Founded in 2013 by Ciesay and Soulz, Places + Faces has been documenting culture up-close across the globe for over a decade. Riding a moment in culture that turned out to be one of the most influential, Ciesay and Soulz found themselves rubbing shoulders with industry gamechangers, charming their way into events across London and New York. Armed with a polaroid camera, the likes of A$AP Ferg, Travis Scott, Rhianna, A$AP Rocky, Virgil Abloh and Stormzy ended up becoming the pair’s subjects, and now friends.

Twelve years later, Ciesay and Soulz’s photography has turned into a Places + Faces anthology, published by London’s IDEA Ltd. Offering a glimpse into the lives of musicians, designers, and creative icons, here the duo tell us the stories behind some of their most iconic images.

Virgil
“This was taken backstage at a Louis Vuitton show. I was shooting Virgil when we spotted Lucien Clarke sleeping backstage, so Virgil posed next to him.” – Ciesay

Rocky & Riri 
“This was the first time we shot Rihanna, we met her backstage at Yams Day and she was pretty cool and we did an impromptu shoot with her and Rocky.” – Ciesay

RZA 
“We got invited to RZA’s afterparty for his band Banks & Steelz show in London back in 2016. Growing up I’ve always been very influenced and inspired by the legendary group Wu-Tang Clan, so it was an honour to meet the RZA.” – Soulz

Hideo Kojima 
“This was taken in Tokyo where we got to collab with our favourite game designer and have him wear the collection.” – Ciesay

Lil Wayne
“This was during SXSW. We’re long-time Lil Wayne fans and this was the first time getting to see him perform live. The photo was taken just before he hit the stage, he stopped for a second and threw up a peace sign.” – Soulz

Jamaica
“This was taken in Port Antonio, Jamaica, these bike riders would do crazy stunts and one of the bikes caught on fire.” – Ciesay

Rocky crowd surfing 
“This was taken during our set at WOO HAH! festival, Rocky pulled up to our set, jumped from the booth and crowd-surfed.” – Ciesay

Nigeria 
“Took this photo in my hometown Ibadan, Nigeria. This was a bike post I was just passing by and they saw me with my camera and just started to pose for me.” – Soulz

Lil Yachty and Frank Ocean
“This was actually Lil Yachty’s first show in London, we didn’t know what to expect honestly – halfway through the show, Frank Ocean made a surprise appearance. Even Lil Yachty was surprised. It was the first time they met and we got to capture that moment.”

Seoul 
“We took this photo during one of our shoots in Seoul, just exploring the city. We came across this shop with the writing on it and it spoke to us.” – Soulz

Published by IDEA Books, PLACES + FACES is available to shop here.