Last issue, we reflected on the late, great Kimberly Hendrix. Not just as a creative force, but as a connector with a gravitational personality. The kind of person whose energy pulled artists, stylists, photographers, and dreamers into the same orbit. More than a decade later, that spirit still shapes the foundation of our art and culture scene here. The truth is simple: scenes don’t grow from talent alone… they grow from collaboration.
This story is about one of those collaborations.
Art isn’t just output. It’s interaction. It’s participation.
Enter the team:
Liza Fleming — z•aa dress up studio — wardrobe with personality
Sophia Lazaro — Hair & Makeup — shaping mood and character
Mandy Jiang — Model — presence, instinct, and on-set celebrity (because every model is)
Téa Bremner — Production — a curator’s eye meets a producer’s vision
Brian James — Photographer — yeah, that’s me 🙂
While on a recent commercial lifestyle shoot, Téa and I had the pleasure of working with model Mandy Jiang. Téa turned to me while on set and said, “We need to shoot with her again. She’s got so much range.” Then she started building the vision out loud: lean into the edginess, go more editorial, push the wardrobe, deepen the lighting, elevate the makeup. Mood board incoming…
That’s where the collaboration began.
Mandy was first in. “Fashion is a means of expressing who you are to the world without words,” she said. Perfect answer. Now we needed fashion with a voice. When we reached out to Liza at z•aa, her response matched the energy immediately: “I’ve always respected your vision and your unique aesthetic; Clean, polished, strong, edgy, distinct. I see those same qualities rooted in what we do at z•aa.” It’s coming together. Next: hair and makeup. Sophia Lazaro didn’t hesitate. “As soon as you reached out, I was thrilled to be part of it. I was drawn to the creativity in the mood board and knew we could make something special.”
That’s how it happens. Not with contracts, but with conviction.
Sometimes as a creative, you need a shoot that feels like it’s just for you. No client. No clock. No required outcome. Just space to test lighting, explore mood, and make images for the love of making images. It’s a return to the origin point where talent meets trust. Friends as models, shared wardrobe racks, pooled ideas, and a great playlist in the background.
Fashion photography is never a solo act. It’s a team sport and every position matters – photographer, stylist, model, makeup artist, producer. Each contribution compounds the result.
TEAM: Together Energy Accumulates Moments.
I just came up with that and I’m keeping it.
Connection is the catalyst, and collaboration is the multiplier. The work, the images, the fashion, and the culture are simply the visible results of creative people choosing to build together.
That’s where I choose to live.
Forever creating.
B.
