers Tony lent his house for a cover of Sarah Blasko and Katy Steele for the Brag. A year back I photographed Sarah Blasko for Jmag and Tony sent me a brief email, praising it as the most beautiful shot he had seen of her. I blushed for days!

On the one hand, being a music photographer myself my be advantageous, however, being 29, I am only scraping into the ‘youth’ category, so we’ll just have to see! I do hope my experience and success does not work against me. Either way, I am nervous for the prize night on the 11th November. IF I did win, my plan would be to travel back to the states, with Daniel, and try to establish myself and Daniel in the big league. I have made an amazing life and career here in Sydney so far, I just need a push, out of my comfort zone, to see what else the world has to offer. It’s now or never!

There is also a people’s prize, and if I haven’t harassed you on facebook or twitter already, please click here to vote for me! And cross your fingers and toes!

Here are some of the photos I entered this year.

Well, finally, after months of holding out, I can blog my Slash pics!

We shot this down at the Street Press Australia HQ in Melbourne. Slash was in the middle of a media junket, I was prepared for anything. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he didn’t show at all. Well, bang on time his tarago rolled up. Enter Slash, and his manager, and minder. It was all very professional. Everyone had to leave the room while I shot, but aside from that, there were no rock royatly demands. He was polite, fun, quite au fait with the whole process. I wanted to shoot Slash with a couple of hot models, them yearning for his attention, he, completely disinterested, been there, done that. My darling Melbourne counterpart Rhys Ripper helped out, bringing his talented crew along. Adam Nash, stylist extraordinaire arrived on set, cape in tow, with a menagerie of black black black. The gorgeous Jessica Crema was on makeup, while Jamie Richardson was on hair. Two of the three models didn’t show, interesting. Maybe they were too young to realize who SLASH was??? Well, model Alexandra Ford made up for it ten fold. Anyway, enjoy the shots.
Wailing on his axe.

Once Slash had left the building we continued shooting Alex, she was just too beautiful to let go. Rhys and I have used her for a spread in the next Academy For Men. Keep your eyes peeled. She is one hot lady.

Heaps more pics. Have a geez.

Daniel. Daniel Boud standing in for Slash. Who can say no to a ring flash?

Me and Mr Slash. This is what I look like when I am star-struck.

I gotta say, I don’t know if SPA and Drum were more excited about the Slash shots, or these ones of Alex.

Once again, thanks to all involved.

Slash. The one. The only.
Model: Alexandra Ford @ Chadwicks
Prodcuer: Rhys Ripper, Academy for Men
Make Up: Jessica Crema Represented by Studio Arts
Hair: Jamie Richardson Represented by Studio Arts
Stylist: Adam Nash Represented by Studio Arts
Photography: Cybele Malinowski, Blue Murder Studios
Assistant: Daniel Boud

Photography: Cybele Malinowski
Hair and Makeup: Julia Green
Stylist: Fernando Barazza
Models: Sarah Lorimer, Ditte and Meg W (Chadwicks)

Thank you to everyone involved. We are currently editing a fashion video featuring Dittte, which should be up in a week. Exciting stuff, my first video!

POP your cherry