From Lugano, Switzerland, fashion photographer Salvatore Vitale traveled to Los Angeles with is medium format cameras and black and white film in hand, in order to shoot and work with some the people that have inspired him the most over the last few years. Fashion photographer Aaron Feaver, and model Shanon Roxanne were included on that list, both being featured multiple times on Ben Trovato and often in the same stories.
Salvatore ended up collaborating with Aaron, and he got to shoot Shannon, for Ben Trovato. “Shannon is great! I can say that one of the main reasons why I went to LA was the wish to work with Shannon,” he says, adding: “I’ve always loved her work with Aaron Feaver and a lot of other great photographers, I admired her also on Ben Trovato. I believe (and that’s not something new) that there’s a chemical reaction which brings the need for a photographer to look for that model who can transform his pictures to something more, to bring them to a higher level. Shannon Roxanne is that model for me. Working with her was great, we were completely connected. I can say it was very simple, she understood exactly what I wanted and I think we did a great work together.”
The result of the two artists meeting and working together is what turned in to Salvatore’s first Ben Trovato exclusive fashion editorial, Lady Of The Rocks.
“The story is about a lady who lives between the rocks and the ocean. She wants to be a part of the space around her because she needs to get rid of her feelings in order to escape from her human condition. She needs to escape from her fragile nature due to her human being and the only way to leave her condition and become immortal is to transform herself in order to take the form of the rocks around her. She will be eternally kissed by the ocean, static but in continuous transformation. There’s a mythical concept behind the story carried from the idea of forms and elements’ mutation.”
One of the main sources of inspiration for the story was Greek Mythology: “- I’ve been always intrigued by stories of Gods who were able to mutate their forms in order to change humans’ destiny or satisfy their needs. I can remember some great works by Annie Leibowitz where human beings are portrayed as mystical creatures. I see the girl of my story like a fragile being who brings a lot of mystical strength. She’s a human being who wants to become a sort of divinity, who wants to get immortal and the element in nature that is the perfect symbol of immortality are rocks, for sure.”
The fashion, that was provided by Wasteland, is in full connection with the overall theme, and plays on the very neutral but yet visible. “The white long dress shows her body, her form, her fragile nature. Transparency helps to make them visible, giving to the model a soft human essence. The golden one shows her transformation, the divine essence. Gold is the color of divinity. We wanted a reflecting fabric to make the model shine in order to underline her sticking up,” Salvatore explains.
Credits
Photography by Salvatore Vitale
Model - Shannon Roxanne @ Q Models
Fashion provided by Wasteland
