Flower Power
Angela Fortin Washington got her first camera (with a 40mm macro lens) in 2005. And was immediately hooked.
"As far back as I can remember, I've always been curious to understand the world around me & part of that was creating art to express my eccentric personality & ideas," Angela explains.
After completing her bachelors degree in fine arts at CCAD in 2011, Angela turned her attention to photography full-time, becoming a professional photographer. Commenting how, "my earlier passion became my career."
Back in 2012, when she decided to create Angela Fortin Studio, her primary focus was wedding photography. "After 6 years fully invested in weddings, I feel that I've accomplished every goal I had set for myself, leaving me with a new vision of what I wanted my business to be," shares Angela. The new Angela Fortin Studio is heavily influenced by fine art and the unique femininity expressed in her clients. She describer how her "mission is to help guide women to see their best selves, through a creative photography experience that goes beyond glamour."
One of Angela's creative photography experiences is the Femme Floral Project. "The beginning of the Femme Floral Project was birthed from the idea that femininity is so much more than being pretty or pink, & on my quest to understand this concept more fully, I looked to nature & was struck by the similarities between flowers & women," she shares. Detailing how each image was taken with the exact same studio set up, & each image was paired with a macro shot of florals that she took based on conversations with that woman.
"Each image is a visual representation of the unseen feminine energy that belongs to each woman. Mirroring the uniqueness of the women, no two flowers were the same," expresses Angela.
Angela says that a high note of the project is the conversations she has with each woman. "They were by far the most enriching part of each session," she shares. Adding that while preparing for each shoot, she would provide the questions like:
- "What makes you feel feminine?"
- "What is femininity?"
"I understood femininity so much more after working through these questions," Angela reveals. Continuing that, although each answer was different, each woman had common threads which were a sense on sisterhood (past & present), strength, softness, a mysteries magnetism, & an ability to hold space for others.
"Each woman was a puzzle piece in defining femininity," shares Angela.
Angela goes on to say that she wants the woman who leave the session to feel like they have a deeper understanding of femininity as a whole, & their unique understanding of it as it relates to them. For anyone who sees the series, she hopes they're able to question what makes them feminine & see the possible misguiding they've been given by society. "Each woman (or man) is feminine in their own way," she says, "and this should be celebrated."
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Learn more about Angela Fortin Studio & the Femme Floral Project by clicking here. And check out her Instagram: @angelafortinstudio.
This project is continuing through the end of summer, if you would like to participate in the series, please send Angela an email: angela@afsphotos.com or message her on Instagram.
Photo credit: Angela Fortin Studio
