Filipina Hannah Bacalla has finally shot her first Ben Trovato exclusive fashion story. When shooting High Rise, Hannah teamed up with independent fashion store Detail byDetails, shoe store Gold Dot Cebu, and two up-and-coming jewelry designers, Neil Felipp and Meme Dakay. “The whole shoot was about playing with contrast and architecture. I wanted to incorporate clean lines and mix it with the aesthetic design of the shoes and the architecture of the location. I really like how every piece is strong in their own way but not overwhelming,” Hannah explains.
She found her way to fashion photography in the mid 2000s, after having spent some time doing portrait work. “It is the only genre in photography where you can create different worlds,” she says, before adding that she’s always fascinated with beautiful things and her desire to capture it in frames. Other than that she finds inspiration in almost everything around her. For High Rise she was inspired by the location and the garments she was shooting:”- I was inspired by the movement and contrast of things like the texture of the location, the details of the accessories, the playfulness of the daylight, etc.”
Hannah brought together the team, and tells us it was a joy working together: “- I have worked with both model and stylist a couple of times already, each on separate occasions as this was their first time working together. It was a breeze working with these girls since both of them really understood the concept well and what I wanted to achieve.”
We caught up with the stylist of the shoot, Gillian Uang, and she explains she had some of the same inspirations as Hannah when styling the shoot: “- With styling I get highly inspired by movement and architecture. I wanted to incorporate movement with the free flowing silhouettes and also with the artistic design of the prints and cuts of the clothing. Next to that the mixture of architectural factor comes in the shoes creating a solid base to the whole look, playing with femininity and masculine touches. A play of proportion was also carefully done to create drama and design. ALso, a carefully mix of accessories to uplift the whole look ..I think fashion, dance, art, design, drama and architecture rolled into one. It’s an infusion of all art forms.”
For Hannah this was only the start of a lot of good things to come: “-First of all, I am really grateful that Ben Trovato published my work. I am planning more shoots both commercial and personal work in the near future. I plan to travel more and move to a different city in a few months. And, I hope to do more work for Ben Trovato.”
Credits
Photography & Art Direction - Hannah Bacalla
Styling - Gillian Uang
Makeup & Model - Shelly
Fashion provided by Detail byDetails
Accessories provided by Meme Dakay and Neil Felipp
Shoes provided by Gold Dot Cebu
