Another competition

In December or January I found out a new, great competition for artists called ARTISTS WANTED.
I applied for a chance to win and being exhibited in New York, have a grant for future project and being in the spotlight for a while. I was needed to pay quite big money for that but I took a chance.

It looked like that:

Now they are looking for artist who wanted to be exhibited in London but I cannot aford it and looking back I don't really think it is worth this money. It is really competitive and it is really hard to be noticed and shortlisted.
I got a lot of votes from people who liked my works but I entered really late and I didn't have enought time to have the most votes. There were few categories you could win, grand prize winner, merit winner (I think 3 people) and people choice. Unfortunately I didn't win anything but it gave me experience in choosing my best pictures + advertising myself. It was a good experience for sure.

Online publishing

It is always really nice when you find your works being spread throught the world because of the people who love what you are doing.

Not that long time ago I was informed that two of my project published on behance (next point why it is a GREAT place to show you art work) are published on website www.fashionserved.com as well.

They look lovely on the first page! :)

Have a look as well:

Other thing which makes me happy really is that my new, shorter name is getting be better known. I was used to be known with my older, longer name so it is good that I am published on different websited etc because I really want people to know that I am Antonina Dolani now :)

Here you can browse shortlisted editorials:

http://www.fashionserved.com/gallery/The-trip/1162017

http://www.fashionserved.com/gallery/Madonna-vestida-de-flores-visita-el-infierno/1152157

Trendshunters- Psycho birds hunted

In December 2010 I went back home for Christmas and I have an amazing opportunity to work with an amazing set up designer: Zuza Slominska

http://www.facebook.com/pages/zuzaslominskacom-set-design-art-direction/149590738438562

She is really talented and creative and it was an honour to work with her.

We produced a long editorial called Psycho brids.
We had so much fun and we were really happy with the results.

Here are some expamples:

So I was even happier when one time when browsing one of my favourites webiste: http://www.trendhunter.com/

I found my editorial shortlisted there!

Have a look!

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/antonina-dolani

Free Range

Last year I had this amazing chance to be a part of free range exhibition in London, this year I decided that I want to exhibit my works again. It will be an amazing opportunity to show my works to a really big audience, make some contact and spend a really nice time during Private View.

I was really surprised and happy because I found out that one of my image (not from the serie I will exhibit..) is promoting Free Range.
Tamsin O'Hanlon chose my image to illustrate an interview with her for ArtWednesday. It is of course signed by my name so is great!

Browse it in here:

http://artwednesday.com/2011/03/18/free-range-2011-tamsin-ohanlon/

Networking and collaboration

To help myself a little bit I try to sign up nearly everywhere and post my photographs where I can.
For such a long time the only place I showed my images was a Polish web portal called DIGART.
http://www.digart.pl

I am one of the moderators there now, it is really satisfing unpaid job ;) I feel like like I create this website as well now.

A year ago I decided to made a fan page of my works on facebook. So far, over 2,200 people like it! It is such a great feeling knowing that someone appreciate what you are doing.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Antonina-Dolaniecka-photography/267961725906

I poste thee any info about exhibitions, publications, new material which is going online, any changes I have done on my website etc etc. It is really great place to share any news what is going on in your artistic life.
I really enjoy it, it is fast and easy!

This year I started using website hhtp://www.behance.net as well. I signed up there around 4 or 5 years ago but it wasn't really useful for me that time.
The great thing about this website is that you can post a whole editorial as a one project and people can browse it all at one time, you dont need to wait to load it etc because it is really FAST! It is possible to add some info about the project, a video or music. I found it really helpful to spread my works around.

http://www.behance.net/antoinette/frame

I designed my profile page quite similar to my website, I used white, black and purple- the same colours I use for my website.

Other website I have started to use again is http://www.deviantart.com
It is a worlwide webiste for any artists. You upload your art there and people comment it, they can add it to their favourites images etc etc
It is a great place for any networking, selling your prints, earning money, having friends.
I really anjoy it but it takes little time to get into it and be more popular because there are milions of people signed there.

Collaboration:

When I came to England first thing I did it was sign up on website called modelmayhem.com

I found over there my first models, make up artist Alison Cameron who I worked with for a really long time and stylists.

It was really helpful and useful because I could do a lot of different editorial with people who wanted do this for free as well.

Now, I am working with M&P model agency all the time and sometimes with Elite models or Zone model.

I have got few stylists and make up artists I worked with as well because we know each other and it is always much more easier to work with a person you have already known.

I have got a lot of emails from different people as well who want work with me, they came across my works and they like it, it is really really nice because it means someone like my photographs that much that they want to work with me :)

I hope when I will graduate I will have more time to do every project I planned with all these amazing people!

Umno magazine May 2011

Just before easter I produced a fashion editorial. I worked with Sonja Boric who is really talented stylist, Katie Hughes who is one of the best make up artist I have ever worked with and we had two beautiful girls from Elite models.
We shot in the park and whole thing was about summer :)

It was quite cold that day so I need to tell that girls were really strong and brave to pose in all these thin clothes :)

Have a look at few images:

A whole editorial is possible to browse here: http://www.behance.net/gallery/2Become1-for-Umno-magazine-May-2011/1178421

I was really happy because Umno magazine: www.umnomag.com was interested in publishing this editorial in their May issue!

They did a nice graphic additions to the images which I found really nice and lovely!

Umno is a great online magazine, really well known and sucessful, so this was a really great thing for me have a chance to publish my editorial in there.

