Tired of pandering to other people’s creative visions and losing sight of her own, Isamaya Ffrench embarked on a road trip of a lifetime across four U.S states to reimagine her aesthetic. What came of it was a collection of photographs that explore the eclectic landscape of America.
She set off with her creative collaborator Josh Wilks on the 2000 mile journey across the U.S. Despite being long-time artistic partners, it was a different experience than anything they had shared before. Ffrench explains: “For quite a while now, Josh and I have been creating images together that carry a strong shared aesthetic, but this trip is the most extravagant foray so far into producing a complete series of editorial style images without a third party involved.”
Their thirst for creative independence brought them to isolated lakesides and abandoned railways, bringing a rag-tag collection of props, including a $30 blonde wig from Las Vegas, a bubble maker and a pair of old motorcycle trousers to construct characters in their makeshift environment.
Having two artistic minds on the trip brought about both collaboration and friendly conflict. “I pushed him to take photographs of me in motion, which was new for him as we usually produce very still and quiet images,” Ffrench says. “I could picture it perfectly and at one point Josh was convinced the process wasn’t working as he couldn’t capture the perfect form.
We had been there for a good 10 minutes and when I saw he had only taken three photos I couldn’t help shouting, and we got the image. That’s about letting go as a photographer and trusting the subject.”
Both artists explored a more cinematic style of photography, capturing more spontaneous moments. Ffrench observes: “We’d be driving though a mountain pass, suddenly spot a lake and the car would screech to a halt. We’d turn off down a narrow little dirt track, I’d throw on this old fashioned cotton dress we’d bought in LA and I’d jump into the water and start shooting.”
Check out more of Isamaya Ffrench's work here and Josh Wilks' here
