When we first learned that the fabulously fashion savvy Facehunter was coming to Kuwait, courtesy of Studio Nuqat, to give a workshop on the elements of street-style photography, the office collapsed into a fit of giggles. Long time fans of this Swiss-born Parisian street-style guru, we couldn’t wait to interview him and sit through his three-day workshop. But how does one even begin to write about the person solely in charge of your “cool” status? – according to the French Elle of course. As is evident from the endless fashion-forward feeds we scroll through on Social Media, trends start on the streets. That’s where Yvan Rodic, aka the Facehunter, captures the greatest moments of street-style. If that wasn’t enough, this master of all things cool also founded the world’s first content-marketing agency solely for Snapchat! Known as A Little Nation, this production company and creative studio is dedicated to mobile storytelling. Why? Because we live in a digital world! Yvan has proved that there’s nothing he can’t do. Armed with his DSLR and Clip-on Fisheye Lens for his smartphone, Yvan is out conquering the digital world one snap at a time. This being his second time in Kuwait – his first time was very brief – he looked forward to exploring the country and documenting his style finds all while giving a workshop on the elements of street-style photography.
To start us off, Yvan introduced himself and his online persona – like he even needed to – with an excellent presentation on the history of street-style photography. Speaking fondly of his fellow photographers and their styles, Yvan went on to show us examples of each. From Tommy Ton’s beautiful Fashion Week captures, Adam Katz’s this-is-not-street-style-photography take on his images, to Scott Schuman’s year-round posts of the average Joe (or Jane!) on the streets. With nothing but respect for all those in the industry, Yvan went on to explain how each photographer – including himself – stands out from the other. Each a pioneer of sorts in their chosen style, Yvan explains that while a lot of the images seem candid, most are made to look as such, “It’s about finding that perfect moment,” Yvan explained, “and sometimes, you simply need to recreate it.”
A keen eye for street-style, Yvan – like others in his field – doesn’t necessarily look at just the clothing “It could be a look, a movement…” Yvan started, “In a way, it’s how the person carries themselves in their clothes.” Because any style aficionado will tell you the biggest fashion faux-pas is walking around with clothes that wear you as opposed to you wearing them. “Never try too hard, if you’re trying too hard,” Yvan elaborated, “we can always tell;” an air of effortlessly-cool is what they’re on the prowl for. While we live in an era of designers dressing It-girls at Fashion Week for when their photographs are taken by Yvan and his peers, most street-style photographers look for the averagely dressed but incredibly styled individual exuding confidence. Nothing demonstrated that better than Day 2 of the workshop.
Stepping out into Kuwait City searching for backdrops and moments to capture, we were ready to apply Yvan’s techniques and discover our own style. Guiding us every step of the way, Yvan would go around looking at the images we’ve captured while giving us pointers on how we could improve them. Yvan was always encouraging us every step of the way, no matter how frustrated we were with our cameras or surroundings. He was happy to help when asked and sometimes even directed a moment for us to capture. With help from the enlisted models and fellow workshoppers, our trials and tribulations were superbly amusing. Our day ended with us being absolutely exhausted yet thrilled to have a memory card full of fun snaps we’d taken throughout the day – our assignment: pick out some images we love, figure out our theme and style, and bring them in the next day.
On our third and final day, we all gathered around a projector and watched our images pour through for everyone to see. It all started with a simple statement from Yvan, “Tell me about this photo,” and we’d go on explaining why we chose it and what drew us to it – from the moment we captured it, to why it was selected. An open discussion, we were all able to discuss each other’s chosen photographs and encourage each other to take our new-found talents further. By the end of it, Yvan and the good people at Nuqat were kind enough to give us certificates for participating. And just in case you were wondering why Yvan is known as the Facehunter, “I literally hunt for faces,” he smiled, “that’s how I became the Facehunter.”
Explore Yvan Rodic’s work further by following him on Instagram and Twitter @facehunter and on Snapchat @MrFH or simply go to www.facehunter.org. To learn more about his Snapchat agency, go to www.alittlenation.com. Find out more about Studio Nuqat and all upcoming workshops by going to www.nuqat.me or follow them on Instagram @Nuqat.
