Fresh from the photoshoot of a currently sealed campaign that debuts in the Fall with a crew that she considers to be a “dream client”, photographer Brook Pifer lives to see life through her lens. When she’s not busy working with wish list brands and clients, she’s traveling and creating moments on film and translating them digitally into her own unique live motion GIFs for Instagram. “What I find really special about film GIFs is that they bring together two things I inherently love about this art: analog and directing. Obviously, I’m a photographer first, but what’s really cool is that I’m able to know that visual sense, and still have this deeper way to tell a story with something really tactile and tangible. Of course there’s an inherent spirit to shooting film and I think that blending technology of film in that way is kind of awesome. I love it.” Brook’s most recent bucket list trip was to Hawaii, but she creates wanderlust imagery from coast to coast. She photographs the people and places around her, including her pug Zoey, who has her own Instagram that documents their life together because “that dog knows how to find her light like you don’t even know.” Brook captures moments in her own travels and from moments authentically created by those who inspire her. “I’ve been working with a friend on a project called Lady Adventures,” explains Brook. “She had a career as a creative director, and she ended up selling everything and buying a van to travel across the United States. I would just meet her anywhere from Key West to Marfa, Texas, to Yosemite and Joshua Tree. We would hang out and camp and create and hike, go in the hot springs, climb boulders, and just be in nature, to be honest. When I’m with her it’s very stripped down compared to commercial, because it’s usually just me and what I can hike with. There’s beauty in stripping things away a little bit because it gives you that opportunity to capture raw and real and spontaneous moments.” When it comes to packing, Brook handles work trips the same way she packs for travel - with as many cameras as possible. “I have this running joke that I have cameras, not kids. I feel like they’re all my favorite in different ways. Each camera, when it’s in your hand, it gives you a different way to create. It’s almost like if you’re a painter and you’re using oils versus acrylics, that gives you a different feeling than that versus watercolors, and it’s the same with a camera for me. I usually pack a few different bodies, a few different cameras, a few different formats. We joke about how much can I fit in a carry-on and still get in. I’ll split them up among carry-ons between me and my husband. I like to have different bodies and different cameras for different purposes.” When she’s not traveling or creating passion projects, the photographer has a few tricks for connecting with the subjects and crew on set. Brook makes sure to bring the noise -  literally. She always has music at her photoshoots and carries a speaker. She makes the distinction of identifying as a music fan, not a critic and that her choice of song depends on the vibe of shoot. On an all-day shoot, Brook can take the music from something chill to ‘60s protest music, landing on hip-hop. “Whether it’s an actual client shoot or a personal shoot, I always treat people the same way. In some ways, I consider them less as objects and more of a co-conspirator, that way it brings models and talent to a place where they get to be an artist. When you develop that bond with somebody and develop that connection, that’s when you’re going to get the stuff where they’re relaxed, open to suggestions and things that they maybe wouldn’t want to try or ideas that may be adventurous or unexpected. That for me is how you get that ‘je ne sais quoi’.” “You fall in love with people,” admits Brook. “That’s the thing about being a photographer and director, you fall in love with people over and over again.”

Vitamin Water presented its newest “Ice” flavor in a humorous campaign that called on different artists’ to interpret the various elements of modern break-up culture. In a series of virtual exhibitions showcasing the journey of heartbreak, visitors are guided through a tour of the “Ex Museum” by the clever and endearing curator himself, “Tommy Lavender”. B&A artists, Pussykrew, designed a key piece for the museum that features a frozen-cold, bloodless heart reflective of the icy-fresh taste of the newly released blueberry lavender Vitamin Water. The frosted silver-blue heart is both beautiful and mesmerizing, yet unwelcoming, non-human, and totally hollow… just like your ex’s.  Pussykrew’s eye for intricacy and complexity is unique and always leads to stunningly elaborate works, even in the case of this more somber project. Their combined use of CGI and 3-D scanning produces visuals that are both graphic and imaginative at the same time. The striking use of texture, and vibrant, shiny colors, bring this icy heart to life.

