This underwater fashion editorial was styled by Dreamloka, with makeup by Jennifer Little and Photography by Nina Pak. “It is like entering a dream. I love the underside of the surface that gives me distorted reflections and looks like a portal into a wonderland of mysterious potential. This is a world where magic is real. It all seems so lovely and effortless!” Nina shares. She loves the surreal environment created by underwater photography where gravity can be defied, and the models can look like they levitate or fly. The truth could not be further from the final work presented. Underwater modeling and shooting are tough, but this fantastic team manages to pull the fairytale off.
Dream Portal
Photography by Nina Pak
http://www.ninapak.com
https://www.facebook.com/NinaPakArt
https://www.instagram.com/ninapak
Assisted by Kieron Rhys Lillo and Daniel Pringle
Make-up by Artist Jennifer Little
Hair Styling by Dreamloka
Featuring Models Lizbit, Tristan Risk, and Jennifer Little
Jeweled top designed by Harness Your Harpy
Models are wearing wigs with blue and lavender ends. Red Locks On Lizbit was dyed bright red.
Created in Burnaby, BC
Dye Magazine: Now, be honest, how often do you go to the salon to have a trim or get your color touched up?
Nina Pak: “I go to a salon about every ten years for a haircut. My hair is long, to my knees, and has been this long several times in my life. At one point I was a model, and my long hair was bleached blond, I kept that up for a few years and then had to cut it off. I honestly don’t like having to style my hair and use a lot of products, when I had to cut my hair much shorter, due to the damage, I decided to try various short styles, my boyfriend at the time was working at Aveda, and he would cut, color and style it. When that relationship was over, I grew out my hair. Most of my life it has been long. As I grew my hair again I focused on making it healthy; I used henna as it coats the hair shaft making it stronger and thicker. I chose a bright red, which covered my natural light ash brown perfectly. I loved being a redhead. The last time I cut my hair to shoulder length was ten years ago. Since then I found that I had a lot more silver hair that would turn orange with the henna, so I used brown henna for a while, but then finally chose to let the silver grow out. I am now ready for a new haircut, as the silver is about shoulder length.”
Dye Magazine: Are you someone who enjoys spring? Or do the violent winds and pollen drive you bonkers?
Nina Pak: “I love the springtime, it is often a great opportunity for location shooting at the botanical gardens and parks where cherry trees are in full bloom or raining petals down on the models. I also suffer from seasonal depression from gloomy weather, so having more sunny days greatly improves my internal world. I do however suffer from plant allergies, I take turmeric for that, which is a natural anti-inflammatory.”
Dye Magazine: Do you have any big plans for summer? If not going on vacation, possibly a stay-cation?
Nina Pak: “We plan to go to Hawaii this year. Usually, it is pure fun and relaxation. I don’t even take my professional cameras with me; it is a time to see the world as it is, first hand, rather than through a lens.”
Dye Magazine: Do you follow astrology? What is your sign and do you think it fits you?
Nina Pak: “Yes, I do find that Astrology has some merit. However, I don’t let it dictate my choices. I am a double Gemini with a Scorpio Moon. And in Chinese Astrology a Fire Monkey. Is it fitting? I would say it depends on which interpretation you are looking at. I don’t feel you can look at the sun signs and say that defines you, everyone is born under a certain configuration of planets and they all influence you. Yes, I can say that I have some Gemini traits, having it rule my sun and rising, but I am also on the cusp of Cancer, so I am maybe not the typical twin type.”
Dye Magazine: Mercury is currently in retrograde. When this astrological event occurs, do you find that it affects your life?
Nina Pak: “I can honestly say that Mercury retrograde is always a challenge!”
Dye Magazine: When driving in the car, how do you pass the time? Do you dance to music, yell at drivers, disagree with talk radio, listen to a book on tape…?
