Celebrity photographer Petra Collins puts her talents in the master class

Petra Collins was a teenager when she first picked up a 35mm camera, not knowing much about the device or the industry that revolves around it. A 29-year-old Canadian based in Toronto said he “never learned the basics”, forcing him to explore the media as his own teacher, a journey that has now blossomed into a well-known publishing and commercial career (he’s photographed Gucci, adidas, Fashion, უ New York Times, CR fashion book and many more) and made him famous for his defining style of photography in 2010.

“When I was taking a photography course in my youth, I never felt like anything had penetrated me; “I felt like I wasn’t learning to take pictures,” Collins said in an interview. Hollywood reporter. “When I found alternative ways of learning, it really helped me in my practice.”

Today, educational streaming platform MasterClass announced Collins as one of the newest instructors in its “Sessions” initiative; The 30-day curriculum, which is pre-recorded and divided into five sections of three to four 10-minute lessons, is available to all Master Class members at any time. Students will learn lighting techniques and the series creation process and receive feedback on assignments after each session. You can sign up for the Collins session starting today; The class will be broadcast live on July 1st.

“I wanted to teach this different way of approaching photography, which is actually easier to learn and helps the student to better understand photography. I think the way they taught me was very mechanical. And that’s not how photography works,” Collins said.

“Petra’s aesthetic helped define this generation of films,” said David Roger, co-founder and CEO of MasterClass, in a statement. “During her session, she exclusively discusses her style, approach and background, helping members understand how they can creatively express themselves through film.

He teaches technical notions such as shutter speed, shooting with a 35mm SLR camera, and also shares creative approaches to developing concepts and capturing the image. “I think what I’m really teaching is just learning deeply and watching myself,” explains Collins. “Because it’s an infinite well of information, you won’t find it anywhere else.”

Collins was introduced to the masterclass when he signed up for a class with David Lynch, whom he described as “my idol” and found it unique that “an artist dictates the conversation”. Although he’s taught at universities since he was 17 (read: taught his peers), this is the first time he’s taught a photography course “on a large scale where more people can access it,” he says.

Collins Masterclass students can also expect to learn about some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry; In one section, the photographer, who has seen Solange Knowles, Frank Ocean and Kim Kardashian, to name a few, focuses on how to form an intimate relationship with subjects, especially those that shine with visibility.

“I learned everything in art through cooperation. So when I have a song, I approach it as a really interesting collaboration… I’m like, ‘What do you want to feel? Or what do you want to have? What image do you want to show?’ “I think when it comes to photographing things and celebrities and talent, you really want to get to them,” he says. So you will also want to add something new to them. ”

Collins recently collaborated with teen pop star Olivia Rodrigo on two music videos (“I gotta express what I want to do in movies,” she says) and released a book, ᲖFair Stories, with ფIphoria Star Alexa Demie, published by Rizzoli. with my book ᲖFair Stories, My subject was Alexa and I was remembering childhood trauma. And what we have been looking for to help us get through this very young phase of our lives. ”

Aesthetically, Collins’ images are variously but consistently described as dreamlike and feminine, justifying her fixation on fantasy and feverish dreams of being a girl. But with the story changes, he says he’s long drawn inspiration from old-body horror movies like ზThe tourist s Turtle shell. He also loves the work of Canadian David Cronenberg.

Collins now lives in Los Angeles, where he is exploring another type of film: movies. “The move to Los Angeles was really exciting because I got to experience, as an outsider, this city, which is all about glory, unlike any other city in the world. “All the billboards, as well as the historic buildings, are beautifully decorated,” she said. “Now that I’m in that environment, it will flow into my photos.”