Nature direction
Siren
I’d build on the translucent, gill-like layers beneath the eye in your reference, carrying that detail into hair, makeup, and lighting. I’d cast a model with deep skin tones and style them with bleached brows and pale lashes to draw focus back to the eye. I want to see how the translucent layers and wet gloss catch the flash on melanin skin.
I’d shoot outdoors at night amid lush greenery or by dark water. A hard key high at a three-quarter angle and snooted flash would isolate the eye and cheek. Gels could tint the foliage or water, and flash could freeze splashes against the dark in wider frames.
Open the mood board ↗References pulled by Kal
What I listened to while making this
Pearls · Sade ↗
Studio direction
You’re So Cold
Was super inspired by this frosty ref in your board! I want this studio editorial to feel like frostbite. I’m starting with the flushed eyes and snow-dusted hair in your reference, then pushing the frost into the lashes, hair, and skin so the model looks like she embodies the cold.
The attitude is full ice queen cunt. It’s meant to be striking, with hard flash catching the ice and crystals in tight beauty shots, then wider frames that show the scale of the snow and ice.
References pulled by Kal
What I listened to while making this
Écoute Chérie · Vendredi sur Mer ↗
Red Study
I want to portray rage and hysteria, and the dark place the mind can go after an intensely vexing experience. I’m interested in the point where frustration gives way to fury and the feeling becomes hard to contain. Rage is beautiful too, and this editorial would reveal that. Rage can be quiet, calculated, and glorious.
References pulled by Kal
What I listened to while making this
Angel · Massive Attack ↗
Selected films by Kal
AI Diary
About the diary
Female Pentimento’s surreal imagery inspired me to study AI animal accounts and the “relatable” side of TikTok. I paid particular attention to which posts people shared or reposted. That study became The Closure You Seek.
The Closure You Seek is an experimental diary/thought dump space. I use AI to put people and animals in surreal settings that feel real on screen and would be difficult to stage in real life.
The diary is open-ended, and I’d love to see where we can take it together. I want to be more intentional about what I render and how each image extends the editorial it’s made for. I’m open to leaving onscreen captions out. I’ve noticed that people sometimes respond to a caption as a prompt, and the visual can also speak for itself.
Film diary references: @thebackofmycar and @edgeofitall.
Pitch ideas
Siren
Mermaid tails and sea animals adorned with jewels. An octopus reaching for a cigarette drifting in the tide.
You’re So Cold
Tears freezing into ice drops and ice spreading across hair and skin. A fox frozen in a cube of ice.
Red Study
Quick flashes of blood and subtle gore, with a sense of mounting frenzy and rabid energy.
Photography & moving image
An eye for
movement
I’d love to capture vignettes on iPhone, on analog formats, and with high-quality production. Across all three, I want someone scrolling to feel like they’ve stumbled across a moment they didn’t expect and can’t look away from.
It’s a tricky yet fun process anticipating what the internet will respond well to. I knew from the moment I set up my tripod for this horse shot that it would go dummy viral. And it has, twice.
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Shaping the visions together
Please note that all of the above are just loose ideas from immediate inspiration from our kindred chat and share of Pinterest ideas. We can shape the visions together and develop stills, motion, and companion imagery through digital photography, TouchDesigner, After Effects, and AI.
kaisle13 × Kalogenic
Swiss Army Knife
Collaborator
Art direction is one of the many facets I enjoy in the creative process. I'm also an editorial and fine art photographer, and would love to shoot selected projects when applicable! When a piece needs a different eye (which it sometimes does), I would be honored to bring in trusted photographer friends, DP/editors, movement directors, and lighting collaborators I have deeply nurtured connections with. Casting direction is another strength of mine. I have an eye for finding talent whose presence fits the world we’re creating.
Kalogenic ↗