alex prager

I first fell in love with Alex Prager's work in 2009 when I came across "Kimberly" (the first image) as the featured shot to promote Photo L.A. Fixated on her retro-Americana vibe that somehow felt timeless, I immediately bought tickets to see the rest of her work and have followed the self-taught artists since.

The LA native who takes cues from fashion photography and the cinematic conventions of movie directors such as David Lynch and Alfred Hitchcock is a force to be reckoned with. The 33 year old has put out two books ('The Book of Disquiet, The Seven Deadly Sins' in 2005 and 'Polyester' in 2007), debuted her first film entitled 'Despair' (2010) starring actress Bryce Dallas Howard, has been featured in many exhibitions including 'New Photography 2010' at the Museum of Modern Art and the cherry on top - she's done killer spreads for W Mag, worked on Bottega Veneta's "The Art of Collaboration" AND shot the 1960s-inspired Missoni for Target campaign (no big deal!!!).

Can you say girl crush?

Her next stop is a three city exhibition that hits gallery walls in New York, London and LA next month in a new solo show called "Compulsion" which includes an array of photos that reflect her interest in the emotion expressed solely through a person's eyes. Pretty dreamy.

For more on her upcoming exhibition pop over to M+B.

Photos: But Does It Float, Trendland & Cool Hunting