Je Suis Yuliya Naganova
The only instrument I use for creating my unusual emotional photographs is my smartphone
Where were you born?
I was born in sunny Tashkent and spent 15 years of my life there. Cold, windy and absolutely gorgeous Saint-Petersburg became my second home city for the next 12 years. In 2011 I moved to London and fell in love with this city! But sometimes life's plans are not like ours and I had to leave UK after 4 years and moved to USA in 2015
Where do you live now?
California
In one sentence what is unique about your work?
The only instrument I use for creating my unusual emotional photographs is my smartphone
Why do you do what you do?
There should be people who bring beauty in our world. I'm one of them:) Fine Art Photography for me is an amazing method of self-expression and sharing the rich world of emotions with the viewers.
What inspires you?
Flowers, beautiful lines and textures. Besides of that, I find inspiration in women’s portraits, soft and cozy daylight, interesting shapes, shades and pleasing music.
Describe your personal style?
Unusual, elegant, emotional, evoking thoughts, inspiring, touching
Your ultimate must-have.
My smartphone
What superpower would you have and why?
To be able to take pictures with my eyes:)
What is next for you?
To continue to follow my passion
Je Suis Andrew S. Klug
Get to know photographer Andrew Klug.
"What distinguishes me is my sensitivity to diverse cultural backgrounds, and speaking 4 languages"
Occupation: Producer // Fashion Photography.
Project management in the production of commercial photography/stills campaigns, specialized in fashion photography >> art buying + locations + casting + budgeting + planning + crew + equipment + permits + travel + logistics. On set // on location >> scheduling + coordination + management of crews and other resources.
Based in New York, work with a small boutique called Shake Productions. We work mostly for a handful of regular clients, which include Macy’s, Banana Republic, Cole Haan, Clarins, among others. We operate as local production in NY + LA + Miami + the Bahamas and Caribbean. We also travel extensively for some of our clients — this past year we have brought Macy’s to Mexico City, Morocco, Aspen, among other amazing trips.
Instagram: @andrewklug
Where were you born?
Grew up in Calgary, Canada. Speak 4 languages English, French, Portuguese, Spanish. Have lived in Montreal, New York, Los Angeles, and now back to New York. Career path has been unusual. Formerly a corporate lawyer, MBA from an Ivy League university, did a few months of investment banking on Wall Street worked on one of the largest takeover deals in history (Budweiser). Have owned an art gallery in NY specialized in Brazilian photographs. Have been involved in startup projects including my last one, a project to stream curated narratives of visual imagery to Smart TV (like Spotify for visual imagery). While working on projects got involved in stills/print production (fashion photography), since the past year and a half moved back from LA to NY to devote myself full time to being a Producer.
In one sentence what is unique about your work?
Other producers may offer expertise and execution, which I strive to deliver as well. What distinguishes me is my sensitivity to diverse cultural backgrounds, and speaking 4 languages.
Why do you do what you do?
Being a producer allows me to use my left brain (analytical) in support of the creative projects of others, while giving me the freedom to pursue my own creative projects in my own time.
What inspires you?
Being in nature, particularly the West. I love the dry climate and sparse landscape of the American West (USA + Canada). In between jobs I often escape to my lake house in the Canadian Rockies (in British Columbia). While based in New York City (in Gowanus, Brooklyn), I do get away as much as possible to be in nature.
Describe your personal style.
Maybe it has to do with my background from the world of corporate law and banking, but I can’t but adhere to the highest standards of rigor, attention to detail, and structured processes. That being said, I don’t take myself too seriously and like to have fun in all situations, even stressful ones. There is always room for a good sense of humor. Life is too short!
Your ultimate must-have.
I am not materialist, and really there is nothing I could want that I don’t already have. Subscribe to minimalism, not only as an aesthetic, but also as a frame of mind. I keep my physical possessions to a minimum.
This extends to my own visual arts practice.
I produce work that is information/digital in essence, made from processes that include painting, drawing, and photography. But the work itself remains digital, immaterial, and hence perfect, not subject to defects and decay as in the case of physical objects.
For that matter, some of the contemporary art that interests me the most tends to be conceptual, non-object-oriented, and involving the participation of the receiver (relational aesthetics).
