An eye for casting – and the ability to capture the aura of a model before he or she is transformed by the world of fashion – has always been at the core of fashion photography. In addition to creating images for i-D, V, and W, and collaborating with designers such as Helmut Lang and Hussein Chalayan, New York photographer Amy Troost has worked with this subject for years in her ongoing series, “Casting Portraits.” Set against a white background, and photographed in black-and-white, Troost strips her models of the styling, clothes, and makeup that usually adorns them. The resulting images are a beautiful and honest documentation of how casting agents first encounter the talent that transforms the images we see everyday. In these photographs, the models are free from the demands of the fashion world, while remaining intrinsically tied to it.
Canadian born Amy Troost graduated from the Ontario College of Art & Design where she studied industrial design, painting and ceramics prior to discovering photography. Drawing inspiration from the models, friends, and artists who appear in front of her lens, Troost’s sophisticated, sharp, clean lighting, combined with her instinctive insight into a subject’s style, beauty, and character, has helped her emerge into one of the most frank and original photographers of her generation. In 2007, Troost began the project “Casting Portraits.” This ongoing portraiture study, has resulted in two limited edition monographs and serves as invaluable documentation of trends and beauty. Troost lives and works in New York City.
