Shamim
City: Melbourne, Australia
All photos courtesy of Shamim de Varax
FASHION STUDIO: As a self-taught photographer you must have a lot of useful tips for our readers. Tell us a little bit more how you started your adventure with fashion and photography.
SHAMIM: I never had a young child's love affair with the camera. I would write and draw but it was only two years ago a photographer friend handed me a DSLR and said 'you'll like this, go'. He was right, I haven't looked back since.
FASHION STUDIO: How your French-Asian upbringing influenced your work?
SHAMIM: I was raised in a family with very diverse cultures and am very lucky to have the opportunity to travel and meet different people, and experience languages, food, history and this is very much reflected in my work. I think I bring together the elegance and timelessness of Europe with the vibrancy and flavours of Asia.
FASHION STUDIO: How would you describe your style? What makes you different from other fashion photographers?
SHAMIM: I'd like to think my style is very sensually feminine, quiet but strong. I'm inspired by independent women, beauty and colours. I'm still finding my own voice so I think my style has time to change and grow.FASHION STUDIO: Why working with agency models is so important?
SHAMIM: Agencies are part and parcel of the fashion industry, it's important to get the right people for the job and make your work easier.
FASHION STUDIO: What do you consider your biggest achievement so far?
SHAMIM: Working with so many gorgeous creative people is the highlight of every day. I hope to keep meeting and working with awesome people and pushing the boundaries of my work.
FASHION STUDIO: How would you define fashion? What is unique about fashion in Melbourne?
SHAMIM: Fashion is fantasy, it's art and lust and individuality. What is great about Melbourne's fashion designers is that they're unconstrained, they're fun and flirtatious with ideas and present very marked point of views.
SHAMIM: Where do I start…Alexander McQueen, Gianfranco Ferre, Riccardo Tisci, in Australia there's Yeojin Bae, Camilla and Marc, Anthony Capon and NeoDia, so many fantastic designers.
FASHION STUDIO: Who is your style icon?
SHAMIM: Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn.FASHION STUDIO: How do you spend your free time?
SHAMIM: Free time doesn't really exist between shoots, study and work. If I get a moment to myself I sit back with a book and a cup of tea or play with the cat.
FASHION STUDIO: When did you start your personal blog and what can we find there?
SHAMIM: I started it around the same time as I did photography. It documents my journey and projects, the people I work with and things I find interesting especially in fashion.
FASHION STUDIO: Your life philosophy...
SHAMIM: My life philosophy is to always smile. Life is definitely too important to not do the things that make us happy every day.
FASHION STUDIO: Fashion photography is a very competitive field. Could you give some advice to all young photographers who are interested in shooting fashion?
SHAMIM: Persevere. Study. Experiment. Shoot what you love to shoot.
FASHION STUDIO: What are your future plans? Where do you see yourself in a couple of years time?
SHAMIM: I'm going to travel next year with my camera and just keep shooting. I hope to make photography full time but it just depends what the future holds.
FASHION STUDIO: Thank you. Enjoy your travels!
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