Allie Crewe

LenCulture Emerging Talent

So there are two sides to my work. I shoot for families and individuals and for businesses too. BUT, it is really important to me to push myself and develop my style with my tutor Aj Wilkinson. I love exploring how women construct their femininity. Olivia does too. As a trans woman she shares this dilemma. Shall I be girly today- but will I be taken seriously at work? If I want to wear jeans and no make-up will people judge me? Can I be lots of different women – even in one day? Ladies out there reading this know what I mean!
Olivia is one of my muses and we often work together. She gives a lot of honesty to my camera. The image I took of her hung in The Getty, now it looks like we might be off to New York. Cross your fingers for me. Getting international recognition would be amazing. Ultimately it benefits my other clients too. You can buy my photographs knowing that I work very hard to give you something special. 


Why Focus on Trans Women?

All women construct femininity. We juggle, debate, transform. I change my clothes and behaviour add make-up. I am aware of my looked-at-ness. What kind of woman am I and how do I attract hetro males? How do I dress on a date with my husband? This balancing act is no different for trans women who often tell me that they thought life would be simpler when they started hormone therapy and presenting as women full time. Then they discover that hormones come with swooping emotions and hair and make-up can be a tyranny and a pleasure. Trans women are very diverse. Some are hyper fem and some long for androgyny. some desire men and some women, some remain fluid and their identity is a thing of change - there is not one form but many norms, which cis women find confusing. As a photographer I meet many trans women, they each have their own story and it is these narratives that I try to capture in my work. 

Using Format