The Female Gaze of Sally & Emily
A sister duo reveals their artistic vision behind a collection of pink-themed photography.
Known for our dreamy, hyper-feminine aesthetic, here we reveal the stories behind our shots. When you assume that the moment captured on camera was beautiful, the reality might be the opposite. (All photographs by Sally Ann & Emily May)
Unrequited Love
Love. We’re still figuring it out. Love can mean overwhelming passion, it can be sharing the incomprehensible nature or everyday life and it can be the dizzy fear of the thought of losing that person who answers all the demands of your imagination. What more can any of us hope for than say “give me these moments” and then hope that they last forever.
Anonymous
We all love a selfie. As much as we’d like to deny it, there’s something really bloody satisfying about taking a photo of yourself. At the same time, you can’t ignore the fact that the Tumblr age is churning out a self-obsessed generation of social media trawlers, many of whom will struggle to get any job that values real talent over how shit-hot you think you are.
The inspiration for this concept came from our definition of #selfie. Everyone seems to obsess over selfie so much they tend to forget there’s something more behind what meets the eye. Because we’ve already seen too many faces in this narcissistic generation, so let’s focus on something else more than just a pretty face.
Eye Am Magic
Click to see photograph (WARNING: implied nudity)
This editorial was shot in Bali, Indonesia. What we want to show is that women’s naked bodies and sexuality are not mutually exclusive. As women, we should be able to demonstrate and celebrate our bodies and sexuality without being accused of demeaning ourselves. To be wonderfully female means we have zero intention to please a man’s desire.
FaceTime
As much as we like to think that we are pretty low maintenance ladies, most women will find themselves with more products than they thought they needed, with more uses than they thought they had. I still stand by coconut oil, having used it for the 122nd time as an excellent no-chemical and the planet friendly moisturizer.
So in this special story, we focused on beauty and make up artistry, seeking to transcend the reality of the photographic medium through surreal twists. Inspired by humorous surrealism and graphic, vivid colors, we sought to challenge standards of beauty and prove that it can come in many shades.
The truth is, the media hasn’t always offered a vision of beauty that reflects our society’s rich diversity. So through this story we wanted to celebrate all shades and tones, open people’s eyes and minds and provoke new ways to experience beauty.
About the authors
Sally Ann and Emily May are a sister photography team based out of Indonesia. Their past work has been featured in print magazines such as ELLE, Marie Claire, Maxim, and Nylon. For more of their color and female-themed photography, visit their Instagram.