Modotti & Mexico
Anne Menke
Trunk Magazine
November 2010

Photographer Anne Menke and fashion stylist Haidee Findlay-Levin found inspiration from the photography of Tina Modotti and Edward Weston for their Mexico fashion shoot featured in Trunk’s debut issue.  Here are a couple of images to illustrate this fact, and below you can read a more detailed quote from Haidee.

Tina Modotti: Workers Parade, 1926

Anne Menke: Modotti & Mexico, Trunk Magazine

When considering this shoot, I began with a Tina Modotti photograph of Mexican workers shot from above. I loved how the sombreros, when repeated, formed a pattern. I was also drawn to the relationship that formed between Modotti and Edward Weston. We went in search of the extreme sunlight and shadows so prevalent in Mexico and in Weston’s work, but two approaching hurricanes prevented us from capturing that effect in some of the shots.

In their work, Modotti and Weston also experimented with flowers and nature as well as architectural interiors. As such, we chose to juxtapose the natural landscape of beach, rocks, and ocean with painted, bright colored surfaces. The clothes incorporate these same contrasts of bold color and texture, natural and man-made. Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera also became inevitable influences, particularly with their bohemian style and love of portraiture and self-portraiture–Kahlo’s braided and adorned hair being the most obvious reference.

–Haidee Findlay-Levin

Anne Menke shot this entire story on Kodak 220 400 Portra NC and 120 400 Tri-X.

Tags: Anne Menke, Editorial, Film Processing, Retouching, Scanning, Trunk Magazine