We have a treat for you all today! We’re thrilled to feature the husband-wife team that is Anthony-Masterson. This dynamite team specialize in photography and filmmaking. And their work is almost as fantastic as they are… Steve and Jill have gotten to know Owen and Christine by working with them on a number of design projects and have found such like-mindedness, as they’re also a couple that do just about everything together. We believe you’ll thoroughly enjoy this fun little conversation/interview and are so pleased to introduce you to the latest Tastemakers for the blog for steve mckenzie’s, Owen Masterson and Christine Anthony:
We began shooting sixteen years ago determined to combine our individual talents. Before that Owen was working with some of the best cinematographers in Los Angeles as an actor and Christine was an in-demand food stylist. We had both spent a lot of time on sets observing what it took to get a great shot. Inspired, we picked up a camera and a bunch of film and began shooting. We started with food. Shortly after that a new stock agency dedicated to food photography began licensing our images. In 2001 we shot our first job. Since moving to Atlanta in 2005 we have been shooting Interiors, Food and Travel.
In 2008 we acted on a long held desire to make our pictures move and began experimenting with filmmaking. This led to a number of short films and two award winning feature length documentaries.
Working in both mediums provides great balance plus we get to travel a lot and work with some extraordinarily talented and interesting people.
1. Three words that describe your aesthetic?
Owen: Do we each get 3 words?
Christine: What have you got?
Owen: Fast, edgy and dangerous.
Christine: I think that describes you more than the aesthetic.
Owen: Okay, what have you got?
Christine: How about balanced, uncluttered and provocative?
Owen: That’s why I love you.
2. Would you please share a little about your favorite space/project to date?
Owen: You go first.
Christine: I always go first.
Owen: Ok. Plaza Towers 25th floor, stunning pied-a-terre, killer view of Atlanta skyline.
Christine: And the rich tones in the living room. What about the first interior project we ever shot? That beautiful home on the coast in Malibu owned by the Fluxus artist Van Schley and his wife.
Owen: Wow that was so long ago and we shot it on film!
Christine: And we hardly knew what we were doing.
Owen: The challenge was the light bouncing off of the Pacific Ocean into practically every room in the house. But we figured it out.
Christine: Speaking of the coast… what about the light in the house at Wrightsville Beach?
Owen: Love.
3. What’s the source(s) of your inspiration?
Owen: Christine. That was an easy one.
Christine: I guess I better say Owen. But really, it is Owen. When you live and work together 24/7 as a team you each bring something different to the party so it’s essential to be inspired by your partner’s vision – or madness.
Owen: I always know I’m in for something challenging when Christine says “Tell me if you think this is a crazy idea.” But we don’t live in a bubble so there’s the things we see and the people we meet in our travels that influence and inspire us as well.
4. Name three people (alive or dead) you’d invite to your dream dinner party…
Christine: That’s tricky. Only three?
Owen: John Lennon, the Pope, and it might get fun if say, Amy Winehouse comes.
Christine: The Pope choice seems off unless it’s Alexander Pope.
Owen: Okay, how about Jimi Hendrix, Jackson Pollock and Howard Finster?
Christine: Better. But I’d really like to cook for Joan Didion so one has to go.
Owen: Wait a minute, don’t we each get three?
Christine: We could be here all day… how about we move on?
5. A favorite type of space or even a favorite type of object/setting to photograph?
Owen: We love the skill set of shooting interiors. It’s so exacting, like a high wire act.
Christine: The placement and balance of objects.
Owen: The play of shadows and light.
Christine: The vignettes.
Owen: Capturing the more intimate moments that really express the personality of the room.
Christine: But there’s also a freedom to shooting the travel stories that we enjoy. Being out and about, anticipating, keeping an eye out for the shot.
Owen: Because we shoot so many different things: interiors, food, people, travel, and then there are the videos too, it’s like cross training. It keeps our imaginations limber and eyes fresh.
6. Do you follow a particular set of rules when mixing textures, finishes, etc. – how do they work for you?
Owen and Christine: See it. Love it. Shoot it!
Christine: That’s been our motto from day one.
Owen: Of course our clients’ needs come first but we always try to take the shots further than they had imagined; the angle, the frame, the composition.
Christine: And then there’s the lighting. We shoot primarily with natural light and Owen is the master of light and shadow so we like to wow our clients with the lighting.
7. Trending… What is something you are currently “into” and something you are “over?”
Owen: Playing records
Christine: Owen is the house DJ, he spins, I cook. I love long hours at the dinner table or on the deck with close friends.
Owen: Christine is a great cook so the dinners are always good. And then there’s the wine and the conversation.
Christine: It’s like the exact opposite of social media.
Owen: Which is anti-social
Christine: So you’d say social media is over?
Owen: Definitely over. And out.
8. What would be the one thing you would have if you were stranded on a deserted island?
Christine: Do we each get one thing?
Owen: Fire.
Christine: That way I could cook. So maybe I’d bring a knife.
9. Please share a piece of advice you’d offer to someone looking to break into the photography design industry.
Owen: I’d give the same advice we were given when we started. Just do it!
Christine: It’s a process and you have to work at it to find your eye. Just make sure you understand the business end of it. That can be the most difficult part for creatives.
Owen: Find your passion. It’s an art form even if you’re shooting plumbing supplies. It’s a journey and you should have adventures doing it.
Christine: Oh, the places we’ve been…
Okay, so that was a lot of fun, right?! We need to find more dynamic duos to feature in our Tastemaker series! At least ones with such wonderful senses of humor… And isn’t their work divine. The way they work with lighting – it’s magical. And they make our spaces look absolutely phenomenal. We’re fans of Owen and Christine’s and are willing to bet that after reading this post you are too!
