To debut our new Bond Street bag and Kyoto strap, two of our favorite New York photographers—Jose "Tutes" Tutiven and Christina Emilie—took them out for a day downtown. Here's their story, what they shot, and a special short video by Tutes.
Christina: When I first moved to New York 3 years ago, I started to work with fashion bloggers while transitioning into this new creative space. One of the girls I photographed worked with Tutes as well, so I was curious about his work. I checked out his portfolio, and immediately knew we'd have to meet at some point.
Tutes: I remember going through my friend's Instagram account and I saw this great image that someone took of her. I was so fascinated with that shot - I was trying to find flaws but couldn't. I had to see who took this photo so I went to the photographer's page. This was 3 years ago, when photography was still just a hobby to me. Christina was the first full-time female photographer I met through Instagram.
Christina: We started to follow each other on Instagram, and became "Insta friends." We got to know each other creatively just chatting via our work. I think about a year passed and I finally reached out to him to meet in-person. We met in West Village with our cameras and agreed it was nice to shoot for fun for a change. Our personalities just clicked, both as photographers and friends. Tutes had and has always been such a friendly and positive person to be around which easily makes him one of my favorite photographers.
Tutes: The first time we connected in-person, we both just began our journey as full time photographers. It was very refreshing to discuss our passion and struggles with this new endeavor - but we both agreed that this is what we were meant to do.
Christina: Our day together consisted of us laughing the entire time. It was cool to see each other in our real photo elements. One highlight: I had my first chicken and waffles from Sweet Chick in the Lower East Side.
Tutes: I actually always wanted to see her in action when she's in the zone. Being her subject was a treat and I learned that I have bad posture - she constantly told me "shoulders straight." Constantly!
Christina:It was fun getting the chance to capture him in his natural element. We walked from Bond Street through Chinatown, and on our way, he saw about 5 people he knew, and a handful of his Instagram followers - it goes to show his work and energy go hand in hand. Our aesthetics are similar but different, which is what I thought made us the perfect team.
Tutes: We both have totally different styles and perspectives on our photography. I'm a bit more about capturing perfectly imperfect moments whereas Christina sees the perfection effortlessly - her clean and polished images always feel like they should be in a magazine or billboard, but yet you can still feel the authenticity. It's her personality stamped all over her images.
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