Artists who have most influenced me include Donald Judd, Sol Lewitt, John Baldessari, Lawrence Weiner.
Realize I’m getting pretty far off the interview here, but following is an artistic project of mine.
The very point of Like Art is to confront the question of whether this constitutes, like, art... or not? The Facebook page that conveys Like Art contains no posted images or status updates, other than its creation event and the following statement of purpose: "The sole purpose of this Facebook page is to convey an artwork consisting of the set of users that 'like' it."
Deceptively simplistic, this almost 'non-page' belies its true complexity in terms of the artistic issues being explored. The boundary of what constitutes art first moved from the representational towards abstraction, then towards conceptual art defined by artistic intent as opposed to the hand of the artist, and finally from having a pure author towards involving the receiver with relational aesthetics. Like Art constitutes a limit case of this progression: the artwork consists merely of a collective expression of intent, in the form of 'likes' to a Facebook page, where those 'likes' serve no purpose at all other than to create the artwork in question. Like Art is therefore a non-object-based, conceptual artwork whose process of creation is a) perpetual and b) involves the participation of its receivers, drawing upon notions of relational aesthetics and actor-network theory. Furthermore, Like Art probes the new modes of social media interaction that have literally transformed society in very recent times but, for the most part, have not yet been profoundly reflected in art.
Like Art was inspired by the following artists and their work: John Baldessari (particularly I Am Making Art, 1971; I Will Not Make Any More Boring Art, 1971; A Painting That Is Its Own Documentation, 1968; and Pure Beauty, 1968); Tino Sehgal (particularly This Is Good, 2001 and This objective of that object, 2004); and Lawrence Weiner (particularly Declaration of Intent, 1968).
What superpower would you have and why?
The ability to fly. Because what an amazing visual trip it would be, to fly over everything. The closest I have come to experiencing that is being at the top of a mountain.
What is next for you?
The last few years of my life were all about what was next for me. Now I have found myself in place that makes a lot of sense, career-wise and in regards to quality of life. I devote my energy to delivering the highest level of service to my clients, and my own artistic projects in my free time. Wash, rinse, repeat. Finally, after a long road of searching, I am fully satisfied in the here and now. That’s what’s next for me!
Je Suis Michael O'Neal
My history with art direction and design have greatly influenced my photographic style.
Occupation: Photographer & Creative Director Instagram: @moneal Where were you born? Staten Island, New York. Where do you live today? I currently live in San Francisco with my wonderful and photogenic Australian Shepherd, Preston instagram: @prestopups. There's definitely something about this city with it's dramatic natural beauty within reach. In one sentence what is unique about your work? I think my history with art direction and design have greatly influenced my photographic style.
Why do you do what you do? I feel that I have to. Also to hopefully show people some beauty and challenge them to get out and explore.
What inspires you? Natural and timeless beauty of the American west, wildlife, music, narrative, design.
Describe your personal style. As you can see in my picture, I stick to classic denim, five panel hats and Nikes!
Your ultimate must-have. My Canon EOS-1D X! It's heavy but you never know what you'll need to capture.
What superpower would you have and why? Time travel, there's just no other option.
What is next for you? I'm expanding MO Studio and building my team. It's pretty exciting and scary at the same time. I'm not thinking too much about long-term future, just trying to book clients and have some time for creativity along the way.
Je Suis Wolf189
My work is drenched by truth and committed to the moments.
Occupation: Photographer/Creative director/Branding Specialist/Operations Analyst Instagram: @wolf189 Website: www.wolf189.net Where were you born? We as family are mostly Russian however we have lived all around the world and have found a new home in the USA in recent years. In one sentence what is unique about your work? It is drenched by truth and committed to the moments. Why do you do what you do? As a visual artist and enthusiast I have explored various mediums for expressing myself, and photography and videography have been one of the closest forms to the reality surrounding us What inspires you? Good cinema, music, art, raindrops, animals and love. Describe your personal style. It is fluid, honest, minimally altered, immediate, yet well composed and well exposed. Your ultimate must-have. Water What superpower would you have and why? Being alive What is next for you? Tomorrow
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