The Creative Power Couple: Kristi and Scot Redman

By: Clare Grady

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Kristi and Scot Redman are the epitome of the creative power couple. They have done it all: captured the backstage action and energy at fashion week, completed shoots for Vogue and W, and documented street style South by Southwest for the New York Times. Now they are branching into film, and have just completed their first commercial for Cheetos. You would think that having these top publishers on their résumé that they would be native to New York.

Two Dallas locals, and SMU alumni, making it big as fashion photographers. Living here, they have their own edge.

Kristi and Scot Redman are the epitome of the creative power couple. They have done it all: captured the backstage action and energy at fashion week, completed shoots for Vogue and W, and documented street style South by Southwest for the New York Times. Now they are branching into film, and have just completed their first commercial for Cheetos. You would think that having these top publishers on their résumé that they would be native to New York.

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“Nobody even knows we’re from Dallas,” said Scot. “We don’t tell anyone we’re from here. Everyone just assumes we’re from New York.”

On top of all that, the couple have recently created a one-of-a kind camera apparatus called the Motus, which consists of nine cameras and is reinventing how fashion photojournalists document street style.

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I had the opportunity to sit down with Kristi and Scott to discuss their time at SMU, their careers, their accomplishments, and why they love being fashion photographers and photojournalists.

SMU LOOK: How did you get your start?

Scot Redman: We both started out in film school, and we both met at SMU. We went on a vacation in St. Croix, and there we took about 20,000 photos with a nerdy little Elf camera. When we got back, we realized that photography is what we love to do. Then, Kristi said why don’t we start a blog about SMU fashion. We called it “Hilltop Glossy” and all of a sudden it really got popular. Eventually, D Magazine approached us to run their fashion blog. Then, one day we decided one day to pick up and go to fashion week. We got into a couple shows. Now, we’ve done well over 1,000 shows, and we’ve worked for W, Vogue, New York Times…

SL: What’s it like working with big name publishers like Condé Nast and the New York Times?

SR: It’s really exciting.

Kristi Redman: The best thing about it is being able to have Vogue and Teen Vogue on your resume. They have really small budgets and they expect a lot. The pay isn’t so great, but it’s always an adventure. With Vogue, everything is very calculated.

SR: With W, we did a shoot and we were told to make it “messier,” which was cool because we could really go crazy, and do what we wanted.

SL: What has Dallas offered to you as fashion photographers?

KR: We have considered moving to New York, but the money and opportunity is in Dallas. When you move to New York you’re getting in line, but when you’re in Dallas you stand out. We get editors from W and New York Times asking us to do things like South by Southwest, and then all of a sudden we have relationships with these editors.

SR: There is a void of talent in smaller cities. If you stick around, your talent is far more noticable. We’ve gotten a lot of opportunities just simply by living here.

SL: Tell me about your newest project, the Motus, and how has it been received?

SR: The camera is a nine-camera system, all in one unit. Kristi came up with the idea in our kitchen. We took it to fashion week and it totally blew up.

KR: The camera has given us the means to do whatever we want. We can go and do fashion journalism at an event in the middle of the summer. We have been trying to get in with Getty Images, and all of a sudden, the UK Getty Images is in contact with us and they are super interested in talking to us. Also, LVMH has been in contact with us and they want to use one at their store in London.

SL: What are some challenges to being a fashion photographer?

SR: One moment you are making it, and the other you don’t get an assignment for like a month.

The biggest challenge is you have to stay relevant. You have to be able to do it all. Teen Vogue asked us to do something we had never done before, and we had to be able to wing it.

SL: Do you have any advice breaking into fashion photography and fashion photojournalism?

KR: Be careful who you are sharing your exciting ideas with because everyone is competing with you and they want to succeed, too.

SR: Be tenacious. You have to grind harder than anything. You also have to remember that this is a business, and that magazines are designed to make money. As an artist, you have to understand that. It’s OK to push the boundaries, but you have to realize that this is a business game.

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