Deep Nostaligia and Old World Art Serve Stephanie Stamatis in Work and Life

Chances are you’ve seen Stephanie Stamatis’s work without even knowing it. Playing into her tongue-in-cheek Instagram handle—@stephanie_somebody—she’s developed a ubiquitous influence on modern image making. Her work is at once contrived yet effortless; staged but still peppered with spontaneity.

Stephanie’s creative process is grounded in deep nostalgia and classic art. She’s drawn to more mundane things than you might think. “I can sit in one spot all day and just watch. I’m not someone who needs to be constantly moving. I can keep myself mentally busy for hours”.

Stephanie recently collaborated with Armani Beauty to bring our Si Red Musk and Si EDP campaign to life. We sat down for a conversation with Stephanie, unpacking exactly what goes into the creative process and sets her work apart.

Can you tell us a little bit about how you established your signature style when it comes to art direction and styling …

I’m very classically driven. I’ve always been drawn to works by the Dutch Masters and I’ve learned how to put things together that feel timeless. I don’t do anything that’s terribly contemporary and I try to steer away from trends as much as I can. I want to create work that can live anywhere, almost in a vacuum.

What are your biggest sources of inspiration?

I’m deeply inspired by nostalgia, particularly from my life and my family’s past lives. Often the work I create feels like it could have existed somewhere before … I think that’s why it resonates with so many people.

I especially love looking at old photos. My grandfather used to run a reception hall in Melbourne where Macedonian immigrants would host dinners and dances. I’ve always had these references of incredible, kind of gaudy ’70s and ’80s weddings and events where people are sitting at tables with white tablecloths and piles of plates, different drinks and all these glasses. Sometimes it’s finger food and birthday cake in the images. There’s always a celebration.

Films—almost anything by Wes Anderson—and photography or art books, as well as travel are other places I turn to when I’m looking for references.

How does being from Melbourne impact your work?

People often assume I’m from literally anywhere else except Australia. I feel like that’s the biggest compliment when people can’t quite pick where you’re from through your work. And I like to seem untethered to any particular place and time.

I work very globally. Sometimes that involves travelling. But when I’m in Melbourne, I have a wonderful assistant and so many connections for sourcing props and produce and putting together a team.

You’re mostly self-trained. How have you navigated developing your craft?

There’s been so much trial and error over the years. I’ve developed the ability to see things from the photographer's perspective, as well as my own. And I've always pushed myself to be the author of the whole thing. I love being able to have discussions about lighting and angles and what makes those decisions impactful on the final photo.

What’s your process when a brief comes in?

I love when a brand gives me total control and I get to drive the brief from the beginning to end. When I get the chance to steer a project in any direction, I sort of do a reverse brief with the client and try to get into their brain a bit.

I’ll start by doing a deep dive for imagery that speaks to me. I usually look forward or backwards … I try not to look sideways as that can be distracting. Irving Penn is almost always on the moodboard. The way he looked at single objects and could tell a story in a frame with everything so beautifully composed in the center. It’s a really classic reference point.

Once the direction is approved, I form a team and get organised with logistics, booking a studio and model if needed. There’s always a lot of sourcing that goes on behind the scenes but my assistant is a legend and will hunt down all the things on the list.

You’re mostly self-trained. How have you navigated developing your craft?

There’s been so much trial and error over the years. I’ve developed the ability to see things from the photographer's perspective, as well as my own. And I've always pushed myself to be the author of the whole thing. I love being able to have discussions about lighting and angles and what makes those decisions impactful on the final photo.

What are your go-to places for sourcing?

Honestly, online. Etsy is still incredible. The amount of vintage things I find on there everyday … I’m collecting things all the time, even if I don’t have a specific project in mind.

We also have some really great warehouses full of antiques in Melbourne. There’s one in Waverley that I like to go to. And Ma House in Collingwood. Ben has such incredible taste and does a lot of digging to find amazing pieces.

How did you approach the brief for the Si Red Musk and Si EDP campaign?

I wanted to work out how you would actually live with the product. If it was really part of your life, would it be at the bottom of your bag or beside your bed. I went with the idea of a bit of busyness and clutter, looking at how the perfume bottles layer into daily scenes for different people.

For me, the most beautiful part of a perfume bottle is watching light coming through the glass and seeing the colour of the liquid. That was also important to capture in the images … how light plays with the product.

Scent is incredibly emotive. How do you bring that quality to life through content?

I try to connect exaggerated moments—like how a strawberry drips because it’s so juicy and ripe. The audience knows exactly what it smells like. For this shoot, I wanted to let the viewer in on the mess, to let them be part of it, as if they were there themselves.

Is there anything in particular that helps separate work and home life?

I like being close to home. I’ve had a studio in the past and that was really cool. But recently I’ve found more of a blend of working from our apartment and then being on set for clients. If I’m doing a “desk day”, I’m generally at my dining room table. I like to clear everything away and set up my laptop and workspace—I always light a candle or burn incense to bring me into the mindset of work.

The dream is to have a home space with a studio or garage attached to it and a storage solution that’s really well catalogued.

You’re mostly self-trained. How have you navigated developing your craft?

There’s been so much trial and error over the years. I’ve developed the ability to see things from the photographer's perspective, as well as my own. And I've always pushed myself to be the author of the whole thing. I love being able to have discussions about lighting and angles and what makes those decisions impactful on the final photo.

What do you do to unwind and recalibrate after a big project or a busy week?

I try to make time for a little bit of self care. Especially when the job has been quite physically demanding. Having my nails done always makes me feel polished. But I also love to book a facial.

A real luxury is getting some one-on-one time with my husband. If we overlap on a morning off, we’ll go out for a really good coffee and sit somewhere nice—like outside at Napier Quarter. It helps my brain to find space.

I also love going out for a meal where hospitality is such a focus. It doesn’t happen very often now with a three year old. But somewhere like France-Soir for steak frites is a huge treat for me.