This document provides summaries of several photo shoots and zines by Aleks Markovic. It summarizes LOOK UP zines that explored Tokyo youth culture and themes like identity and escapism. It also summarizes subsequent zines on themes of discovery and a personal zine called TRANSCENDED about Markovic's experiences in Tokyo. Additional summaries are provided for photo shoots including "Contact" with science fiction influences, "Beige" focused on the color beige, "Dreamscapes" for a fashion collection, "Generation" inspired by metamorphosis from human to nature, and "Noir" influenced by film noir.

1. Aleks MarkovicAleks Markovic

2. LOOKUP#1
‘LOOK UP’ is a 24 page independent zine
that documents Tokyo’s enigmatic youth
culture through the eyes of myself and
writer Lena Grace-Suda. Through words
and images this issue explores themes
that are prevalent within generation ‘Y’
such as the identity comparisons made
within reality and the cyber world; the
beauty in escapism through inebriation
and it also tries to uncover the difficulties
of losing yourself in a vibrant, fast-paced
city. It offers a fresh perspective on what
constitutes a life in Tokyo.
Viewable here.
Wearethefacesofthecity,lively
coloursagainstagreylandscape.
“
“

3. LOOKUP#2
Issue 2 explores the theme of ‘Discovery,’
a polar opposite to the first issue which
surrounded the idea of being lost. We
approached discovery from several
different angles such as discovering
yourself through travel and being immersed
in different cultures, finding your sexuality
in a culture that tends to acknowledge sex
as fantasy rather than reality and enjoying
the pursuit of releasing all your inhibitations
through music and experimentation.
For this issue we wanted the imagery to be
more diverse and showcase photographers
from around the world (rather than myself
photographing all the content). Because of
this the idea of discovery was portrayed
differently through each story and held
personal perspectives dependent on the
photographer’s own experiences.
Viewable here.
Mylipsmoveas i saymy
nametostrangerswho
haveyettobecomemy
friends.
“
“

4. Transcended was a personal project of
mine where its main purpose was to create
a sense of clarity for all the experiences
I had during my thirteen months in Tokyo.
Rather than presenting my life in Tokyo as a
novel, I wanted to mainly focus on presenting
what I had learnt by living independently and
how my character, feelings, and even work
process as a designer had changed. This zine
became a product from all the educational
experiences I gained from creating the
zine ‘LOOK UP’ which helped me realise
my work ethic and even interests when it
comes to creating a print publication. This
practical experience beforehand helped me
fully realise what I wanted TRANSCENDED
to portray through its layout, photography,
writing, and the artwork created by my close
friend. By dividing this zine into four states of
being, it allowed me to clearly express my
individual thought processes through diverse
imagery and design while still maintaining a
consistent identity throughout each ‘chapter.’
I wanted this zine to hold a more minimalist
approach to its design after creating two
issues of ‘LOOK UP’ which both held graphic
elements that provided limited negative
space within its spreads.
Viewable here.

5. CONTACT
‘Contact’ was a futuristic
inspired shoot that was
featured in Perth based
magazine Akute.
This shoot explored science-
fiction references such as Fritz
Lang’s ‘Metropolis’ and Mary
Shelly’s ‘Frankenstein.’ My goal
was to create a story that held
a juxtaposition between the
two characters where you
could identify the heroine
within her ‘human’
form and then the
‘cyborg’ creature
she transitions
into throughout
the story.
I wanted
to create a
modern take on
the stories that
influenced this
series through
its styling, hair,
makeup (such as
colouring the model’s skin
grey) and also through the
post-production processes.
Photography/post-production/
art direction - Aleks Markovic
Hairstylist - Reece Vander Velde
MUA - Fitria Adiwibowo
Styling - Melissa Lee

6. BEIGE
‘Beige’ was a shoot
commissioned by local hairstylist
Reece Vander Velde. This shoot
was to be used as an entry
for Aveda’s ‘Colour Harmony’
competition where the client’s
only request was that beige was
to be the most predominant
colour within the series. For this
shoot I wanted it to hold a fairly
monochrome colour palette
where nearly every aspect
of the imagery was beige. I
also wanted these photos to
hold a sense of geometry so
that the areas of blank space
created angles that would help
emphasize the abstract shapes
of the hairstyles.
Photography/post-production/
art direction - Aleks Markovic
Hairtylist - Reece Vander Velde
MUA - Fitria Adiwibowo
Models - Cherie Rose, Leschelle
Hewett and Rhianna Isard.
‘Beige’ was a shoot
commissioned by local hairstylist
Reece Vander Velde. This shoot
was to be used as an entry
for Aveda’s ‘Colour Harmony’
competition where the client’s
only request was that beige was
to be the most predominant
colour within the series. For this
shoot I wanted it to hold a fairly
monochrome colour palette
where nearly every aspect
of the imagery was beige. I
also wanted these photos to
hold a sense of geometry so
that the areas of blank space
created angles that would help
emphasize the abstract shapes
of the hairstyles.

