“a true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. but to live with a soul mate forever? nah. too painful. soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave. a soul mate’s purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, and make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life.”
our february catalog was shot by another personal favorite of mine – jason lee parry. he has a talent for telling a story through his photography, making him the perfect choice for our february catalog and its love story theme. he lives in LA and his photographs evoke all the things i love about southern california – hazy sunshine, carefree days and wild nights, a cool edginess to the air and endless summer attitude.
here’s some of his amazing work, which you may recognize as its been posted all over the blogosphere :)
the one of the girl on the skateboard is one of my favorite photos ever. so you can imagine my excitement when jason was kind enough to answer some questions for the blog!
shooting our february catalog
how was your experience working with free people?
it was a great experience. they gave me full creative freedom which is very important… the team was wonderful, super professional but fun at the same time. the kind of people you would go grab a drink with outside of the shoot. thank you free people for a great shoot!
is there a certain photo from the shoot that you’re particularly proud of?
i like the one of jessica (lou) walking on the beach with the sun coming through her legs, of noot (meadow) dancing in front of the window at night with the tambourine in hand, and the one of martha (ginger) twirling in the red shoes with the sun at her back. i like them all though. they have a real sense of summer, freedom and flirtatiousness which fit the love stories very well..
when did you know you wanted to be a photographer? what photographers have influenced you?
as a child i traveled a lot and was visually stimulated by the things i saw so i wanted to recreate images i had seen in my past. i was fifteen when i got hooked… i love how photography tells a story with one picture and everyone, including myself, can interpret it differently. the instant gratification of photography will always keep me interested. guy bourdin is one of my main influences.
do you have a routine when preparing for a shoot?
i am constantly visualizing and thinking up ideas. i take my shoots very seriously. the night before i can’t sleep usually, i’m up visualizing each shot, sometimes creating a full storyboard. i used to stay in my tent in my living room and drink whiskey for days on in, that’s when the ideas really start to flow for me.
shooting our february catalog
what is the most important thing you’ve ever learned about being a successful photographer?
it is very important for me to take jobs that reflect my personal style. bringing everything to the table every time no matter what it pays. i think its extremely important to make the client and models feel very comfortable, playing music during the shoot, having a glass of wine with the crew if need be. also going over every last detail with the client so we are both on the same page, leaving only good surprises with the end result…
what do you like to do when you’re not working?
make my own beer, read about conspiracy theories, road trips…in particular back roads, poetry, go camping, surround myself with interesting people.
what are some of your favorite spots in LA?
my home in silver lake, driving in topanga canyon, drinking in the hills by the griffith observatory, cafe stella, footsies, the roost, ye rustic inn, el prado, good luck bar, tiki ti…the less people the better. but my favorite thing is drinking in my parked car before i go into my favorite bars. i hate walking in to a bar completely sober!
shooting our february catalog
mr. parry, i like your style… go see more of his awesome work here. thank you jason!!!
photos from our catalog shoot taken by our videographer and creative design assistant :)
jemma and i playing around with the fp-1 cascade of ruffles slip and a glittery heart prop from the photo studio… this slip is very light and very easy to layer with (go check out our current homepage for more ideas on that!)…jemma wore it as a dress with black tights and heels for a great going out look, and i wore it as a skirt with a tee and leather jacket as a more everyday casual look. the slip is a little sheer so you need to cover up underneath but it’s an awesome piece to have and has a great romantic feel with valentines day coming up ;) the hearts on my socks were a lucky coincidence…and how cute is jemma in that last pic?
hats… whether it’s sun hats or fedoras they’re without a doubt my favorite accessory. i’m actually rarely without one. we have some seriously awesome hats right now, the only problem is deciding which one i want! which one do you guys like best?
our february catalog was shot in southern california by photographer jason lee parry and features models martha hunt, chrishell stubbs, jessica mau and noot seear. each model was chosen to represent one of the free people girls – ginger, candy, lou and meadow, and an overarching theme of love is present throughout. the catalog drops tuesday, stay tuned!!
these amazing photos were taken by our videographer and looking at them is just deepening my longing for spring…you can almost feel the sun radiating out of the images.
i hear chicago had quite the snowstorm yesterday…one of our fp girls sent along these great photos and said she and her roommate, who also works for fp, were snowed in with drifts up past the windowsills and no shovel – the fp store was even closed!
she wrote that they have a rule with every catalog: save one to cut up, and one to keep (i do the same thing girls!). so, being stuck at home, she decided to use old catalogs to make valentines! love this idea, might have to steal it…
today i have a special tour for you of the home of one of our visual display artists who lives out in california! she actually used to work here in the home office, but relocated to the west coast to work on displays for our stores in the western region. she’s very talented and the epitome of a free people girl, as you’ll see in the photos of her home and personal style.
i’m already jealous.
you can see that she has been hard at work – on our spring store displays!
i love the record player, and the requisite chewbacca mask – we have a bunch of them floating around home office :)
she told me that her grandmothers have been huge influences on her life. the photo at top left is her grandma ella, about whom she says, “she died when i was young, but i resemble her most and admire her work ethic and grace. she raised my dad and he raised me to explore and travel. he took me on trips across the country when i was young and as an adult. that father, daughter time has been so rewarding to me as an adult. we have been on a lot of adventures as a family!”
the most important thing in her home is the “wall of objects” at bottom right. she’s pointing to a photo of her grandmother joan, about whom she says “she taught me how to sew, crochet, knit, and cross stich. i spent a lot of time crafting with her. she and my mother taught me how to be creative in everything i do throughout the day. the two of these ladies have been very inspiring!” she also collected giraffe figurines, and the ones at bottom left were the first ones in her collection.
check out the slideshow for lots more photos of her lovely home!
