Camera Monster Tees at the Nolita Market
We usually think of the camera as an apparatus used to capture beautiful and significant images. Sometimes, however, someone comes along with a slightly different point of view. Bryan Close is the owner of We Are Camera Monsters, “a photo-centric line of apparel.” He sees the camera itself as an object of beauty and art.
Camera Monster Rollei Tee (photo courtesy of Camera Monsters)
It’s funny to think of a professional photographer who takes artful photographs of cameras. But when you see the image on Camera Monster t-shirts at the Nolita Outdoor Market, it makes perfect sense.
When I was an exchange student in Belgium, my host father Louis showed me how to use his old Rollei twin lens reflex camera. It was the coolest thing in the world to look down towards your feet and see the image in front of you. I captured some stunningly beautiful and colorful slide images of my time in Belgium, and I loved that camera. So I have a particular fondness for Bryan’s Rollei tee. I also love the hands holding the Rollei, with loads of character that tells as much of the story as the camera.
Helvetica is the font of New York City
Bryan says that a lot of people ask him for t-shirts featuring their favorite camera brands – Cannon, Nikon, Olympus and others. He may in fact have one of those cameras in the image, but the point isn’t the camera brand. Rather, Bryan’s photographs show the camera as a piece of art, or a beautiful design in and of itself. If the image features your camera of choice, then bonus for you!
Bryan also has a t-shirt that is near and dear to my heart. When we were designing my guidebook, Markets of New York City, my editor, our designer and I had a wonderful time figuring out which font to use throughout the book. We all ended up watching the awesome documentary, Helvetica, and we decided there was no other choice for a guidebook about design and creativity in New York. Bryan’s This Is My Helvetica Shirt is funny and clever, and in a way, it is also a tribute to the font that appears throughout the NY subway and well beyond.
Check out all of the wonderful designs from We are Camera Monsters every Friday – Sunday at the Nolita Outdoor Market on Prince Street between Mulberry and Mott.
~Karen Seiger, Markets of New York City
Camera Monsters’ Bryan Close (Photo courtesy of Camera Monsters and the Nolita Market)
Camera Monsters Tee (Photo courtesy of Camera Monster)
Cool Lens Aperture Hoodie by Camera Monster (Photo courtesy of Camera Monsters)
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