7. ‘Dreamscapes’ was originally going to be used solely
as a lookbook for Perth fashion designer Volim’s
‘Bacterium’ collection, but ended up also being
featured as en editorial in Canadian based print
magazine Opalus. The inspiration behind Volim’s
‘Bacterium’ collection was the chemical formations
that deadly diseases (such as anthrax) make when
looked at through a microscope. The juxtaposition
between the beautiful imagery of the deadly
viruses was what inspired the geometric and
avant-garde formations within the clothing.
These shapes and unusual silhouettes is what
inspired my idea of creating a comparison
within the photo series where each garment
would be depicted from a realistic and
surreal perspective, following this theme
of juxtapositions. I was also inspired by
James Gleeson’s ‘Psychoscapes’ which
were surreal interpretations of natural
landscapes and the human body which I
tried to reference through using certain
lighting and post-production techniques.
Photography/post-production/
art direction/set design - Aleks Markovic
Garments - Volim
‘Dreamscapes’ was originally going to be used solely
as a lookbook for Perth fashion designer Volim’s
‘Bacterium’ collection, but ended up also being
featured as en editorial in Canadian based print
magazine Opalus. The inspiration behind Volim’s
‘Bacterium’ collection was the chemical formations
that deadly diseases (such as anthrax) make when
looked at through a microscope. The juxtaposition
between the beautiful imagery of the deadly
viruses was what inspired the geometric and
avant-garde formations within the clothing.
These shapes and unusual silhouettes is what
inspired my idea of creating a comparison
within the photo series where each garment
would be depicted from a realistic and
surreal perspective, following this theme
of juxtapositions. I was also inspired by
James Gleeson’s ‘Psychoscapes’ which
were surreal interpretations of natural
landscapes and the human body which I
tried to reference through using certain
lighting and post-production techniques.
‘Dreamscapes’ was originally going to be used solely
as a lookbook for Perth fashion designer Volim’s
‘Bacterium’ collection, but ended up also being
featured as en editorial in Canadian based print
magazine Opalus. The inspiration behind Volim’s
‘Bacterium’ collection was the chemical formations
that deadly diseases (such as anthrax) make when
looked at through a microscope. The juxtaposition
between the beautiful imagery of the deadly
viruses was what inspired the geometric and
avant-garde formations within the clothing.
These shapes and unusual silhouettes is what
inspired my idea of creating a comparison
within the photo series where each garment
would be depicted from a realistic and
surreal perspective, following this theme
of juxtapositions. I was also inspired by
James Gleeson’s ‘Psychoscapes’ which
were surreal interpretations of natural
landscapes and the human body which I
tried to reference through using certain
lighting and post-production techniques.
Photography/post-production/
art direction/set design - Aleks Markovic
Garments - Volim
Photography/post-production/
art direction/set design - Aleks Markovic
Garments - Volim

8. GENERATION
‘Generation’ is a menswear shoot that I
had completed for print magazine HUF.
The concept of this shoot was inspired by
the idea of a metamorphosis from human
to nature. Sourcing clothing from Ralph
Lauren, Yves Saint Laurent and Lanvin I
wanted to create a juxtaposition between
the clean styling of the menswear and
the surreal nature of the post-production.
Photography/post-production/art direction - Aleks Markovic
Model - Joseph Kendall Langley
Styling - Volim
GENERATION

9. NoirN‘Noir’ was a shoot used as a University assignment where the brief was to create a project
that centred around one subculture. After watching several German expressionist films
such as “The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari”, “Nosferatu” and noir films such as “Out of the Past”,
it inspired me to create a fashion story influenced by the characters and story lines within
these movies. I wanted there to be an emphasis on the character of the ‘femme fatale’
where a lot of the suspense within the storyline was created through creating harsh
shadows and clear shades of black and white. To stay true to my inspiration of film noir,
I made sure that throughout the series there was a clear storyline to each picture that
followed the melodrama within most noir film plots.
Photography/post production/art direction - Aleks Markovic
Models - Tulay Dincel, Camille Nota and Daniel Smith