CULTURE CLUB
Photographer Esa Kapila and model Yaser drew on eclectic influences to create these striking portraits.
Igot to know Yaser through Instagram,” says photographer, Esa Naukkarinen. “I saw his photos and I liked his naturalness and calm confidence, so I asked if he’d ever been photographed outside the gym.” Yaser, an athlete and physique competitor, was up for a location photoshoot, so Esa set about collecting props and costumes.
“I have always been drawn to a variety of cultural clothing and accessories,” he says. “Friends were kind enough to let me borrow real African antique masks from their stunning collection. I also used amazing jewellery made by Finnish artist, Liisa Steffa who combines different materials like camel teeth, stones, brass and coral in her work. One of the necklaces is made from cows’ teeth. I bought it in Papua New Guinea when I was living in Indonesia.”
Esa created the Indian-inspired dhoti trousers and loincloths from a variety of different fabrics. “The idea was to mix cultural elements and create new fusions rather than trying to mimic one,” he says.
The heat and humidity associated with Africa and India, however, was missing during the location shoot in a freezing quarry in Finland.
“The weather conditions were horrible,” says Esa. “It was freezing cold and drizzling. Amazingly, Yaser doesn’t let it show, but he was only wearing those thin fabrics.”
The other half of the shoot was done in the studio, where Esa and Yaser recreated the style of early 20th Century portraiture, but with a tribal, physique and fashion twist.