Skip to Content Skip to menu
The Front

Motel California: Tafv Sampson’s Visual Journal

Intimate renderings from the Los Angeles based photographer

By Tafv Sampson

“Up until this point I had only shot documentary style, this was my first try at a photo shoot using a model and a created environment.” – Tafv Sampson

Caption

“I had a character in mind who I wanted to explore, so we moved out all the furniture in our apartment and set up different ‘“rooms” as if it were a motel room.” – Tafv Sampson

Caption

“The concept and set design was roughly based off of a book called ‘All About Love.’” – Tafv Sampson

Caption

“The concept and set design was roughly based off of a book called ‘All About Love.’” – Tafv Sampson

Caption

“Golden light in the rain while driving to Marfa, Texas. Need I say more? This was the second year of our annual road trip.” – Tafv Sampson

Caption

“I’m still new to the idea of having a team of people collaborating on a shoot, but for this project, we had an amazing makeup artist who truly made the shot by suggesting we paint the pubic hair. Nouel Riel is holding ‘Vetements’ shoes.” – Tafv Sampson

Caption

“Year one of our road trip, driving to Yellowstone.” – Tafv Sampson

Caption

“These siblings were at Standing Rock, despite the tough reasons for us being there, they were just kids playing and dancing; it was such a refreshing moment.” – Tafv Sampson

Caption

“This is from the series I shot in my living room called ‘Girls in My House.’” – Tafv Sampson

Caption

“’Girls in My House’ started as a photo exercise for me but quickly became a much bigger series than I had ever planned. I met a lot of amazing women through this project.” – Tafv Sampson

Caption

“Liv Harlan from the series ‘Girls in My House.’” – Tafv Sampson

Caption

“Lola McDonnell from the series ‘Girls in My House.’” – Tafv Sampson

Caption

“Lola McDonnell from the series ‘Girls in My House.’” – Tafv Sampson

Caption

“This is my best friend Nouel, she looked at this photo and said it’s the most powerful she’s ever felt.” – Tafv Sampson

Caption

“Nouel Riel, she’s like my sister, I have been shooting her since I was 19. This was a collaborative project with our other best friend Robin Hilleary who is starting a floral company, we decided to do a Polaroid series.” – Tafv Sampson

Caption

“Nouel Riel wearing Balenciaga styled by Taylor McNeill and makeup by Christine Cherbonnier.” – Tafv Sampson

Caption

“Part of the floral Polaroid series.” – Tafv Sampson

Caption

“This is Remy Bennett, the co-director of ‘Under Her Skin,’ one of the most amazing women I’ve met and an amazing subject to shoot.” – Tafv Sampson         

Caption

“This is Robin Hilleary, my best friend since High School, I’ve been shooting her since we were teens. Her ease in front of the camera and our comfort with each other makes taking her photo effortless. In this image she is sitting in my bathtub and pulling one of my hairs off of her knee.” – Tafv Sampson

Caption
Just looked at:

Motel California: Tafv Sampson’s Visual Journal

By Tafv Sampson

Under Her Skin: Tafv Sampson

By Kelsey and Rémy Bennett

15 mins

The Girls Who Fell To Earth

By Staff

9 mins

The Girl Who Loves Roses

By Kelsey and Rémy Bennett

6 mins

Previous Next 0 of 21
  • Series Info
  • Thumbnails
Menu
Studio Index Search
Share this Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email
Studio Index Search
Share Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email

The FRONT presents:

Motel California: Tafv Sampson’s Visual Journal

By: Tafv Sampson

Tafv Sampson is a photographer and set designer profiled in Episode 02 of Under Her Skin directed by The Bennett Sisters. Sampson’s work captures the in-between spaces of the American landscape, from motel rooms to lost highways transforming the mundane to exquisite scenes infused with intimacy.

  • Gallery item 1
  • Gallery item 2
  • Gallery item 3
  • Gallery item 4
  • Gallery item 5
  • Gallery item 6
  • Gallery item 7
  • Gallery item 8
  • Gallery item 9
  • Gallery item 10
  • Gallery item 11
  • Gallery item 12
  • Gallery item 13
  • Gallery item 14
  • Gallery item 15
  • Gallery item 16
  • Gallery item 17
  • Gallery item 18
  • Gallery item 19
  • Gallery item 20
  • Gallery item 21

