In ‘Portraits,' viewers can get a close look at Sarah J. Edwards’ iconic, film still inspired photography and Sally A. Edwards’ art direction.

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Sarah and Sally’s ethos is that each shoot aims to portray subjects naturally. Taking an organic approach, with zero to little in the way of retouching and essential lighting only. Sarah uses singular spot lights normally reserved for film sets or natural light and focuses on creating the right atmosphere. Sarah and Sally believe making striking images for BLAG is born out of bringing key ingredients to each session; humour, story telling, respect, down-to-earth scene setting and specifically created soundtracks.

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While modelling and working in music publicity, Sarah often found herself up close to some of the world’s leading music and fashion photographers, “As many sessions were very limited on time, I gladly offered to assist rather than watch, when I could.”

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It was the day Sarah and Sally were photographed by Corinne Day for the cover of Placebo’s ‘Without You I’m Nothing’, Sarah decided to take her love of the craft further, “I was ecstatic about being asked to do the shoot because Corinne Day was so well loved for her images of Kate Moss,” says Sarah. “I thought, ‘Wow, Sally and I will look as cool as Kate!’ But I realised that day, well...for one, no matter what level of technical skill you have, making subjects feel right for the image is absolutely key,” she explains. ”The shoot was incredibly intense and intimidating for us. Sally and I were never comfortable being models. It was extremely meticulous, Corinne directed us to the millimetre, I’ve never forgotten it. I took a lot from that day, there are so many single details that go into getting a shot. Secondly, I thought about how I felt, just moulding yourself little by little to what is required.”

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Mixing these experiences with her dreams for BLAG, made Sarah look at photography differently, “Sally and I went on to figure out all the elements we could bring to our shoots from our own experiences. We came up with a set of principles to stick by, which nicely balance serious and fun — quickly getting to know subjects as best as possible and making sure they feel good and are respected. At the same time, keeping the focus off that absolute self consciousness, so we always bring music and humour to set. Creating the right atmosphere can really transform the location whether an empty studio or somewhere more lavish. Albeit a lot of my photographs show a seriousness, the experiences between are filled with laughter.”

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Sarah has also been commissioned to shoot for Rolling Stone, i-D, Dazed and NME. She shot Beastie Boys, 'Awesome, I Shot That' sleeve and one of Evisu jeans first advertising campaigns in Europe.

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‘Portraits’ features some of the world’s most admired artists featured in BLAG from Beastie Boys, OutKast, Franz Ferdinand, N.E.R.D, Joshua Homme, Broken Bells, Slash, Justice, Amy Winehouse and many more.

 

A portion of proceeds from sales of fine art prints of Amy Winehouse and Fenton Bailey will go to charity including the Amy Winehouse Foundation.

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ABOUT BLAG

Sally and Sarah created BLAG while at art college, using Saturday job wages. They grew it to become an international glossy, picking up and comers for covers and features ahead of the curve. They produced in-depth, down-to-earth editorial content leaning into humour and kindness, unveiling an empathetical view point not often seen. Over the years, the duo have produced and created hundreds of original shoots and interviews. Often undertaking multiple roles including: location, styling, photography and

interviewing, as well as collaborating with some of the world’s leading cinematographers, hair, make up and styling talents. They have directed promo for brands including Mercedes Benz, Nike and Essie and made short documentaries on ground-breaking artists including José Parlá and Futura 2000.

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Original content created by Sally and Sarah includes BLAG covers featuring: André 3000, Beastie Boys, Cillian Murphy, OutKast, James McAvoy, N*E*R*D, Julian Casablancas, Slash, Les Twins and Joey Bada$$. Features included: Daft Punk, The Raconteurs, Amy Winehouse, Justice, MGMT, Phoenix, Andrew Garfield, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Helen McCrory and Janelle Monáe. Guest contributors to BLAG include: Chuck D, Questlove, Mike D, John Legend and Mark Ronson.

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“The twins racked up an impressive list of cover stars.” - Complex
“While BLAG’s feature stars command the spotlight...the sisters’ personalities drive its vision.” - Metro