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Published March 27, 2024

Maidens Magazine features photography by all female cast

Local photographer Nicole Feest created the website to showcase film photography by female artists.
Photographer Nicole Feest, owner of Maiden Magazine, poses for a portrait in her Minneapolis studio on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016.
Image by Meagan Lynch
Photographer Nicole Feest, owner of Maiden Magazine, poses for a portrait in her Minneapolis studio on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016.

When scouring the Interweb for photoshoot inspiration, Nicole Feest found herself returning to the same websites over and over again.

The Twin Cities photographer, who has a predilection for film aesthetics, decided to create her own online platform — called Maidens Magazine — to showcase the analog work of female photographers and models.

“I’ve always come back to loving how film looks. I was searching for something that was pretty female-strong, and I couldn’t find it,” she said.

Feest has contributed work to Maidens Magazine but is ultimately interested in taking a behind-the-scenes approach to curating the website.

“I will obviously continue to photograph, but I really wanted to inspire other women to pick up a film camera,” she said. “Any time I see someone that looks interesting, or I love what they’re doing, I’ll reach out to them. I’d like to see more of the content coming from all over, which is happening and which is great.”

On Nov. 28, Maidens Magazine hosted its first event — an exhibition at Norseman Distillery that raised money for MN Girls Are Not for Sale, an organization that aims to end trafficking in Minnesota.

Madalyn Rowell, whose work was showcased at the event, helps cultivate Maidens Magazine’s social media presence.

“I reached out to [Feest] a couple months ago just because I’m a fan of her work and what she does with Maidens,” Rowell said.

Even though Maidens Magazine focuses on film work, digital media is necessary to extend the platform’s reach.

“I post on Instagram every day … [We’re] just trying to reach people on a bigger scale. We want them to see it and submit to [the magazine],” Rowell said.

As a young photographer, Rowell sees the importance of a platform open to the submission of new work — especially for women.

“I feel that with photography — and I come from the commercial area — that it’s very much a boy’s game. If you google ‘commercial photographers in the Twin Cities,’ you’ll have to search for a while to find a female photographer,” Rowell said. “I think it’s important for women to have a place to feel safe to share their work.”

Feest sees Maidens Magazine as a stepping stone for young photographers.

“I think that a lot of websites that are out there now are exclusive. A lot of the time it comes down to how many followers they have,” Feest said.

“I don’t want that to be the case. I see [Maidens Magazine] hopefully growing … and inspiring other females to pick up a camera.”

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