Photo Diary: Disco Fever
THE LOVE FOR VINTAGE SHINES THROUGH - as “Disco Fever” captures a glam look that hooks the viewer instantly. Photographer Em Higgins combines their passion for a multitude of creative mediums with a simple love for people to fuel her photography. Dabbling in both digital and film photography, Higgens explores a more fun 70s disco style with her latest series with friend Cleo Ingersoll. View the full series below and learn more about Higgin’s journey with photography!
LUNA: How did you get into film photography to begin with?
HIGGINS: I first got into film photography in middle school while being passionate about digital photography, through both experimenting with my parent’s old cameras and taking courses to learn to process and develop black and white film. From then on I began taking more classes, including at the ICP in New York City (which I highly recommend if you live here). I soon fell in love with it, and cannot stop! I mostly use digital photography in the context of formal shoots, but predominantly use film in my day-to-day life.
LUNA: How did you find your creative style?
HIGGINS: I have started to find my style by exploring the works of other artists and a lot of practice. I do this by taking hundreds of images and narrowing down to my favorites, continuously learning and changing my editing style, and getting feedback from my teachers and peers. I think taking inspiration from other artists is something that helps a lot in determining whether or not certain styles align with your ideas. I also often work with other mediums such as painting, drawing, and writing which all contribute to my ultimate vision in photography. I am still finding my style as I continue to learn and grow as a photographer and art-maker.
LUNA: What do you like about shooting portraits/with people?
HIGGINS: While I have attempted to dabble in landscape photography, portrait photography has always been my passion and preferred medium. I love shooting portraits as I am given the ability to interpret, skew, or change the representation of my subjects. I think that is something that is so unique about photography, is the artist is given the ability to skew reality as it is perceived. I also like getting to know new people, and I find that shooting with people I do not know is a great way to bond and form friendship as you quickly get to know each other through them letting their guard down in front of the camera.
LUNA: Can you tell us a bit more about this series? What was it like to bring your idea to life?
HIGGINS: I have a huge appreciation and love for vintage fashion, and my friend Cleo (pictured in the series), who studies fashion, is obviously hugely into fashion as well. I wanted to create a series surrounding 70’s disco style, and I thought who else to create it with than Cleo. Cleo had the perfect dress, and I decided to create a makeup look surrounding the silver, glam theme, as well as pull accents, such as the flower shape on the eye, that were true to 60s/70s style. Bringing the idea to life was so fun… I always love shooting with my friends as we just have so much fun creating, dancing and laughing. I also love fashion and makeup so much outside of art-making, so it was really fun to be able to utilize those components in a shoot.
LUNA: How do you stay motivated?
HIGGINS: I stay motivated both by my drive to turn my ideas into reality, and by the constant stream of inspiration I receive from my friends, my Instagram feed, or other platforms. While social media can oftentimes be discouraging in its portrayal of the perfect figure, or spectacular art that seems impossible to replicate, it also greatly inspires me and pushes me to want to succeed in showing me that there is so much for me to learn and create. I have also made so many best friends through social media, and am so grateful for the opportunities it has provided. In creating, I am addicted to the feeling of excitement I get from creating photos I am proud of. I love editing them and then sending them to my subjects, seeing my ideas become a reality. The whole process makes me so happy and I find that to be my main drive to continue.
LUNA: How would you like your work to evolve?
HIGGINS: I hope that my work continues to evolve in using and combining a variety of mediums to create new artworks. I also would like to just constantly improve, picking up new skills and refining my technique. There is so much I have left to learn and I am trying to learn from both the people around me and from the artists I love. Recently, I have been trying to experiment with different mediums and generally grow my perception of art-making.
