Video: Portrait of the Artist in Maturity: Fashion Photography of Sequoia Ziff
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Nowadays, when every second is a proud owner of, if not "Nikon DSLRs", then at least Instagram, it becomes difficult to say what it really means to be a photographer. Perhaps, first of all, a professional from an amateur is distinguished by complete dedication and thorough knowledge of his craft. From this point of view, photographer Sequoia Ziff from Los Angeles is a true professional in his field.
Sequoia is a staff photographer for Della's clothing and accessories line. Her work has been featured in many popular print and electronic media, including the Italian Vogue. The sincere, intimate portraits collected in Ziff's portfolio capture something very personal to each model and lend admiration to legends of contemporary photography such as Annie Leibovitz and Helmut Newton.
Especially for the readers of "Culturology" we publish an excerpt from an interview with Sequoia Ziff for the electronic edition Wine and Bowties (interviewer - Becky Akinyode).
Who gave you your first camera?
My grandmother gave me my first professional camera when I was 13. But, in fact, it was not a turning point in my life, because I have been obsessed with photography for as long as I can remember. I was an obnoxious child, making the whole family reluctant to pose for photographs. I constantly took my mom's camera and took pictures of everyone I could.
Did any of the photographers serve as role models for you?
Of course. I am still constantly inspired by new works. But when I was 12 years old, I happened to meet Annie Leibovitz at an autograph session. As a child, she was my favorite photographer. When I met her, I was so excited that I burst into tears. It was very embarrassing …
What are you shooting now?
Anything that comes into your hands. This is usually a Canon 5D, but as my favorite saying goes, "The best camera is the one in your hand."
Many of your works have a rather sensual nature, a bit like Helmut Newton's fashion photography. Is this something that is characteristic of you personally?
Yes, probably. People often ask me where all this nudity and cigarettes come from. I would not say that this is deliberate sensuality. Rather, the fact is that I like the nude genre for its ability to exist beyond generations. It cannot be tied to any particular period, and it gives people the opportunity to interpret, and allows you to focus on the emotional component of the frame.
You have a lot of black and white works. What attracts you so much to this technique compared to color photography?
On request, for many brands I work with, I also do color photographs. Sometimes people wonder how different my commercial work is from what I shoot for myself. I don’t know what I love so much about black and white photography. Maybe this is due to the fact that I started working with film, shooting and developing black and white photographs myself, and really imbued with this aesthetics. She is timeless.
Unlike Sequoia Ziff, famous rock musician Brian Adams took up photography relatively late, but his work shows that with due diligence, a hobby may well develop into a new vocation.
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