"Walking Cycle" | Individuality Transcends Gender Constructs
Digital media designer and emerging photographer, Lesedi Mothoagae started taking photographs to use them as reference for his drawings and designs, and started pushing the medium a little bit further when he fell in love with the craft and artistry of photography. "I found it more natural to express my own artistic vision through photography, creating a feeling, stimuli and being suggestive of my own illusions and opinions."
When he began assisting top commercial photographers from Lampost productions, that’s when he realised that photography and the types of photographs he wants to create are orchestrated, it’s about different elements coming together and creating one picture that communicates the photographer’s vision and at times the clients vision.
"Walking Cycle" is a collaboration with emerging fashion designer, Nao Serati and was inspired by how clothes can become an extension of an individual's personality. "The shoot is very much orchestrated to be suggestive of embracing the unique personalities of the models/humans. Four different bodies, male and female, wearing the same outfit, however it’s interesting to look at how everyone exhibits the fabrics' energy so differently", says Lesedi.
For Lesedi, one of the key messages to communicate in a photograph is a clear defined subject matter because every photograph taken has a purpose. "We take images to document time and space, memories we wish to keep forever, advertising to create feelings of desire to consumers we wish to sell products to, and most importantly for me, to express my personal artistic vision and support my livelihood."
He goes on to say, "as a portraitist the most important thing for me to photograph is performance to give even the most simple composition a measurable sense of truth or illusion. I’m a creative and sometimes I create images that help me escape reality. Sometimes photographs have their own reality which can help with looking at things in a different way."
Credits
Photography: Lesedi Mothoagae
Styling and Clothing: Nao Serati
Interview: Phendu Kuta