Silver & Gold by Ian Adams
Do you know that song "silver and gold...silver and gold" from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? Today, we live in a world of desires, wants, "needs"... for Ian Adams that innocently sums up the materialistic world we live in. Just as that song is a delicate way of expressing over materialistic society we live in, this photo series was meant to portray that idea in similar fashion (but in a more contemporary way of course ; )
I collaborated with a fashion stylist, Lenka Kovarikova. She specializes in nature styling. I had this idea about materialism, and we chatted about the idea of playing with two color tones. We used powder ink for the body, as well as oils to cover the body in silver. The overall color scheme fit very well with the silver and gold color tones (I thought)
-Ian Adams
I like to limit the amount of post production in my work, so besides a touch of color correction in Photoshop, nothing else was used. I shot on a Canon 5D Mark3, with a 50mm 1.2 L lens, shot it in a studio, with a ring light, and soft box lit from above. So first we styled the models, covered them in ink, then places the dried flowers on their bodies...you know, trial and error, until we had the right mix. It was very well prepared so it didn't take more than 2-3 hours to shoot it.
-Ian Adams
People responded well, some didn't know what to think at first. That's what I love about my work, I don't like to spell it out for people. I like people to reflect on the artwork and let them find their own meaning.
-Ian Adams
About Ian Adams
Originally from the United States, Ian started his career in advertising as a graphic designer in southern California where he worked for clients like Adobe, The Surfrider Foundation, Activision, Coca Cola, and Samsung. Eager to discover his roots as well as bring on new career challenges, he moved to Europe where he has lived & worked since 2007 making concepts & art direction for local and international clients. Throughout his career, his work has been recognized at multiple awards festivals with international recognition like the ADDY Awards, the Art Director’s Club, Epica, Eurobest, PIAF, Golden Drum, and more. When Ian isn’t working on advertising campaigns, he enjoys taking on various creative endeavors and projects such as experimental and fine art photography.