Interview with Claire Huish!

I was recently introduced to the beautiful photography of Claire Huish when she emailed me about a month ago and wanted to collaborate with me. Of course I was excited, given that Claire is so talented! I am styling a ballet inspired shoot for her, the results of which will come out later this month. Check out my interview with Claire and her photos below. For more information on her work, check out her website here.

Tell me a little bit about yourself, what you do, and your photography. Your photos are stunning!

Thank you! I'm 21 years old and from the UK. I'm currently based between my home, a tiny village in the idyllic Oxfordshire countryside; and Bournemouth, where I'm in the final term of my degree. I'll be moving to London in the early summer. My photography is fashion focused and I generally shoot on location and always with natural light, I am also currently working on some personal work which is more interior/exterior/still life based, working with themes of home and nostalgia.

Where are you originally from?

I was born in Oxford and lived there until I was seven.

What is your most treasured childhood memory?

Summer holidays in Ireland with my family. These memories are actually forming the foundations of my final major project at university.

Tell me about your most recent shoots.

I've been working in some really beautiful locations, such as the rugged cliffs near Bournemouth, a lavender farm & Brighton seafront, and with some incredible "props" such as a 1970s gypsy caravan and a vintage baby blue Bugatti!

What is your most favorite shoot you have done so far?

I can't single it down to one, but I always enjoy shoots the most when I have a fantastic creative team who work very well together, luckily this is true of most of my shoots!

Do you have any dream shoots or ideas that you'd love to work on?

Many that I'm working on at the moment, so I don't want to give too much away. But in time, I'd love to shoot further afield when I have a budget which will allow for it! My grandparents lived in Japan for a few years when they were younger & I always find seeing their pictures and hearing their stories about the culture there very inspiring, so it'd be a dream to shoot there. I'd also love to shoot in St. Petersburg & the colours of India are wonderful. Stunning locations are pivotal to my work and I'd love to push this further by shooting abroad. My final major project will be the start of this!

What are your favorite places in London? (shops, cafes, neighborhoods, etc.) 

I love Kentish Town where I've been working recently, everyone is so friendly and it's just down the road from Camden. I am obsessed with Topshop so the flagship store on Oxford Street is always a must-visit for me! I also love Covent Garden for places to eat.

What are your favorite magazines, blogs, books and films for fashion?

Lula, British & Italian Vogue, Fashion 156, ones2watch, Material Girl are my favourite magazines and blogs. A couple of books that I find very evocative & make me want to shoot fashion stories are the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstein, and Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger. My favourite film for fashion is Breakfast at Tiffany's, which I have seen a million times! Any film with Audrey Hepburn is always fantastically stylish, I also love Sabrina and How to Steal a Million. I've just seen The Artist which is phenomenal, too - Berenice Bejo's wardrobe is full of feathers, beads and fur and I'd wear all of it!

If you could photography any celebrity or model, who would it be?

It would have been fascinating to photograph Lily Cole when she was just starting out, and I'd love to shoot portraits of Lana del Rey.

What publication would you love to see your photos in? 

Lula and Vogue.

Who is your style icon? 

Audrey Hepburn, Kate Moss in the late 90s/early 2000s & most currently, Olivia Palermo.

Who are your favorite designers, artists, and other photographers?

I love what Sarah Burton is doing for McQueen; Mary Katrantzou; Inbar Spector... My favourite painters are Degas, Klimt and the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. I'm a huge fan of the fashion photographer Deborah Turbeville, who I had the chance to interview last year, and also Paolo Roversi.

What is on your Spring fashion wish list? 

One of Mary Katrantzou's dresses for Topshop launching in February - I've been saving up!

What was your favorite SS12 show? 

I loved all the 1920s inspired clothes the best - the Ralph Lauren Great Gatsby-esque dresses and flapper caps, and Gucci's drop waist art deco dresses. On an entirely different note, I love the candy pop madness of the Meadham Kirchhoff show, and the huge tulle creations of Inbar Spector, one of which I was lucky enough to shoot just before Christmas.

Tell me about the shoot you are planning with Jaclyn and what are your inspirations for the shoot?

The concept is inspired by ballet; my inspirations include Degas paintings, the Lumiere Brothers' hand painted film of a woman dancing and Sarah Moon's colour palette.

What can you see yourself buying from Audrey Grace?

I love the Holly Golightly 1960s party dress you're currently selling! The pink is perfect for S/S and the feather details nod to the 1920s flapper trends this season.

What does the future look like for you and your work? 

I hope moving to London will open a lot of new doors - it would be an honour one day to shoot for some of the publications I like reading the most, and I want to keep dreaming up imaginative concepts and pushing my work further. 

All photos courtesy of Claire.