Kate Stoltz Photographed by Lena Shkoda Posted on 25 Jan 13:02 , 50 comments
One of my first modeling test shoots I did was with the lovely Lena Shkoda. Her tireless guidance to a fresh face in the modeling world resulted in the accompanying black and white photographs.
The snapshots remind me of first arriving in the Manhattan and being overwhelmed by the limitless possibilities and opportunities that the city presented to me. The steaming asphalt and summer heat that overtakes the Manhattan streets during the long, hot summer days will always bring back the feeling of youth and freedom. Especially youth, since the feeling of youth quickly becomes rare and out of reach as we become more responsible and invested in careers, which ultimately shortens the time we have left to experience that feeling.
As I ventured about in a city trying to figure out where I was going, I was completely free to be me and not someone else's idea of what I should be. The tough city molded me into a more liberated and cynical, but wiser human. I will forever be grateful to all the photographers, makeup artists, hairstylists, wardrobe stylists, directors and accompanying models that devoted and are devoting their time to working with me. I am still, and will always be, a 'work in progress', but looking at work from a couple years ago is a good reminder of how I got to my current place in life. I still have a lot to learn, but I believe that as soon as learning ends, joy in life ends. For that reason, I never want to stop learning.
XO, Kate Stoltz
Kate Stoltz Photographed by Lena Shkoda in New York City