Drenched in cool greens and laced with grunge elements, Tallulah Ballard‘s photography pulsates with the energy of “hard femme” — a concept that extends beyond aesthetic allure. “I like my work to like to make people feel sexy,” she reveals, “I like the girls that are expressive, that look different, and have this kind of edge to them. I like my models to be very expressive.”
From humble beginnings in secondary school classrooms to the competitive creative industry, the photographer’s relationship with her camera has evolved, always rooted in an unrelenting passion for narratives and perspectives. The allure of film photography, with its demands for precision and discipline, further refined her skills and her outlook.
Studying fashion promotion broadened TFX’s creative canvas, amalgamating elements of marketing, creative direction, and styling into her photography-centric repertoire. The deep sense of connection and satisfaction she experienced during a university magazine project became a pivotal, defining moment. “It was during a magazine task in university that it clicked for me: this is what I wanted to do. I’ve never felt so much certainty. I knew then that I was 100% sure about it,” she candidly recalls.
Unraveling TFX’s aesthetic is like deciphering a captivating enigma. It is a sublime medley of cool green tones, stark contrasts, and grunge undertones, harmoniously fused with a distinct, hard femme energy. “I want the models I work with to exude that energy, to not just be pretty girls but to have an edge that complements the tones in my work,” she elucidates.
In TFX’s creative journey, her camera is not just a tool — it’s a storyteller weaving intricate tales of passion, aesthetics, and raw human energy. Get an insider’s perspective into her process and masterpieces in the conversation below.
1. Star Behavior
This year has certainly been a challenging journey in my photography career. I’ve been working full time and honestly, I haven’t had the energy or the time to put into it. This shoot was one of the second ones of the year that truly made me feel like I’m heading in the right direction. I’ve actually struggled with finding my style.
In film, I adore the grunge and I love the gradients that I can achieve when I’m doing film. I feel like I’ve got it down. However, this was shot on digital. How the colors and lighting bounce off each other to work with the strong energy she provides really helped bring these images together. Heavily inspired by Jack Bridgeland — experimenting with highlights and shadows to create depth in my models features is what has helped me find the style that I truly want to continue throughout the rest of my career.
It’s a strange thing to admit, but for the past three years that I’ve been doing photography, I genuinely don’t feel like I’ve had a specific style. When I captured that image, it was like a confirmation. I was very happy with it. I was also incredibly happy not only because it felt like something had clicked and I was like, “Yeah, that’s the style I want, that’s the route I want to go down,” but also because I was able to give my friends, the model and the brand owner Joelle, some of the best images they have had.
Tanatswa is the model in this photo. I have this thing as a photographer; I don’t know if it’s just a photographer’s trait or just a personal thing, but the models I use heavily influence my work. If I’m not obsessed with you, then I can’t work with you. I was obsessed with Tanatswa. If I was her model agent, I’d make sure she’s known globally. Every single image snapped perfectly. That’s why we created some of my best work. She just knows how to work with me, like, I know how to shoot her, and she knows how to work with my camera.
2. Liberty Love On Film
This image, “Liberty Love on Film,” is a favorite of mine. I did an entire shoot with her but only posted one picture because it was precisely what I wanted out of the shoot. We had two outfits, a friend styled it, and it was a quick shoot. She’s young, but she’s really good at modeling.
While doing her shoot, I had a clear vision of how I wanted it to be. When I received the film and did everything in post, it came out exactly as I had envisioned it. That’s why I love that image. I wanted to experiment with shooting outdoors, in a forest-like setting, which was something I’d typically avoid in the past. I’d usually steer clear of grass, green, and anything nature-related. However, this image, with its film grain, green and blue hues, dark tones and framing, seemed to solidify my love for film.
I was really proud that I managed to maintain that style, especially since I’d been struggling with it. The images I’m picking as my favorites have that consistency of style. There are many images on my Instagram, my work, that I would happily delete because they don’t reflect what I want to do. That’s why I love that image. It’s a standout image, one of my favorites.
3. BLINGBLING CEO
I did a shoot on Saturday, and I’m really glad we’re talking about this today. I’ve been talking for a while with this amazing makeup artist I worked with. She felt like she couldn’t express what she wants to do in makeup.
I said to her, maybe three weeks ago, “Do you want to do a shoot?” But it’s all for her. She can do whatever she wants with the makeup style, the style that suits her. I put together a little board for her, but, creatively it’s all up to her. The board was more for the shots I was trying to get. We had a hard time getting models, but we got there in the end. We got the studio like under 24 hours before, and I was like, “Okay, let’s do this.”
The framing of this image is definitely one of the reasons why its one of my favorites. I’ve recently gotten into framing in landscape. It’s interesting for me, I never thought I would frame landscape. There’s a lot of power in this shoot, through the colors and the expression shown in the model and the makeup. Noemie Adebiyi did her damn thing.
4. TIT4TATS
This image and the series of images in this shoot scream hard femme, they scream sexy, power, love, confidence, mischievous and fun. When people look at my work, I want them to feel the strength and the sexiness that exudes from it. Again, that was something I was so proud of.
To be able to give someone something that was just really, really good. Like, so much better than they were expecting. For that one, it was just so hard, so firm, so sexy. I want to show off all my models they’re all so beautiful.
5. Oré Ajala
The harsh overexposed flash, heavy shadows and rough texture really brought the mood of this image together, it’s very different to my usual work but creating this with Oré, the model, really was a starting point of defining my work.
Oré is a model of mine that I’m just obsessed with. Her face, it’s not a typical face and that’s so much better. If you go to my Instagram, there’s a black and white image, third row down, that’s her. And she’s also in the photo next to it. With Oré, she just fascinates me. I’ve always told her, “I’m so obsessed with the way you look” When shooting her I want to always make sure I shoot her in the best way possible, so I can show off her beauty.
So, I like working with models that are not traditionally beautiful according to societal standards. You know, society tends to favor certain looks. That bias is still there unfortunately, but all the models I shoot are just stunning. I think they’re so beautiful, even more so than any traditional beauty standards I’ve seen. They’re just extraordinary.
