Parker Fitzgerald is a fashion and music photographer from Portland, Oregon who spends most of his time trekking to the last green reaches of the earth to photograph his languid, beautiful subjects. With a traffic jam of projects on the horizon, we pinned down the nascent talent to pick through his impressive portfolio.

You live in Portland. Is a lot of your work shot there?

A large portion of my work is shot in Portland, but I also do travel extensively. Last year, I shot in LA, Vancouver, Seattle, New York, Austin, San Francisco, and Washington DC, to name a few.

Your photos are mainly shot in a natural environment. Why do you enjoy shooting in this kind of environment – as opposed to urban ones?

I like shooting to have some peace and quiet and think about what I want to do for awhile, and where there’s some privacy. This has always meant driving out into the wild for a bit; the urge to get away from the city has stuck with me. There is just something very appealing about muted, natural colors against a beautiful woman. I constantly have before me a pursuit of beauty, and it has always struck me that these two things go together very easily.

Tell me about some of the bands you’ve shot.

My favourite band to shoot, and the one I’ve shot most often, are Greylag. A few other notable musicians I’ve photographed are Laura Gibson, Anya Marina, and the Civil Wars. I really do love shooting for musicians; they tend to have most open mind when it comes to what kind of photos they want.

You really love Japan. Do you want to shoot there more?

I have a deep and abiding love for Japan and the Japanese. It all started when I was five and realised that Nintendo was a Japanese company. I almost exclusively use Japanese-made cameras and lenses. The last time I visited, I hadn’t yet really taken up photography. I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to travel around Japan for a few months with a set of cameras.

What do you find so fascinating about the place?

Everything. I love their language, their culture, their work ethic, their history, their toys, video games, cameras and manga. I also love Pokemon. A lot.

We know you’re a fan of Polaroid, but which other forms of photography do you like to experiment with?

I shoot a lot of 35mm and medium format – I haven’t had the patience to get into the larger formats just yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I found myself owning a 4×5″ camera at some point this year. I don’t do any of my own developing, and I haven’t quite gotten the itch for anything like wet plates just yet.

What are you currently working on?

I do! I have a look book, two personal shoots, a music video, a magazine editorial, and three band promo shoots to do before the end of next month. Things are going to be a little hectic.

Words: Katie Wilkinson