Carlos & Alyse - Fashion / Beauty Photography Duo
Duo Reiner Carlos and Brittany Alyse, a pair based out of NYC specialising in fashion and beauty photography. It is no accident that their work has a certain polish and dreamlike quality, we delve into their process and philosophy behind their work.
Who is the duo of Carlos & Alyse & how did it come to be?
Carlos + Alyse are Reiner Carlos and Brittany Alyse. We both grew up in Winnipeg, a small city in the middle of Canada. We actually met on Facebook! Both of us were already pursuing photography individually. When we noticed we were collaborating with many of the same people, we began chatting and decided to meet up. Realizing we shared many interests, we began rapidly assisting with each other’s with projects until one day one of us asked, “do you want to take some pictures too?” And then we kind of just decided we always wanted to do this together.
How would you define your work?
We always strive for our work to feel effortless, while still leaving room for some experimentation. We feel that our work should maintain an element of beauty, even if a lot of the elements could be considered “unconventional”. At the end of the day, we love beautiful light + beautiful subjects.
What do each of you bring to the working relationship?
Reiner is definitely the bigger-picture-thinker, and also the master retoucher and colorist. And he’s the tech-savvy half of our pairing.
Brittany has a greater attention to detail, she curates and edits, down to posing and direction for our subjects (generally). She also does most of the corresponding.
What are your tips for collaboration?
In the context of a partnership: Communication and managing expectations are top priority. Decide that you are committed to each other - compromising doesn’t necessarily mean watering down. And, always remember that you are on the same team.
Your work has a gorgeous premium feel to it, how do you achieve this?
We try really hard
No, but honestly, for us the little details take it there. How the light falls off or sinks into the skin, how the colors transition, a little shrug of the shoulders or turn of the fingers.
What is your current go to techniques and/or technology?
Currently, we are enjoying imperfection. A softer lens or indirect lighting, pushing the files and seeing where they break. We have switched up our camera systems quite a lot, and so it’s fun to see the way these different tools output different results.
What has been a favourite moment whilst shooting?
This past year, we photographed our first cover for Elle Canada. It was an exciting opportunity for us, made even more special by getting to do it with some of our long-time collaborators, and friends.
How do you balance creating art vs work for clients?
We think of it as “taking turns”, we know that certain times of the year will need to be focussed on client work, and other times we’ll have the space and time to work on personal and creative endeavors.
How do you define success?
Not looking at the prices when grocery shopping… that’s partially a joke, but having enough income to breathe a little is always nice. Ultimately though, to be given the time and space to create work that is fun for us and that we feel proud of, whether for money or not, and to be privileged enough to have a healthy work/life balance that, in addition to working and creating, provides the opportunity to travel, spend time with family and explore different interests.
Follow the artist @carlosalyse
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