Happisburgh beach provided the backdrop for a striking fashion shoot featuring the work of two Norfolk students.
On a cold and breezy April afternoon, a corner of the beach was transformed by the arrival of smoke machines, a doorway adorned with flowers and butterflies, and two models wearing the students’ striking dresses.
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The photographs were taken by 18-year-old City College Norwich student, Annie Walter. They feature dresses made by Annie and by Emily Rose, who is studying fashion design at Norwich University of the Arts (NUA).
Inspiration for the dresses and evocative set design was the idea of life being restarting after the pandemic lockdown – with one model leading the other through a vibrant doorway towards a brighter, more hopeful, future.
Fashion and photography have been of interest to Annie for several years. She has been a model herself and says her own interest in fashion photography “slowly started” when she bought her first camera at the age of 12.
As a 16-year-old, after meeting her boyfriend during a trip to the UK, she decided to relocate from Hamburg in Germany to Norfolk.
She said: “I never thought it would be possible to be an artist. When I was at school in Germany, it was never mentioned that you could be a photographer or a fashion designer.
“I came here and it actually opened my eyes that I am actually good at those things.”
The images will form part of Annie’s final project for the A-level photography course she is studying at City College Norwich, alongside A-levels in textiles and film.
She has also entered her photographs into Vogue magazine’s 2021 New Talent Competition.
It is not the first time she has done a photo shoot on Happisburgh beach. Last year, inspired by the work of fashion photographer Steven Meisel, she captured equally eye-catching images highlighting the environmental harms caused by fast fashion.
Craig Osborne, photography course leader at City College Norwich, said: “Throughout the course Annie has been incredibly driven and consistent in her attitude towards work and the quality of her images.
“She has developed over the last two years into a very talented and creative photographer. You can see from her images just how accomplished Annie is and I can see a very positive future for her."
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