This week, we’re joining forces with renowned photographer, Stephen Vanasco, once again for a collaboration paying homage to the Los Angeles hometown heroes. A longtime contributor to the The Hundreds blog, Vanasco has collaborated with the brand before with his photography at the forefront of the collaboration but this time around it’s a little different.

“The Hundreds produce quality clothing and this is beyond a simple silkscreen of my photo. To see it applied in such a way to the button-up was amazing. When collaborating with people it’s all a trust factor and David [Rivera] and The Hundreds definitely delivered.” – Vanasco

Looking ahead to our collaboration with Stephen, we asked him a couple of questions about his creative process, his thoughts on the collaboration, and the steps he took to become as multidisciplinary in his field as he is.

Celebrate the start of a new season with our collaborative piece, the “Views Jersey”. Releases on The Hundreds App and Online Shop this Wednesday at 9 PM PST. See it in person at The Hundreds Los Angeles Flagship Store on Thursday at 12 PM PST.

You’re an experienced photographer that has photographed people, buildings, and many more focal points. Creatively, what are some things you had to learn in order to become as versatile as you are?

I would say the biggest part of the process in what I do has not been letting myself get boxed in. I love photography for all that it can let someone see. And I never wanted to get bored doing one type of photography over and over. I follow what is inspiring me. One day it can be aerial work, one day it can be people and the other flowers.

When shooting at a high altitude, what are some things you have to consider or that you have to do differently in contrast to shooting on the ground?

Photographing from a helicopter… you just have to consider what you are doing up there… what do you want to show people what you see. Being 1,500 feet up over a city like L.A. it is very easy to get lost in the view. Sometimes your initial reaction is you want to shoot wide to let everyone see as well. But just understanding your camera and using a certain focal length to translate exactly what your eyes are taking in. On the ground, it can be a similar approach as well. I love the idea of what I show someone in a photograph is my visual interpretation no matter the subject

How does it feel to have another collaboration in the works with The Hundreds? What is something you’d like to customer to know about what went into the process to get the photograph that’s on the button-up? 

It feels really good to be doing another collaboration with The Hundreds. I think it has been maybe 10 years or so since my last one with them. When approached about this project I was for it. David spoke to me about what he had in mind and I was with it. I know The Hundreds produce quality clothing and this is beyond a simple silkscreen of my photo. To see it applied in such a way to the button-up was amazing. When collaborating with people it’s all a trust factor and David and The Hundreds definitely delivered.

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to your 21-year-old self?

The advice I would give my 21-year-old self with what I know now…. Would be that a lot of the things you are going to experience really don’t matter. The moments where you stress the most will have the least impact on you. Find what you do that makes you the most happy… follow that till the end. Love your family and friends and you will be o.k.

Shot by @bydrewdevine