Collection: Champagne Problems: Amy Taylor

The series entitled Champagne Problems is a visual dialogue between two kindred spirits—renowned celebrity photographer Jamie Nelson and musician Amy Taylor of Amyl and the Sniffers—both fiercely embodying defiance, glamour, and authenticity. Shot within Nelson’s iconic vintage pink palace in Los Angeles, the series stages a collision between high fashion and punk grit—between a glamorous California dreamscape and the raw energy of underground rebellion.

Nelson is celebrated not only for her artistic achievements but also for her persona as an influencer and muse. She is a living embodiment of art imitating life and life imitating art. With her signature ’70s blonde flip, bold vintage style, and roots in the punk scene, Nelson has cultivated a distinctive identity. Her rags-to-riches story of resilience and creativity contrasts with her humble beginnings, now crystallized in the legend of her pink palace.

Similarly, Amy Taylor, front-woman of the Australian punk band Amyl and the Sniffers, is known for her eclectic style and iconic blonde locks—the two women often mistaken as each others doppelgängers. Celebrated for her raw energy, debauchery, and defiant stage presence, Amy's ferocious performances and politically charged lyrics have made her a voice of fearless resistance. 

Nelson turns the lens on Taylor, who stands in stark contrast to Nelson’s glamorous Hollywood Regency decor. Together, they dissolve boundaries: champagne becomes spit, couture becomes armor, and gesture becomes manifesto.

At its core, the work explores what it means to ascend while refusing to conform . It captures the paradox of fame—the intoxicating allure of visibility and the corrosive pressures that accompany it—through the body and presence of an artist unwilling to be subdued. Taylor’s rebellion does not dim under Nelson’s saturated hues; instead, it expands, amplified by a setting as flamboyant and uncommon as the women themselves.

Champagne Problems is less a portrait than an eruption: an exploration of authenticity, resilience, and the uncompromising act of living one’s truth in full volume and vivid color.