Watch

  • May 13, 20183 mins

    The Front Presents: Kim’s Kitchen

    By Yaara Sumeruk and Carrie McCrossen
  • January 26, 20189 mins

    Under Her Skin: Linda Friedman Schmidt

    By Kelsey and Rémy Bennett
  • December 18, 20174 mins

    Under Her Skin: Hein Koh

    By Kelsey and Rémy Bennett
  • December 7, 20176 mins

    Working Women: The Urban Pastor

  • December 6, 20175 mins

    The FRONT Presents Under Her Skin: Parker Day

    By Kelsey and Rémy Bennett
  • December 5, 201760 secs

    The FRONT Presents Under Her Skin: Series Trailer

    By Kelsey and Rémy Bennett
  • October 31, 201715 mins

    Under Her Skin: Tafv Sampson

    By Kelsey and Rémy Bennett
  • October 27, 20174 mins

    Working Women: The Marionette Puppeteer

  • September 1, 20172 mins

    Working Women: The First-Class Game Operator

  • August 29, 20174 mins 50 secs

    Ok, Call Me Back

    By Emily Ann Hoffman
  • June 7, 201720 mins

    Fill Your Heart With French Fries

    By Tamar Glezerman
  • May 14, 20175 mins

    Not Where I Intended To Go

    By Sebastian Mlynarski
  • March 28, 20176 mins

    The Girl Who Loves Roses

    By Kelsey and Rémy Bennett
  • March 20, 20173 mins

    Art Control: Wesley Allsbrook

  • February 22, 201754 secs

    HERE: Standing Rock Trailer

  • February 14, 201744 secs

    Fetish: Chrysophilia

  • February 7, 201733 secs

    Fetish: Oculolinctus

  • December 6, 20166 mins

    Darling Days: In conversation with iO Tillett Wright

  • October 11, 20162 mins

    FRONT FAVES: Pussykrew

  • June 21, 201610 mins

    New Deep South: Kayla

  • April 11, 201611 mins

    Off Hollywood: Christy Marx

    By Jennifer Juniper Stratford
  • April 10, 201611 mins

    We Are Not Alone

    By Jodi Wille
  • November 4, 201512 mins

    New Deep South: Instababy

    By Rosie Haber + Lauren Cioffi
  • November 3, 20152 mins

    New Deep South: Season Trailer

Scroll down

Read

  • September 28, 2018

    BIG NEWS + NEW SITE COMING SOON!

  • September 5, 2018

    Cosmic Vibes: The Last Days of Summer

    By Lisa Stardust
  • August 9, 201818 mins

    Cosmic Vibes: The New Moon

    By Lisa Stardust
  • July 3, 201822 mins

    Cosmic Vibes: Riding the Wave of Change

    By Lisa Stardust
  • June 26, 201816 mins

    Mars in Retrograde

    By Danny Larkin
  • June 2, 201819 mins

    Cosmic Vibes: Here Comes the Sun

    By Lisa Stardust
  • May 15, 20189 mins

    Uranus in Taurus

    By Danny Larkin
  • May 1, 201819 mins

    Cosmic Vibes: May The Force Be With You

    By Lisa Stardust
  • April 2, 201818 mins

    Cosmic Vibes: April Showers Bring May Flowers

    By Lisa Stardust
  • March 1, 201810 mins

    Cosmic Vibes: Welcome to Spring!

    By Lisa Stardust & Ammo O’Day 

  • February 14, 2018

    Ch-Ch-Changes: The Aquarius Solar Eclipse

    By Lisa Stardust & Kaitlin Sansoucie
  • January 23, 201818 mins

    THE AESTHETICS OF FEMALE RESISTANCE

    By Shannan Herskovits
  • December 22, 20171 min

    A Midwinter’s Night Dream: 2017 Winter Solstice 

    By Lisa Stardust 

  • November 9, 201723 mins

    Wine and Crime: Stories From the First CrimeCon Convention

    By Kelsey and Rémy Bennett
  • October 13, 20177 mins

    The Witching Hour: Ten Spellbinding Films

    By Kristen J. Sollée
  • October 2, 20176 mins

    Holy Hell: Jex Blackmore’s Satanic Feminism

    By Kristen J. Sollée
  • September 14, 20178 mins

    Inside Kristen Liu-Wong’s Neon Inferno

  • August 30, 20172 mins

    Hang-Ups

    By Emily Ann Hoffman
  • July 10, 201720 mins

    Off Hollywood: Riding Suzanne Ciani’s Electric Wave

    By Jennifer Juniper Stratford
  • June 9, 2017

    AN ODE TO SEXTING

  • June 8, 20176 mins

    Breaking Up In A Fast Food Joint With Director Tamar Glezerman

    By Staff
  • May 16, 20178 mins

    Watching The Lies Unravel with Director Erin Lee Carr

    By Sophie Weiner
  • May 14, 201710 mins

    Life is a Dirty Subway Ride and other musings

    By Staff
  • May 12, 201711 mins

    Venus in Leather

    By Staff
  • April 5, 201710 mins

    Ry Russo-Young Gets Intimate on Female Ambition

    By Laura Feinstein
  • April 3, 20179 mins

    The Girls Who Fell To Earth

    By Staff
  • March 16, 20177 mins

    A Curious Final Act for Agnes Varda, Queen of Auteur Cinema

    By Laura Feinstein
  • March 14, 2017

    The Girl In The Machine

  • March 1, 2017

    Inside the Dirty, Beautiful World of Heather Benjamin

  • December 12, 20163 mins

    Off Hollywood: Reno Nevada

    By Jennifer Juniper Stratford
  • December 5, 201623 mins

    Off Hollywood: A Buckaroo Banzai Special Bulletin!

    By Jennifer Juniper Stratford
  • October 11, 201616 mins

    PUSSYKREW: Dreams of Becoming Cyborgs

  • September 23, 201610 mins

    AGI HAINES: Re-Designing The Human Race

  • August 23, 20161 hr 2 mins

    Songs for Space Travelers

    By Jodi Wille, director of "We Are Not Alone" and "The Source Family"
  • August 23, 20165 mins

    What is a Psychodrama?

    By The Unarius Academy of Science
  • November 4, 201510 mins

    Wes Craven: One Last Scream

    By Jennifer Juniper Stratford
Scroll down

Look

  • January 9, 201821 photos

    Motel California: Tafv Sampson’s Visual Journal

    By Tafv Sampson
  • December 20, 201711 photos

    A World of Her Own: Artist Hein Koh

    By Hein Koh
  • December 15, 201717 photos

    Unnatural Beauty: The Characters of Parker Day

    By Parker Day
  • October 31, 20175 photos

    What Is A Witch

    By Pam Grossman and Tin Can Forest
  • October 24, 201710 photos

    Literary Witches: A Celebration Of Magical Women Writers

  • July 31, 201710 photos

    Queer Story

    By Parker Day
  • January 25, 201731 photos

    Troublemakers, Unite!

  • October 10, 201616 photos

    FRONT FAVES: Alison Brady

    By Alison Brady
  • July 12, 201613 photos

    FRONT FAVES: Anja Niemi

    By Anja Niemi
Scroll down
TF_SNAPCHAT_BLACK