There is not enough times in our lives to do the things that truly feed the creative passion within us, with no strings attached.
You create because it’s a need. Even if you put massive hours and blood, sweat, and tears in, it’s never work. It should be your joy.
Going to college and studying in your chosen field should always be just that.
No clients, no AD, just you. If you’re in college now, savor the time.

[photopress:Rydell_Leash.jpg,full,centered] © Jasmine Rydell
couldn’t you see a Prada logo in the corner of this one?

I first met this Academy of Art photography student a few years ago and one image stood out amongst a proficient, but undeveloped portfolio.

Jasmine Rydell
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The quiet, slightly, demure photographer had a striking image that you could see was a mere peak into what could be. You could just tell that this was a sublimated passion just waiting to be explored. There was true talent in the wings.

And the time to fully explore it all was there for her in the supportive environment of one of the best photo school departments out there.

Coming back to see her work now that she has graduated, was a real joy. To watch someones work progress and expand is a very cool thing.

In her own words:

“Most of my photography focuses on gender roles, status, and relationships between people. I am consistently striving to create images that tell stories and that question the standards of our society. My airplane image for example, contains many elements that can be seen throughout much of my photography.

[photopress:Rydell_airplane.jpg,full,centered] © Jasmine Rydell

The concept behind this image was to have a jetsetter couple that just walked off a private airplane in the desert. There is distance between the couple and it can be assumed that they just had a disagreement over something while on the airplane. The suitcase thrown on the desert ground and the female’s facial expression and body language show that there is tension between the two characters. As in all of my images the female figure in this photograph can be perceived as being a very strong individual. She dominates the frame of the image and appears to hold the power in the relationship. However, the male character is shown as being submissive and vulnerable.

The photograph of the girl with the leash is one of my older images; a much smaller production but it still has a similar concept and style as my newer work. The leash image was shot against a plain white wall in San Francisco. My idea behind this image was to portray a strong female character that had a very edgy modern look to her. This image is intended to be aesthetically interesting but mainly it questions women’s role in society. It asks why women are still being held back.

Most of the inspiration for my work comes from fashion itself. I have always been very interested in fashion and feel that wearing certain clothes gives me (and other females I am sure) a sense of empowerment. For me, fashion is a way to express individuality and my mood day by day. Locations, people, and other forms of art including architecture and painting also inspire me. Most of my concepts and ideas for new work come about when I am trying to sleep. I tend to dream in photographs.

All of my work is retouched mainly for technical reasons. I shoot to composite; I shoot the foreground at one exposure and the background at another exposure and merge them together in Photoshop. This technique gives me more control over the image and also allows for the image to be technically more sophisticated in terms of lighting.”

She produces her own work with a crew of people and maintains a budget for each shoot. What she has been able to create within her means, is astounding. Her career is assured and her talent will get her where she wants to go. Her business acumen will afford her the luxury of her continued passion.

[photopress:Crow.jpg,full,alignright]© Jasmine Rydell

She can reached on her website , and by email at: or email :jasrydell@yahoo.com

We’ve just shared 3 of the students from this year to also show you a range of styles. Hopefully some of the folks will post to the READER GALLERY here so you can share some of what we saw.
Congratulations to all of the students who graduated and to those still in the midst.

I’m looking forward to reviewing next years emerging stars.

Remember, the idea here is to celebrate the still image,and the power it has.These students have been dedicating their lives to finding that power.