The Art and Designs of Autumn Teneyl’s In-House Photography
By Jason Lombard
Autumn and I work together in many ways and one of the most important elements of our working relationship is the photography.
It has become something of a story for us and is an important and integral aspect of what we do together.
Making sure the website is getting updated as often as the clothing is and creating beautiful and creative photos along the way has been paramount. It was decided a long time ago that studio images did not work for the line.
Autumn is both the designer and model for her line which makes it a convenient situation allowing her to keep up with the always evolving designs on the website. Sourcing the designer end textiles herself has been a resource that
keeps Autumn’s art a sustainable, small batch, slow fashion company. It also means we have to shoot the newest fabrics often in order to stay on top of things.
A typical photo shoot for us today does not look like the typical photo shoot of a major manufacturer.
In the past, models and photographers were hired and dates and locations would be determined long in advance. With accommodations, a stylist, travel and expenses set, off we went, shooting in places like Oahu, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Telluride, etc. Having an extremely strict schedule was fun, but also expensive and sometimes stressful. Fortunately, a beautiful print catalog would be the outcome of the hard work and it was always exciting to have a hard copy and was a good aesthetic for the line.
After several years of this, it became apparent that in order to stay current with the ever changing fabrics and continuous altering Autumn did with her designs, we needed a different way to showcase what Autumn was creating.
Having a consistent rotation of designs and textiles the solution quickly became evident and we decided that Autumn simply had to be the model and me the photographer. This solution came easy because Autumn had already been filling in at times as a model for the catalog shoots, and I had already become the in-house photographer, almost by default for the later catalogs, a few years prior.
We were also already traveling extensively throughout the U.S. for art shows and festivals. We were continually visiting and living in amazing locations.
Summers in Jackson Hole, winters in Santa Barbara, extensive time in our home state of Colorado and now this winter, Kauai.
Today a typical shoot might look like this: We wake before dawn, relax and then head to a pre-determined location that might change depending on the current weather forecast, the designs to be shot, and of course timing it all with the sun and shooting only during the golden hour of light at sunrise and sunset.
It is taxing and difficult some days but with proper planning, flexibility and execution, it is always worth it. Later in the day the same plan is used for sunset. The weather and time of day often determining where, when, and how.
So with bag of clothes in hand, a camera with a nice lens, and incredible scenery, Autumn styles herself on location, changes clothing rapidly, and brilliantly models her designs on her 5’4” frame on her temporary runway for an hour or maybe two on the best days. And I simply photograph her doing it in front of a gorgeous backdrop.
It can be extremely challenging and difficult on some days but the final result enables this small, dedicated to sustainability, and artistic, business to not only survive, but thrive.
Autumn Teneyl clothing is art and we treat it as it should be. Made in the USA, with the designer as the model, and the devotion that she has achieved is something not many designers have done.
Over twenty years ago she created and nurtured a sustainable, small batch, slow fashion line, made for the earth conscious woman looking for an extremely comfortable and easy going look that will fit women of all shapes and sizes.
I have been blessed to have been a part of it for the last 20 years and look forward to many more.
Hope to see you all on the road!
Jason Lombard
