As summer starts to wind down, we’re reaching out to some of our favourite photographers to share their holiday snaps from around the world. Watch how the series develops here
The American road trip has always been a trope of unconventional romance (see: Kerouac’s On the Road), and it’s precisely the subject of Swiss-born photographer David Shama’s wanderlust-tinged series, 7 Eleven. Shot in the Burbank area of Los Angeles, Shama captures the essence of young lust and spontaneity by following a ménage à trois as they journey down the highway towards a dingy motel.
Born in Switzerland to a British father and an Italian mother who themselves were born in Egypt, travelling is clearly in Shama’s blood. His own journey began in Argentina where he worked as an assistant to famous local photographer Urko Suaya. Travelling to Paris soon after, he eventually settled in New York, where America took his heart. “I feel that New York as a city has so much to offer, there are little pieces of the whole world in it, it is so diverse”, he says. “The whole country inspires me a lot. I love being on the road and it’s the perfect place for that”.
Unapologetically Californian with road-side motels, easy-going fashion and a picturesque landscape all setting the backdrop, but it’s Shama’s subjects that are most central to the story. Rainey Qualley, an actress and musician from NY, was a natural choice to shoot, with Shama explaining, “She has a very strong presence, so you don’t have to say or do anything to get her to express feelings her for the camera.” At the corners of this love triangle are Qualley’s boyfriend, Miles Garber, and her best friend Kevin Hayland. “I found them through her as I wanted people as close as possible to her. I wanted to feel how intimate they are and their very real friendship”, he says.
Describing himself as a “documentary photographer” whose work is “all about story telling”, Shama reveals that he is drawn to real intimacy, preferring to let the shots happen themselves. “I love to plant the seeds for a situation and then to photograph as a reportage. To give as little direction as possible”, he explains. “In this shoot, I think that the situation of the love triangle was below the surface but I didn’t want to force anything.”
Citing 90s film influences such as Reality Bites, Clerks, Singles, and Slacker, the photos explore the intoxicating possibility of the American dream, particularly when you’re young, and the beauty that, as Shama says, “any day in LA is a road trip”.
See more work from David Shama here
