A Q&A With Fashion Photographer Hanina Pinnick

Fuhzz, Image Credit: Hanina Pinnick

Olivia Rodrigo for NME magazine, Image Credit: Hanina Pinnick

TABITHA, Image Credit: Hanina Pinnick

Thumbnail Design: Bethany Hutchison

Hanina Pinnick is a commercial and fashion photographer who is represented by A&R Creative and is based in London. Hanina has worked for clients such as Cosmopolitan, Timberland, Puma, YouTube and Hypebae and has had the opportunity to capture celebrities such as Olivia Rodrigo for the NME print magazine and the musician Chi Virgo.

Nike For Hypebae, Image Credit: Hanina Pinnick

Olivia Rodrigo for NME magazine, Image Credit: Hanina Pinnick

Pinnick’s work tends to be incredibly bold and expressive. This is evidenced within her Images for extra gum which sees individuals wearing bright coloured clothing Infront of (or framed by) colourful and outlandish backdrops. Another example can be seen in Hanina’s images for Tabitha Bennett which yet again sees her model standing in front of an extremely colourful backdrop. These sets of images are made bold further due to the contrast of Tabitha’s pale complexion against the brightness of the backdrop. In addition, these images are also incredibly expressive with the makeup artist for this shoot (Grace Macartney) accentuating elements of the models features (such as her eyes and lips). Hanina has furthered this expressive composition by getting the model to pose in an exaggerated and sassy manner. Styling is also an integral element of this imagery with the model wearing clothes to either compliment the backdrop (in order to create a sense of continuity) or heavily contrasting it and thus further leaning into the playful, bold and expressive mood of the imagery.

Extra Gum, Image Credit: Hanina Pinnick

TABITHA, Image Credit: Hanina Pinnick

A Q&A with Hanina Pinnick

In order to find out more about Hanina’s line of work and to gauge whether fashion photography is truly an avenue which I’d like to pursue I decided to reach out to Pinnick and ask her a selection of questions.

I started off the Q&A by asking Hanina Pinnick what her role entails and was slightly shocked by her response! Hanina states that as a self-employed photographer she ‘runs [her] whole business, therefore as much as [she] is a photographer [she also does her] own marketing, directing, production, accounts, analytics [and] creative concepts. On set the photographer has many hats, [she] may take the images but [she] also direct[s] the talent, control[s] the lighting set up [and] work[s] alongside the creatives and agencies. Overall, [her] role is to create a fun, upbeat vibe on set.’

I think this first-hand insight was incredibly beneficial for me to find as I believe that I was slightly naïve to the world of fashion photography assuming that all photographers would have a team of individuals working on the marketing and business side of things. Although this doesn’t deter myself from entering this industry It is incredibly important that as my time at university progresses, I start to consider how I can market myself successfully whilst simultaneously balancing other elements of the role such as accounts and analytics.

I then asked Hanina what a typical day in her life looked like to which she responded: ‘there is no typical day in [her] life, whether [she’s] on or off set- every day is different. A shoot day usually consists of early morning wake ups, taxis to set and then a 9-5pm shoot day’. On an off-set day Hanina usually ‘wake[s] up, check[s] [her] emails and head[s] into central London to work.’ For Hanina she finds it a struggle to concentrate at home and ‘feel[s] more productive in the city.’ Sometimes she has meetings with other creatives/ agencies or spends her time creating concept boards/ advertising treatments and sending out marketing emails.

After reading Hanina’s response I felt incredibly excited and inspired. I personally like my days to be fulfilling, packed with many different tasks to complete and the fact that no two days are the same appeals to myself, an individual who isn’t looking for a mundane and repetitive 9-5.

Levi's, Image Credit: Hanina Pinnick

Tmrw mag, Image Credit: Hanina Pinnick

Dvany, Image Credit: Hanina Pinnick

For my third question I asked Pinnick to provide me with some tips in order to break into the industry to which she responded ‘never stop shooting! Always strive to build a style of work- your style is what you become known and booked for in this industry! Gain as much industry experience as you can whilst you’re at university (work experience, shoot days, internships) and continue to network and meet people within the industry.’

This is something which I’m aware I need to start refining. Shooting to practise and to build a portfolio rather than shooting solely when is necessary for a university project. Hanina is testament to her words proving that the more you shoot and develop your own style the more successful you will be in the industry. It is incredibly important that I start using the opportunities posed to me within Norwich University Of The Arts whether this be networking opportunities or utilising areas such as the photography studios and lighting/ camera equipment in order to refine my skills.

In relation to the previous question, I also asked Hanina for some advice about internship roles and her experience navigating them. Hanina revealed to me that she spent ‘every holiday at university doing work experience/ internships.’ She believes it is crucial as ‘you are able to learn what you do like but also what you don’t like’ and highly recommends them.

I personally, as of yet, have not had any opportunities to pick up internship roles; partly due to the fact that I have not been actively seeking them but also partly due to self-doubt surrounding my expertise and portfolio. However, Hanina is proof that in order to be successful you need to put yourself out there. Something which I hope that during my time at university I get the courage to do.

New Girl Order, Image Credit: Hanina Pinnick 

Finally, I asked Hanina for some tips on navigating the industry to which she believes that ‘gaining experience whilst at university will help [me] join and navigate [the industry] once [I] graduate. Everything is a stepping stone- so building connections and getting your foot into this world is the first step. Once you’re in it’s about constantly grafting to achieve your goals.’ To Hanina, one of the most important things is to constantly be bettering and building your portfolio but also ‘meeting new people’ and ‘growing your circle of contacts’. Hanina said that after she graduated, she would email ‘thousands of people asking to meet and shoot. The smaller brands [which she emailed she’d] suggest bigger campaigns and the huge brands, such as Nike, [she] would suggest social media shoots.’

Yet again, Hanina highlights the importance of networking and building connections within the industry. Something which is truly integral to success and a skill which I hope to refine further whilst being at university whether this be by working on cross course collaborations, working as a group within my course or by reaching out to industry guest lecturers and others within the industry.

Overall, I am incredibly appreciative of Hanina for taking time out of her incredibly busy schedule to answer the questions which I posed. Conversing with her has provided me with newfound motivation and drive which I can use to shape my creative learning experience at university in order to better myself, refine my skills and put myself out there.

Bibliography

Pinnick Hanina (2024) 'Pinnick Hanina- Who Am I?' Available at: https://www.haninastudio.com/about (Accessed 19.02.24)