The Metalhead Magazine

Dec 2025

Split, a compelling editorial project for The Metalhead Magazine, masterfully channels the raw energy of urban youth culture through a series of evocative, high-contrast black-and-white portraits. Captured with an authentic documentary sensibility, the work leans heavily into the stark geometry of modernist architectural backdrops, utilizing the clean lines of concrete plazas and brutalist facades to frame the human form. Through the collaborative lens of photographer Igor Vavilov and the keen sartorial eye of fashion editor and stylist Daniil Kudryavtsev, the project presents a series of studies on form, posture, and texture. The imagery, frequently shot on 35mm film, utilizes natural light to create soft lens flares and moody chiaroscuro effects that heighten the project's cinematic quality. Rather than relying on traditional fashion tropes, the styling emphasizes utilitarian layers, distressed denim, and patterned textiles, grounding the aesthetic in a tactile, street-ready reality. The subjects are positioned in dynamic, occasionally surreal poses that break from convention, emphasizing the interplay between the individual and their physical environment. By prioritizing a grainy, analogue texture, Split offers a deliberate departure from polished digital perfection, favoring a gritty, minimalist aesthetic that feels both immediate and timeless. The result is a cohesive visual narrative that effectively bridges the gap between high-fashion editorial and raw, observational street portraiture.

Editorial, Vertical

Natural light