Brooke Olimpieri
and her sometimes Canon AE-1 are an anomaly. Yes, she’s young, yes, she’s completely self taught, and yes, her first 35mm camera was a gift from her Dad. Some might say her sensibilities are stuck in the 80’s and 90’s. But doing triple duty as a creative director, stylist and photographer has served her well.
As a strong woman, she has strong beliefs. First, that the “raw texture of film” is incomparable. Well, I too believe that. Second, the best assistant is Tequila. I sort of believe that. But the Tequila is Scotch.
A Canon AE-1 and Necessity
She became a photographer out of necessity. She was designing retro grunge clothing, (still is), she discovered how hard it was to find a ‘good’ photographer. Especially in Las Vegas. This provided the impetus to break out the ol’ Canon AE 1 lying about. Before long, she realized how much she enjoyed taking photographs. And about 50% of her images were rockin’!
I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Photoshop!
While starting with film was just a fluke, her experience with other photogs who wanted to “fix it in post” provided her with an epiphany; …”all that PhotoShopping stuff is bullshit”. While her work is quite sexy in nature, that sexiness is never derived from a nudity, per se, but rather a sensual pose or a well placed pastie. In fact, you’re almost required to take a second look to realize most images have no actual nudity. Whether this was done to comply with the Facebooks and Instagrams of the world, or it’s just her aesthetic, I don’t know. I assume it’s the latter.
The New 90’s Chic
Her credo has always been,…get the right clothes, get the right model, and the shoot will be sexy and spectacular. Oh,…and have fun. Her recent projects include a limited edition book, ‘Lust Vegas’, edited by the great Jonathan Leder, and continuing to style, creative direct, and sell some awesome “grunge” attire. (available on her website below) As more and more jobs come in, she will soon be a force to reckon with. And to think it all started with the little old Canon AE-1.
Filthy Mouth Creative Agency