Only couple day later 2 main, biggest fashion blogs wrote about this editorial and spread the news about it into the whole Internet. I can just say.. WOW and thank you! :)

http://fashioncopious.typepad.com/fashioncopious/2011/05/2become1-anna-svetlana-by-antonina-dolani-for-umno-may-2011-editorial.html

http://zac-fashion.com/anna-svetlana-by-antonina-dolani-for-umno-may-2011

Portfolio review with Vogue and The Times

One day I found an info on Italian Vogue that it is possible to boo a portfolio review in London with editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani and a fashion editor in Times - Lisa Armstrong.
It is called Vogue experience and it is dediacted for photographers, stylists and fashion lovers who just start their career and wanna get any feedback about their works and listen to a great talks.

It will be on 8.06 and I really can't wait to that!

http://www.vogue.it/en/magazine/daily-news/2011/05/vogue-experience-v

Photo Vogue

In April I found out that Italian Vogue has got a special page on their website called Photo Vogue.
You can upload you photographs there, they are all browed by editorial stuff and accepted or not and they they appear on your special portfolio page made by them.

http://www.vogue.it/en/photovogue that's the adress

and my protfolio you can find here: http://www.vogue.it/en/photovogue/Profilo/c7720289-f97c-4f93-87df-7a569343ad6f/User

Only one day after I upload my first pictures one of my photos was chosen as picture of a day!
It was shown for a whole day on the main page of photo vogue! It was so so so encouraging!

Couple weeks after that the editorial chef emailed me asking if I am willing to be PRINTED in Italian Vogue with this image.
I was just shocked!! My picture in Italian Vogue? June issue? Of course! I can't wait!!!

I hope one day I will produce a whole editorial only for them :)

Nikon fondation competition

In February I found a leaflet promoting a Nikon Foundation competition.

Info about the competition from its website:

"The Nikon Foundation offers final year photography students an opportunity to win the ultimate career enhancing boost – three month’s paid employment as a photographer’s assistant to renowned fashion and celebrity photographer John Wright!

Entries will be shortlisted to ten portfolios by John Wright, a representative from Nikon, Warren Jackson, Art Director at Condenast and Russ O’Connell, Photo Director at Q Magazine. The ten shortlisted entrants will be invited to attend a job interview on 20th April 2011 at John Wright’s photography studio in London where they will be required to talk about their photography and why they want to work with John. This will also be an opportunity for John to get to know everyone, and to work through some photography exercises. 

Living in London to do the job, the winner will also receive £3,000 cash to help with living expenses. And if this money can’t buy prize is not enough we’ll also be giving the winner a top of the range Nikon professional camera and lens kit too worth £4,000.

John Wright’s portfolio is bursting at the seams and includes shots of a whole host of A List celebs such as Bono and Lady Gaga. Working with John will give the lucky winner an unrivalled opportunity to learn from the best, to make invaluable industry contacts and to experience the real-life demands of a career in photography."

I spend ours chosing the best pictures from my portfolio, I even did a little survey amoung my artistic friends which ones they would pick up. Finally I had 12 the best of the best images + I wrote a Covering letter which was checked by my tutor Dafna Talmor according to spelling and grammar. Everyone helped me a lot.

I was one of the 10 shortlisted canidates for an interview with a photographer John Wright, art director from Condenast and Nikon representative.

I printed 12 images in size A4 and I took all my publications with me. I was really stressed but an interview was such a great experience for me. I got a lovely feedback about my works and what I should correct to be even more sucessful in the future.

Unfortunately I didn't win but I am really happy I was one of the best entrances and I got a possibility to meet John Wright. He is a lovely man and everything what he said was really useful for me. 

AOP student awards

This year I had the last chance to apply for AOP student awards because I am a third year student.
I entered with one of my editorial I produced in late November called: Madonna vestida de flores visita el inferno.
Look at the images:

I was really happy when I found out that they are accepted for an AOP exhibition this year. Finally I didn't win anything but it was great to meet all these people I knew from the Internet but I didn't have a chance to shake their hands before an awards night. It was a lovely evening and I attach an image how my prints looked like:

My images are published in AOP student awards book as well, ther are a little bit tightly designed over there but I still found it really nice!

This editorial originally was produced for a submission to 125magazine and the theme for that issue was RELIGION. I worked with amazingly talented stylist: Sophie O, make was done by Joella Bulter and a models was of course from M&P model agency and her name is Tamsin. Hannah O'Bryan was my assistant. We had so much fun doing this project and we all were really happy with the result.

Printed/online publications up to date

In 2010 and this year I had some works published widely which was really encouraging and nice.

Firstly in a December isseu of KISMET magazine I had my first cover + whole editorial inside :)
It was published online and it was a Netherland edition. Looked lovely!

The whole editorial I did in september with a really creative stylist Krista Grundane, a model is a Cat B from M&P models agency I work with all the time for any project and Radek Rzeszotarski was my assistant.
We spend a nice but cold and rainy day in London countryside shooting gypsy story. Few images attached:

Next published editorial was a TRIP editorial I did last year in April using a projector in studio. It was published before by Supplementaire magazine, but now a Polish magazine called LOUNGE was really interested in showing these works so of course I was really happy to share them with world.
It was a printed publication and the layout of it was just breathtaiking. I love it and I think it is one of my favourite publication so far. Have a look!

It looks lovely, isn't it?

Gypsy editorial was liked by a Polish online magazine called DILEMMAS. It is really influencial and well known magazine in Poland. I was really happy that I can show my works there.

My images appeared there as influencial images for styling in that season. It was really lovely and again I think that stylist was great because she found amazing clothing pieces.


In January I got one of the happiest messages ever from COCOABELLA, a fashion designer who I worked with last May on his look book images. I showed these images before, but just to remind:

Few of the images I produced appeared in British Vogue in advertising section. It was really great for me and I was so proud buying a Vogue in April :)

Have a look:

I was really happy to see my pictures in Vogue, even in advertising section :)