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‘Elements of a Bigger Picture’ a photo essay with Garrett Naccarato
S’il vous plaît, notez que cet article est disponible en anglais seulement.
Thursday, July 22nd, 2021
Montreal, Canada
Author: J Rah
Editor-in-chief: Tamy Emma Pepin
Garrett Naccarato, Canadian multidisciplinary creative and photographer, captures crisp, entrancing shots, with a raw and personal touch. Inspired by the likes of Tyrone Lebon, Juergen Teller, Zoe Ghertner and the late Peter Lindberg, it becomes obvious that Garrett has an appreciation for honest storytelling.
“I’m drawn to people who have something behind their eyes…they’ve experienced life, they’ve seen things, they’re open minded and creative. Especially in this day and age, everyone has a story to tell and is more than just a face or a body.”
When asked about his work; who and what he chooses to photograph, Garrett made clear he wants to amplify the personality of his subjects. With a background in graphic design and art direction, these things collectively built up on his current full-time practice of photography which came to be during the transitional period of 2020 and the pandemic. Taking photos, though, had always been a big part of his life whether it was friends, nightlife, or architecture photography. It was important for Garrett to have an understanding of the processes and components of photography. After leaving a marketing position, Garrett, while “going with the flow, and not fighting it”, took the experience he gained in the bigger picture of fashion production and integrated this into his image making.
Although still images, there is a quality of movement one could notice while looking at Garrett’s work. This could come from his love of cinematic and non-contrived lighting. From the intense gaze and color palette highlighted in his “There’s something about Grece” photo story, to the nonchalant and ominous glam feels in “Persona”… these images lead from one to the next like musical notes, which can be seen in the photo essay curated below.
03 - Garrett Naccarato, “Persona”
Garrett Naccarato, “There’s something about Grece”
As a creative working at the intersection of art and fashion, and in the realms of a more urgent political and social climate, makers are feeling more pressure to implement their POVs. Garrett shares: “It needs to feel genuine, and not just another voice in a sea of voices. There needs to be a meaning and story to what I create.” One takeaway after this intense and reflective historical period, and personal transition, he feels fashion should, and seems to be moving in a direction that is more human. “People want more than a glossy image, they want a story, a purpose and a connection,” he adds.
On community in Montreal, our featured artist feels that in the new wave of creatives, the fashion industry and creative community hubs in Montreal are working to become more broad in their range of subject matter. He expresses that with bigger companies, there is of course more need to change, but “in terms of artists and creatives, especially since the pandemic, people are working with more local talents, and that really helped people realize that they have a lot of great talent within this community.”
ORB is a community-based initiative independently launched in 2019 and positioned at the intersections of the arts, science and wellness. As I finished up the conversation on the layers of Garrett’s imagery, I left with our guest question : Where do these three elements intersect for you?
To that, Garrett suggests that it intersects in the images he produces. “There is always an artistic aspect behind every image, and the self expression contributes to my well being; I leave behind a small piece of my soul in every image I create. The chemistry of a shoot is a science in itself, multiple personalities, POV and tastes coming together to create a genuine
collaboration.”
J Rah
jraheem.space
J Rah (Jay Rah) is an interdisciplinary artist, SAIC student and a creative writer at UPPL, a global creative agency, design studio and publisher of ORB. J Rah is evolving in the fields of still and motion image making + score production.