Epicine: Queer Artists Collaborate to Highlight Androgyny

Nicole Daniels: Photographer

Some photographers only seek to document or to eke out a living going from assignment to assignment. Others work more in the role of artist, conceptualizing and cultivating original shoots. Denver local Nicole Daniels, who considers herself an illustrative photographer, falls into the latter category.

Originally slated for a career as a counselor, Nicole Daniels fell into a career as a photographer. While in school to become a counselor, she started taking photos on the side to earn some extra cash, and realized she had the potential to create a career for herself. She now has her own studio, where she takes on work at a reasonable price for members of her community.

Her latest shoot, which she and photo subject and makeup artist Zade Montford thought up together, seeks to highlight the beauty of androgyny and how beauty can operate outside of a gender paradigm.

“I called it ‘Epicene,’” she explained. “I think it’s a prettier word than androgyny, which is kind of a bland word that means in the middle, and I wanted to use a beautiful word that highlights the concept of being in between. Androgynous people are their own, and beautiful, and exciting, and worth getting to know and being part of society. I wanted to reflect that.”

The shoot took place at her home, and Daniels and Montford spent the day trying new poses, playing with props, and even befriending a small bird that came and joined them during the shoot. The result is a stunning series of poses that highlights queer beauty and the space between male and female.

Zade Montford: Makeup and Modeling

While Montford may look the part of a model, he is actually a career makeup artist. Ever since he stole his mom’s credit card in high school and went on a Sephora shopping spree, he was sold on makeup as a life choice. Bored of his advanced art class, he started experimenting with colors and shades and never looked back.

Although he possesses the natural drama of a model, Montford normally prefers to be behind the scenes, making up faces and conceptualizing. Although he appreciates modeling, it isn’t something he would try to do full time.

“If I were able to participate in the model world I would be turned down because I’m short,” he said. “When you think models, you think really tall women with long legs and very thin bodies, or men who are buff and masculine, but I feel like there is a whole other world behind it: there are skinny people; there are bigger people, and I like to highlight these contrasts with my makeup.

Although he identifies as male, Montford embraces his androgyny and loves that he can play with gender and look femme one day and more masculine the next. He was intrigued by the concept behind Daniel’s shoot because he wanted to do makeup and express beauty in a way that didn’t necessarily focus on one gender aesthetic or the other.

“I get a lot of funny looks for wearing makeup, especially working in a department store. A lot of men will walk by me and try and figure out if I’m man or woman. Just do you; if you know you’re a good person, do whatever you want that makes you happy. If you want to wear high heels and makeup, do it.”

You can catch Montford doing drag, being the man behind the makeup for shoots and special events, or working his day job as a manager with Lancome.

Epicine 

The shoot took place at her home, and Daniels and Montford spent the day trying new poses, playing with props, and even befriending a small bird that came and joined them during the shoot. The result is a stunning series of poses that highlights queer beauty and the space between male and female.