It hardly bears saying that everyone loves a pretty girl dressed to the nines in leather, brass, and satin. Luckily for all us would-be viewers, talented France-based photographer Anstellos, creator of photo-booster site Cosmepix, agrees. Especially when it comes to steampunk.
“When I do a steampunk shoot I work closely with my models,” he said. “I don’t ask people to model in steampunk style: I find steampunk lovers who want to share their love for this style. In steampunk there are so many features to display!”
As well as a benefit, this can also be a challenge: since a good steampunk costume relies on lots and lots of details, getting it all together can be tough. Still, Anstellos doesn’t mind. ”I like that it’s quite hard to find all the features,” he said. “We are living in a consumer society where most people just buy things. Steampunk is about creation and imagination. I love that just as much as the creation itself.”
Still, that’s only half a photographer’s battle. “There is no use to get a cool steampunk look with all gears and great lightning if you don’t shoot it in the correct place,” he said. “Steampunk is inspired by retro style but still it looks very modern because of all the inventions and alternative technologies you can think of. So for me the hardest part is finding where to shoot.” When searching for a place, he usually looks for “noble materials” like wood, copper, or anything else steampunk-related.
No matter what, the real trick is to shoot so that it looks natural. “For me shooting my subject is not enough, I want the viewer to feel like ‘steampunk is there,’” he said. “I want it to look real.”
Judging by the gorgeous girls and their amazingly true-to-life outfits, we think he’s doing a pretty good job.
