Canadian photographer and director Petra Collins creates ethereal images where contemporary young womanhood and nostalgic femininity meet. Her work often has a hazy feel, thanks to soft lighting, sun-soaked colors and models in minimal makeup, blurring the line between reality and dreamy fantasy. Petra has shot celebrity portraits and fashion editorials for Elle, Interview, i-D, Glamour, and international editions of Vogue; and has created campaigns for Gucci, MAC, Bulgari, and Adidas. She also maintains a fine art practice, and has exhibited in Toronto, Hong Kong, New York, Paris, and beyond. A portrait of actress and Rookie magazine founder Tavi Gevinson that Petra shot for i-D featured on WePresent as part of More Than Meets the Eye, a series by Ryan White and Douglas Greenwood that dissects the most talked-about photographs of the 2010s, questioning the composition, cultural context and the behind-the-scenes stories that make the image so remarkable, shareable, memorable, and a cut above the rest.
Stories with Petra Collins