Shae Acopian Detar: Interview

So a couple of weeks ago I e-mailed the AH-Mazing Shae Acopian Detar of Everythingstyle.com asking her if I could interview her for my blog. When she e-mailed me back saying yes I was so excited I nearly feel out of my chair!!! She is one of my all-time favorite photographers and I really look up to her and her work. She used to own an online vintage shop, but then she decided that wasn’t for her. Then she was introduced to photography and has been doing that ever since.

Seriously if you don’t know her you are missing out! Her work is absolutely stunning and it never ceases to inspire me and she one of the nicest people I have ever talked to...well typed to. Haha. Here’s the interview with the lovely and talented Shae Acopian Detar…



1. How did you get interested in photography?

I had decided to quit selling vintage clothing, and I really had no idea what career path to pursue. Then one day I was snapping street style photos at Fashion Week in Bryant Park for my blog. These two bloggers, Craig Arend of AltaMira, and Karl Edwin Guerre of Swagger 360, were telling me about the tricks of street fashion photography. Karl Edwin showed me how to shoot using the camera in manual mode, and that little gesture opened up a whole new world to me. I started experimenting with my camera and not using a flash, and it was soooo much fun. I instantly switched my blog focus to chronicle my adventures in learning photography. That was November of 2009, about a year and a half ago.



2. Is there a certain theme that you try to portray in your photographs?

I guess my photos tend to have a nod to history in some way, whether it is via clothing or the feel of the shoot. Not too many of my photos feel modern. I also like to make things seem dreamier than they may really be.



3. What inspires you the most/ who are your biggest influences at the moment?

At the moment my inspirations are coming from the likes of Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, and the early works of Picasso. Paintings and drawings inspire me more than photos do, for some reason.



4. I know that sometimes you take vintage pieces and remake them into something new or you'll sew an outfit specifically for a shoot. What made you start doing that/ how did you learn to sew?

I started re-doing vintage pieces when I was a teenager. The reason was simply that I'd go to the thrift shop and the dress I wanted to buy was too big, or too long, too many busy patterns or the sleeves were ugly.
So I started changing them in small ways to make it how I wanted to wear it. I've been re-designing my clothing for so long that it's just a natural part of looking at vintage at this point. For more involved pieces I take them to a seamstress. I'm actually not very good at sewing. I get by for the small things like hemming and taking things in. A lot of the body suit/leotards I've made are hand sewn as well, which takes days to make!



5. What are some of your favorite type of vintage pieces to shoot?

I love shooting eccentric pieces; very costume-like stuff...but I don't
always have access to that sort of clothing (only on occasion). Shooting ethnic pieces are so much fun ~ all the vibrant colors and involved patterns. Victorian pieces create a very distinct mood and I always love to shoot with clothing from the 1910’s-1940.



6. If you could use any one designer's collections (such as Marchea,
Versace, ect.) for photo shoots, who would you chose?

Hmmm...I don't get very excited about designers of today, but if I could use anyone’s clothing for shoots, I'd raid New York Vintage's amazing treasures they have stored in their upstairs showroom in NYC. I did a video with them and the stylist for Boardwalk Empire, and I have never in my life seen better vintage than this place has. It was blowing my mind.



Thank you so much for your time Shae and if any of you have time be sure to check out her lovely blog! :)

In Search of Never Land...

Hey guys!! I hope you’re all having a great weekend so far! I made this gown the other day. It’s made out of a cream eyelet lace that I got for $1 a yard. You can’t really tell in the photos, but in the front and back it has these almost wedge type things that make the skirt full-looking.

I’ve had this photo shoot idea in my head for the longest time and I’ve finally just now got around to doing it! It kept raining on and off, so I kept having to make mad dashes back to the house before my camera got wet and I got a couple of weird stares from passing cars. Haha. But overall it was a lot of fun shooting this one and I'm pleased with the way they turned out. :)

Inspiration Journal:

Hello everyone! Here are a couple of pages from my inspiration journal. I've been slowly filling it up with photos and quotes that inspire me and it's now finally all finished! So I guess I’ll just have to start a new one. Enjoy! :)

Fading Stars and Green Socks

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all having a great week so far. Here’s a pair of socks I made. They’re super easy to make! I took one of my old socks and cut at the places where it curved so it would lay flat. Then I used that as my pattern and sewed at the seams. Viola…you have a sock! I hope you enjoy! :)

Next green dress- Salvation Army $2
Vintage brown sweater (I made into a cardigan) - Salvation Army $1.50
Green socks – I made them from scraps of fabric I had laying around.
Brown oxfords- Salvation Army $1.50

Drawing of a Girl

Hey everyone! Here's a drawing I did the other day. I forgot how much I liked drawing. I used to draw all the time when I was little, but then I switched to knitting and other fun stuff. I'm starting to pick it back up again. :)

I hope you're all having a great Saturday and don’t forget to set you’re clocks forward!

P.S. If you know the source of the original photograph could you let me know. I saw it on a blog once, but I forgot the name of the blog...I've been trying to figure it out and it's been driving me nuts! Haha It'd be much appreciated!

There's a Possiblity

Hey you guys! Sorry for not posting a whole lot. I’ve been pretty busy with school and work, (saving up for a new camera). :D I just finished making this dress this morning. I used the retro Butterick 5209 pattern. I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out. I messed up a little on the back though, but that’s ok…I was going to fix it, but I was feeling rather lazy. I hope you enjoy!

My photos aren’t really anything special. I just went outside and played around pretending I could dance. Haha actually there’s a road right by that field where I was taking pictures and after a while of shooting I notice jogger staring at me. And here I was spinning and jumping around with my self timer on…he must have thought I was a complete loon! Haha.

So a couple of you have asked for some sewing tips so here’s a tip that I learned a while back and it’s really helped.

TIP #1. If you’re working on a project where you have to gather a lot, put elastic thread in the bobbin and shirr it. You’ll save a bunch of time and you’ll get a more even gather.

I hope you’re all having a great weekend!

Mini Mouse in Boston

Hey you guys! So way back in November I went to go visit my sis (Ruth) out in Boston for a week. It was so awesome! I flew on a plane for the first time (well I went on a plane when I was like one, but I don’t remember that.) We did a bunch of photo shoots and she got me hooked on coffee and tiramisu. It was so much fun! I got this romper at a thrift store for $1 and it kind of inspired this whole photo shoot.

I hope your having a great weekend so far!!