Petra Collins: Canadian Photographer Known for Dreamlike and Feminine Aesthetic

Petra Collins is a Canadian photographer, model, and actress born in 1992 who gained prominence during the 2010s for her distinctive visual style. Her work is characterized by a dreamlike and deeply feminine aesthetic, primarily captured using 35mm film. Collins frequently portrays adolescents and young women in her photographs, employing soft, diffused lighting, pastel color palettes, and intimate, ethereal atmospheres. A central focus of her visual exploration is the human body, which she presents as vulnerable and authentic, deliberately diverging from conventional beauty standards to convey a unique expressive power. Born in Toronto, Canada, she attended the Rosedale Heights School of the Arts and later studied at the Ontario College of Art and Design. Her professional collaborations include advertising campaigns for the fashion brand Gucci and directing music videos for artists such as Selena Gomez, Cardi B, and Carly Rae Jepsen. Collins currently lives and works between Canada and the United States.