Editorial fashion photos are now evolving in to editorial fashion videos, as print magazines become digitally interactive online. If you have the luxury of owning an iPad or similar device, you may have noticed online magazines such as Vogue having a “play” button as you flip through the fashion advertisements. Soon it will be the norm to not just look at a beautiful advertisement, but watch it in action. As our world evolves, upcoming generations expect an interactive format to hold their attention. I couldn’t have been more thrilled to work on a project like this when the opportunity came up, and her name was Crystal Schreiner.
Born and raised in Athens, Wisconsin, Crystal always dreamed about moving to a larger city. While attending Marquette University, she completed her BA in Advertising, studied Spanish and took art courses at MIAD. She was able to travel abroad, and studied in Spain. Being drawn to entrepreneurship and self-development, she took part in co-founding GoGeddit.com in Milwaukee with Richie Burke and Jeremy Bemis, which has now morphed in to offering businesses production and marketing solutions. A great milestone for their business was being featured in Success Magazine.
Crystal’s dream is to direct amazing fashion films, campaigns and commercials for global brands, magazines and products. As we worked together on our photo shoot, I was able to get to know her a little better.
Fashionista: How old were you when you became interested in photography?
Crystal: When I was around 19 or so. I was always the one of family vacations taking ALL of the photographs. I never realized at the time that I always had a camera in my hands. I took a class at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and we got to choose our favorite art for for our thesis. I chose photography and really just fell in love with it. After a lot of compliments from teachers, colleagues and friends, I found that it was something that came 100% natural to me. I see beauty everywhere, all around me – I’m framing things constantly. I never stop mentally photographing the world.
I then started working as a photographer at my student publication at Marquette University. From there I got an internship at Fig Media in Chicago, where after shooting my first fashion show for Macy’s, decided that it was something I really wanted to pursue. I worked with great artists at Fig in Chicago; I still look up to them as my mentors!
Fashionista: What is your favorite style of photography?
Crystal: My favorite style of photography is dreamy, imaginative fashion photography. I shoot a lot of street style, which is very popular right now, but my imagination is always running wild- I want to let it run free in a shoot. Fashion photojournalism is great,too. I love to capture the common people in action looking their best, Bill Cunningham-style. I’ll be shooting street style for Refinery29 at Fashion Week this fall and could not be more excited to hit the streets.
F: Where and who has fined tuned your photography skills?
C: My photography skills are always under fine tuning. I’m always learning new techniques and reading about great artists’ techniques. I definitely learned the most working at Fig Media though. I had the opportunity to work with Billy Rood, an established fashion photographer and filmmaker in Chicago who was an in-house artist at Fig. We shot weddings on the weekends and I assisted photoshoots during the weeks with him. I always told him to critique my day’s work and photographs, and he was always very honest with me and gave me the best constructive criticism. He really pushed me to try reaching my potential as an artist and probably unknowingly taught me a ton about the industry.
F: Where do you think photography will take you?
C: I’ll continue shooting until I have arthritis from shooting so much. I see myself really making some of my imaginative fashion photography ideas together and creating more fashion films in the future. Right now, my boyfriend, Sean Love, has been a huge help with some projects. He’s a great editor and smooth camera operator. I love working with him. It’s great to have someone you trust on set. There’s nothing better than creating masterpieces with my number one fan. So I think you can expect more video work from us.
In the future, I would love contribute to large publications. I see room for a lot of creative ideas in the ever-changing digital marketplace. With my background co-founding a business and my advertising degree, I want to create some type of creative innovation in the fashion photography and film market. It’s tough to say, I never know who will open the next door of opportunity for me and where that might take me.
F: What are some projects you are the most proud of?
C: Definitely my most recent fashion film that I made right on Marquette University’s campus in the Gardens by The Jesu Chapel. I have been craving to create it for months. I’m super proud of my fashion week street style work too and love a lot of my wedding photography I shot while working with Fig. Some of the editorials I helped shoot at Marquette were rewarding and always fun. I once received recognition from the National Society of Professional Journalists for best photo illustration for a shoot portraying reality television.
F: Who inspires you?
C: In a sense of hard work and having great morals, my parents. My father and mother run a business and are some of the hardest working people I know. Even though they aren’t fashion photographers, I know they taught me some kind of method to madness when it comes to being reaching goals. Fashion photographers that inspire me are the iconic Tim Walker, definitely Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, and Annie Leibovitz. I’ve also met a few of my favorite fashion photographers on trips to NYC, who have really helped mentor me and given me advice, such as Meagan Cignoli and Jade Albert (whom formally shot the runways in Milan – a dream of mine!) Lara Jade is a young emerging photographer whom I also find very, very inspiring.
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I was thrilled once I saw what our work together had become, realizing what a truly talented person had crossed my path. Please take time to enjoy our fashion film: A Secret Garden. Produced by Crystal Schreiner. Edited by Sean Love. Model Molly Marigold. Styled by Lyneé Ruiz.
A Secret Garden from Crystal Schreiner on Vimeo.