Nina Pak: “For long trips, I like to have books on Tape: Malcome Gladwell “The Tipping Point”, “The Tibetan Book Of The Dead”, and Carolyn Myss “Energy Anatomy” were my last long drive companions. I like to have food for thought. If I am alone, I stop and take photos now and then, if I am with my husband we tend to have interesting conversations about history, philosophy, or various books we’ve read.”
Dye Magazine: What jobs have you done other than being a photographer/model/artist?
Nina Pak: “I have been a photographer for 30 years now. But it was not an easy road, nothing came without sacrifice and hard work. I was on my own at a young age, seems like I always had a job, even as a kid, I was never given an allowance, so I would babysit or do yard work or clean someone’s garage for pocket money. As a teen, I worked in a doctor’s office, as a file clerk. And then in my sister’s bookstore. Most of my early jobs were in the service industry, a store clerk, a waitress, a nanny, a cook. As an artist, it seems I was always unlucky when trying for jobs that could use my skills, (I was a painter and graphic designer long before I decided to do photography for a living). Sometimes they would say I was not experienced enough, as I didn’t have similar work experience on a resume, or I didn’t have the right degree, even though I had more actual experience than whoever they would hire. I did any job that would pay my bills, and give me a little extra so that I could afford to do my art. But it was always a struggle to make ends meet and have time for creative pursuits, or money to buy equipment or art supplies. In my youth, I also modeled for artists and art photographers when I had time, but this was not paid work. When I could be a muse for others I felt that I was also part of their creative process. There were a few times when I was able to use my artistic skills for something rewarding, sadly those jobs did not pay well. At one point I tried acting, but I got too hungry to follow that course for long. My last job before focusing on photography as a career was as a live-in caregiver for an elderly couple.”
Dye Magazine: Who is someone that supports your pursuit in the arts? How do they show you that they support you?
Nina Pak: “I did not have a lot of encouragement for my artistic endeavors in my youth. I didn’t have access to the schools I wanted to attend, and I didn’t find mentors or patrons when I was young enough to fulfill my dreams. However, I would say my husband is happy that I am happy making art, and I would not be spending my time doing photography and other artistic projects if he didn’t have a good job. This work although gratifying does not pay the bills. Since moving to Vancouver I have made the acquaintance of some exceptional people and collaborated with many talented garment and jewelry designers, milliners, stylists, and models, all of whom have been very kind and interested in what I do with photography. This network of creative talent has given me a lot of support and encouragement to produce some work I am proud of.”
Dye Magazine: Do you believe there is such a thing as bad art? Can you think of any bad art you recently saw and why you thought that?
Nina Pak: “Art is always subjective, most people don’t even recall the name of an artist who made an impression, but they still know what they like, or what they could live with. What they would like to hang on their wall and see every day. I, like most people, have my own idea of what art is and what I don’t like, or what I don’t feel has artistic value. But honestly that doesn’t mean anything, I am not an art critic or historian. For me, art has to make me feel something. I prefer art that gives me a nostalgic or uplifting experience, and don’t care as much for art that is dark or gruesome, nevertheless, if the technique is done well, I still consider it art. I have been accused of making “pretty” images, that some artists don’t respect, for them an artist is responsible to challenge society and make them face the ugly realities’ of our world. What I say to that is that I have lived through some hard times, and experienced some ugly things, making a beautiful alternate reality is what lead me to make art. A safe and joyful place filled with beauty. In this world today I feel my world is preferable.
I think my biggest turn off in the art industry are gimmicky things, like a canvas of one solid color or a line of bricks on the floor, Or probably worst of all, some famous persons waste in a jar. They can call it art but, I just have to say, I don’t get it.”
Dye Magazine: What do you hope is the reaction of the viewer when they see these images?
Nina Pak: “I am interested in the relationship between dreams and creative perceptions. I want to create an image that conveys those unseen realities within my imagination, the process of making these dreams tangible is what my art is about. If I can share my inner vision with others, that would be wonderful.”