In honor of Memorial Day, photographer Patrik Giardino teamed up with Chris Pratt, Jay Glazer, Jared Shaw, and the other faces behind The Murph Challenge, created in memoriam of U.S. Navy Seal LT. Michael Murphy, who created and used the routine while deployed. “I think this is a really great project, and it’s good timing, in honor of Memorial Day,” explained Patrik. “You train to have a really good experience, it’s almost like you train for a marathon, it's the same idea. You train for the Murph Challenge.  Jared Shaw is the ex-navy SEAL who brought me in to the project. He is a very good friend to Chris Pratt. Jared has a really amazing background, they train together all the time. He did 4 tours in Afghanistan and in Iraq.” Hero Michael Murphy was featured in the book and movie, produced and starring Mark Walberg, the Lone Survivor. Michael risked his life and continued to fight to save the lives of his unit, and was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2007. That same year, his parents and brother started the LT. Michael Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation, which supports Michael’s favorite saying “Education will set you free.” The foundation is funded by donations and proceeds from the Murph Challenge, the Forged non-profit organization’s annual fundraiser. The Murph Challenge consists of a 1 mile run, 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, and a closing mile run in either a 20 pound vest or body armour. The website reads “The ‘MURPH’ is more than just a workout, it is a tradition that helps push us, humble us, and dedicate a bit of pain and sweat to honor a man who gave everything he had”. Participants have the opportunity to register their timing and compare their achievements with the unique group of registrants who also paid tribute to the challenge. “It’s a workout. It’s hard. It’s based off of the special forces and the training they do to make it through wars and attacks,” explained Patrik. Patrik got a firsthand look at the challenge during his latest project with The Murph Challenge, where he filmed a motion piece with Chris Pratt, Tyga, and Jay Glazer, owner of the gym where their challenge took place. “Chris Pratt is totally into this kind of training. As an actor, he’s done battle scenes and intense action shots in movies. He gets totally into it. He became really good friends with Jay Glazer, they work out a lot together. Chris Pratt is becoming the face of the challenge, so it’s definitely getting more attention now that he’s apart of it.” “They gave me total free range to shoot whatever I want because they trusted I would make a cool video. Chris Pratt hams it up the whole time. He’s a super funny guy. The whole group did the challenge, from beginning to end. I was running with them on the street with a camera!” said Patrik. “It was a really fun project, it didn’t feel like work, we were just having fun. It’s kind of like how the Beckham shoot was, easy and not so much pressure. Photoshoots tend to take the personality/persona of whoever you shoot, so this is kind of old school documentary but it’s got a little more style to it. I’ve worked a lot of celebrity shoots, but this is so different. You have access to people who really care about something and you create something that people feel strongly about. There’s a lot of moments where they’re totally sweaty and tired and they still talk right into the camera. It’s totally authentic.” The video Patrik filmed was meant to be debuted on Memorial Day, but because of the excitement generated by the challenge during filming, the team decided to create a teaser and post it on Chris Pratt’s Instagram. It went viral. “It wasn’t even supposed to go live yet. We were chatting in a circle, saying maybe we should just post it now, to sell more t-shirt’s before the challenge. So I shot the promo and actually went home and edited it right away. The next video is going to be about five minutes long; in that video they're going to talk about the challenge and thank all the people who do it. Everyone involved has inspirational backgrounds. There were some big names in the group too, some NFL players, some MMA fighters, actors, a bunch of different promenent people who participate in the challenge. That video is the documentary about that day and it’s going to come out Memorial Day.” “It’s really fun to be involved in this kind of environment. It’s awesome to meet all these people, it's great to challenge everyone. I didn’t exactly do the challenge because I was shooting, but running after them the whole time was pretty equal, I was sweating up and down the street,” he explained, laughing. “It’s funny, the paparazzi  was outside by the time we did the second run. There was an article in the Daily Mail about Chris Pratt getting in shape for his wedding. But we were shooting the video for the challenge. I actually made it in the Daily Mail!” To view the MURPH Challenge video featuring Chris Pratt, click here.

