For the past two years, students in Ringling College of Art and Design instructor Anju Kulkarni’s fashion photography class have collaborated with local designers, retailers, models and make-up artists to produce images that stretch both their talent and traditional concepts of fashion photography. Their semester of study culminates in a runway show that draws crowds to campus and celebrates their accomplishment. “What excites me is the different approaches they take,” says Kulkarni, who herself worked for years in fashion and food photography. We took a look at their photographs and agreed. From ultra-modern and edgy to unabashedly romantic, their images reflect the fresh vision and talent of these developing artists. Here are a few examples of their work.

Animal-lover Morgan Klooster asked the make-up artist to create the zebra look on her model’s face, left. For Nicole Tinneny’s shoot, lights from outside were rendered out of focus and superimposed behind the model. In a digital era, Krislin Kreis chose to shoot actual film, which she double exposed so her two images could interact with each other.

Jay Van Dam used a “distressed” look for his setting, which was at the old Sarasota High building.

His approach differs from traditional fashion images, obscuring rather than highlighting the identity of the model.

Heather Ruppel wanted a girly outfit but a minimal black-and-white palette. Above, Cara Calhoon chose a puppet-like pose for her model, adding a heightened sense of tension with lighting and the wildly teased hairstyle. Opposite, Ciera Fedock blended leather clothing with gritty, street-style imagery and then added a desaturated color band.