INTERVIEW: Meet the photographers BLAIR AND LYNAE

Name: Blair and Lynae Daffy

Cameras: Canon 5d Mark iii, Rolleiflex, Contax (35mm film), Polaroid 180 Land Camera

Webpage: blairandlynae.com

Based in: Alberta, Canada Location

Forget about boring traditional street style pictures. They want to get close, behind and catch another side and angle of the people in the fashion industry. We met up with the Canadian photographers - the amazing couple Blair and Lynae Daffy at a tiny boutique hotel room in Paris...

PARIS ENVELOPE by CELINE AAGAARD photo: CELINE AAGAARD / BLAIR AND LYNAE

Tell us a bit about your new project: We call it “Notes From Those Who Are Invited”, and it is a series of interviews with the influencers of Fashion Weeks. We love to connect with people, so instead of catching a shot while they hurry to a show, we aim to create photos that show a bit more about who they are. We also have each influencer write our their interview questions by hand, because that is also a look at the person in it’s own way. They can all be viewed on our website, but we want to print a book with all of them once we have more!

What inspires you the most? When we travel, it’s impossible not to take in everything that’s all around us — The architecture, the food, the culture, the people. Each time we have a new adventure it’s like a jolt of creative energy again. Also though, some of our better ideas have come from trying to use the area we live in — The places that have become so familiar you don’t even look at them anymore really. No matter where we go, it is our creative strength to always have each other for ideas, criticism, concept formation, project creation, and everything in between.

How did your interest in photography start? With an add in our local newspaper for a full set of black and white darkroom equipment. Shortly after that we fell in love with medium format film, and Blair has created at least 100 prints from our images so far :) Printing in the darkroom feels like inviting another member to the team that is just not possible with digital.

When did you get your first camera, and what kind of camera was that? Lynae: Mine was a Canon AE-1, 35mm film, about 2014 (not very long ago, I know!), and started with a lot of shots of trees, clouds, and buildings.

Blair: I started shooting on a family holiday to Hawaii in 2006 with an Olympus Stylus point and shoot.

What is style for you? Style is something that cannot be bought. Even head-to-toe Chanel can look overdone, just as inexpensive pieces can look elegant. Style is learned throughout our lives, and ideally adapts to fit us as we grow into our own. The French seem to have a real respect for aging that we love — Like wine, we think that people get better and more interesting with experience — this beauty shows in our wrinkles, knowledge, and in our style

What makes a great photo? Strong collaboration. When each brings their energy, investment, interest, skills, and ideas to the photograph, it seems to feel like we are all creating art together.

And what makes not? When any member of the team is not fully committed. It’s important for everyone to feel allowed to share ideas, have the confidence to take risks, and actively work to be involved in the creative process. Everyone has to be feeling it to really get to the goal of that great photo.

Where does the fascination for shooting fashion come from? We love that there really are no rules. In fact, the more we push boundaries, the better things seem to become. In our small town surrounded by agriculture, there is a limited appreciation for the arts — So the energy and inspiration we draw from the fashion world is what keeps us going!

What’s your highlight in your career so far? Every new season of Fashion Week we get a little closer to where we would like to be — It’s always been Paris so far for us. Shooting in amazing locations, collaboration with incredibly stylish and creative people that always have a great energy, wearing such beautiful looks. For us it doesn’t get any better than that!

Follow the photographers on instagram @blairandlynae or www.blairandlynae.com

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