Architecture enthusiast and photographer Jason Schmidt had the opportunity to photograph Frank Gehry’s home and latest structural design masterpiece for a cover story with Architectural Digest. "This is Frank Gehry's new house which he designed with his son. The house couldn’t be cooler. It’s an architectural and engineering masterpiece with these timbers. I feel like with any Gehry structure you try to fathom how it looks on paper, how you can draw and figure out how this all works -  it's mind-boggling, the complexity of it all. When you're in the house, it feels somehow light, like you could have built it as a kid with pickup sticks. It has this incredible way of feeling light and simple while complex. It’s so cool." Jason spent two days shooting Frank’s home, working closely with his son and considers the project to be a dream assignment. “I only had an hour or so with Frank himself for the portraits. That was an extra bonus, to spend time with Frank. My favorite parts of the house were the hippie nook with the round daybed and the green piano in that music room. It’s hard to have a favorite moment from the project, it was really just one incredible moment after another.”

In her latest collaboration with Museum Magazine and Camper, photographer Anna Pogossova headed to the Stockton Sand Dunes in New South Wales to capture her own sculpture designs in a still life setting. “The sculptures were a reimagining of the Eames Solar Do-Nothing Machine from 1957, and were designed and constructed by me. I created vector drawings which were then used to laser cut various shapes which formed the sculpture. The choice was very much to do with the look of the Camper shoes themselves, which I felt referenced a 60’s vision of the future and the atomic era design aesthetic.” “I wanted to shoot specifically in afternoon light conditions as the sun was setting, and the shadows were getting longer,” explained Anna. “It did become quite cloudy towards the end of the day, but I liked the way it gave the image some softness and an ethereal quality.” The sculptures feature a reflective component that mirrors the sand and the sky more vividly than the reality. The sleek lines of the sculpture's stem flow into the dark fabrics of the shoes, corresponding to the fluid nature of the geometric shapes. The result is a series of images captured by Anna that both complements and contrasts the Camper pieces.

As a professional artist, it’s easy to get lost in the process. Personal projects are an important way for artists to reconnect with their inspirations and reignite their passion in creative avenues that would go otherwise unexplored. In her latest collaboration with Vogue Portugal, stylist Jèss Monterde created a mood board for a story close to her heart and expanded her role on set. “I didn't know Ericka Hart at all when this project first began,” explained Jèss. “When Arale Reartes, the photographer, told me about her and how she'd love to shoot her, I started to follow her on Instagram and fell in love. That's when I created a mood board for a story that I wasn’t even sure she’d be interested in.” The client, Vogue Portugal, responded well to the mood board and decided to commission the story. They loved the idea of featuring Ericka and were coincidentally preparing their Sex Issue for May. Once Vogue signed on to the project, it was time to reach out to Ericka. The project is centered around the sexuality educator with a Master’s of Education in Human Sexuality. “She is Ericka Hart: She/They, sex educator, black queer femme, racial/social/gender justice disruptor, writer, breast cancer survivor, model,” explained Jèss. “This is how she describes herself and I couldn't do it better. The inspiration came from her: from her words, from her strength, and from her knowledge.” In addition to setting the tone and aesthetic for the project with Arale, Jèss was also responsible for the wardrobe on set. “I did the entire styling for the shoot, but as you'll see, some of the photos feature the model naked. Sometimes you just have to step aside and let the body talk. Ericka’s energy, in terms of fashion, is really bright and colorful. Her style is free and powerful. Color, tulle, and glitter are all among the dreamy elements that have become my signature on shoots. So I decided to pull the craziest dresses. I have never seen so much joy in a person wearing a Marc Jacobs dress. It was really emotional for me to see so much happiness on a shoot.” “I wanted to use young designers for some of the accessories,” explained Jèss. “They are free, and more likely to feel comfortable taking risks. I commissioned ANH Jewelry to create a crown for Ericka. It had to be colorful, that was the most important ask. With the help of the artist Giorgia Rojas, they created a crown that transmits light and color, the same as Ericka.” “Vogue has been really respectful, no boundaries, no rules. They trust in our mood board and our ideas, so we were really free in this story. Ericka said something about the shoot that really resonated with me: ‘If you only see stretch marks and scars in the picture, you are missing the entire canvas.’”