Something Different [BM Cover Story]

WE ARE LIVING IN A WORLD OF SELF INSTALLED RULES AND DOCTRINES. WHERE OUR RATIONALLY SUPPORTED VALUES JUSTIFY ALL OUR ACTIONS AND SIMILARLY PREVENT US FROM DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY. IT STARTS WITH VERY SIMPLE THINGS. A PULL IS TRADITIONALLY WORN TO COVER OUR TOP BODY, SO NATURALLY YOUR HEAD GOES THROUGH THE HOLE ESPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR THAT PURPOSE. BUT EVEN RESPECTING THAT FACT, WHAT PREVENTS US TO WEAR THAT PULL DIFFERENT THAN WHAT IS EXPECTED? CHANGING THE NORM STARTS WITH LITTLE THINGS.

Being a photographer often means you are occupied with your work 24/7. No matter what you do or where you are, your need to create is always with you. So when Paul Smollen was visiting Paris and spotted a specifically pull somewhere in a shop, his mind was immediately taken on location. "I found that pull over in a store in the 3rd Arrondissement of Paris and I love the texture and roughness of the wool and new it would be perfect to contrast it with Matt’s soft features," Paul explains his choice of clothing for his shoot with Matt Roskvist.

Matt Roskvist is an Australian model based in Brisbane. He currently juggles modelling with full time university where he is studying a dual degree in finance and computer science. To offset the serious finance side to Matt he has an adventurous and creative spirit and looks for modelling jobs that a little bit different to the norm. Matt has a real passive for traveling like so many Australians’, which probably stems from the fact they are so far away from everyone they feel left out and have a great need to see what everyone else sees so easily. Paul Smollen spotted Matt social media when he comments on some of my work. "Matt has a great classic beauty about him and I wanted to see if we could take his look and juxtapose it in a location that would challenge him."

Sydney based photographer Paul Smollen always had a camera in his hands as a child and, while it may have rarely had film in it, it did allow him to see life differently while growing up. Putting the camera down briefly to begin a career in Health, he once again has a camera firmly in his hands. Paul states that he sees the world with more clarity while looking through a viewfinder then without. Paul's images reflect a diversity in styles and enables those who view his work to focus on something that quite often is right in front of them, going unnoticed. Paul strives to push himself and create images that are singular and unique, something each person who buys his work or engages him to photograph for, will receive. Indeed, Paul Smollen is the kind of guy who likes to break free from the norm and do something different.

About his shoot with Matt Roskvist, Paul says: "The idea for the shoot came about as I was playing around with styling concepts and thinking about alternate ways you would wear clothes. I wanted to see how many looks could be created with just the one piece of clothing and are there ways you could wear that clothing." The location is the rugged clip tops outside of Sydney. The whole landscape is barren and almost luna like before it dramatically ends with the sea hundreds of feet below. Due to the bleak and barren location and coupled with the intense sun in Australia a purity of light is created both from the color the rocks creates at different times of the day and the reflective surface of them. The location becomes the other feature of the shoot and draws you in but then makes you focus on the subject. Paul let Matt pose playfully with the Parisian pull, trying on different ways to wear it and thus creating different looks. Seeing that it only makes you wonder, if Matt can pull that off with a sweater, what else could he do if he set his mind to the jeans he's wearing. Mmmm, now there is a nice follow up concept… -BM-

To follow Matt and his travels with modelling and life his Instagram is @mattroskvist.  Paul Smollen the photographer can be found on Instagram @pcsphotography

PAUL SMOLLEN | BEAUTIFULMAG
MATT ROSKVIST | BEAUTIFULMAG

Comments

[Ian Horncastle]

Go Aussies - nice work Paul, this model will go places!

[Dieter [Canada]]

....very well done....most interesting and
intriguing...Paul Smollen is an excellent photographer....!!