I’ve always been on this path
I have always been involved in the visual arts. I painted during my younger years and later attended college at The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where I studied film and photography. Then I transferred to NYU film school where I received my BFA.
After college, I stayed in NYC and worked for an advertising agency in the tv production department. A decade later, I decided to go back to school to get a degree in graphic design as I wanted to do more hands-on work. I was very happy as a graphic designer for over 20 years but always kept an interest in photography. My dream was to be published in big-name media like Vogue.
Enabled by Instagram
When Instagram became popular in 2011, I started using a photography app called Hipstamatic and was constantly shooting and sharing imagery. During that time my work was shown in various galleries in Miami, Charleston, and San Diego.
Eventually, I decided I wanted to make a shift from only using iPhone apps so I purchased a DSLR camera. I met other local photographers and in 2016 became a member of a shared studio. Currently, I have my own studio in Athens, GA outside of Atlanta. My clientele is private people, fashion companies, and style magazines, namely a local magazine called Southern Distinction where I shoot food photography and stylized weddings on location.
Primarily, I am a portrait photographer. I love people and their individuality. I love playing light and how it falls on the faces and bodies of the people that I photograph. Rembrandt and Holbein, the true masters of light, are my biggest inspiration. I love looking at photographs and I have been inspired by the emotion that they invoke to create my own work. That’s exactly how those two photos picked by Vogue were created.
How I got to Vogue Italia
What inspired me is a photographer-friend of mine who submitted to the Vogue Italia photoblog. I wanted to try, too! It actually took a few submissions before I had some work accepted. I was extremely excited about it!
Vogue is an internationally respected magazine brand that brings beauty and art to the masses through their media. They have seasoned artist-curators culling the submissions. I was honored to have my work chosen for this blog!
Window to the World
For the first photo, I worked with one of my regular models. We traveled to an abandoned church in Gary, Indiana with permission to shoot in any designated safe areas. It was autumn so the leaves were already in their earthy tone colors. The model decided to sit in a window and it was a striking image!
Waiting
The second photo was taken in the arts community that used to be an old factory in Atlanta. I worked with another model. There was a chair outside on the property and she laid on her back the way you couldn’t see her face. It’s quite an emotional image, a little shocking even.
It’s about magic and synchronicity
For me, this kind of work takes a collaborative effort of both a model and photographer working together in synchronicity. I do give directions to my models but there are also times when the unexpected happens. I believe that there was an element of that magic in both images. If I can hold a person’s attention with my work and they come back to it again and again I have succeeded.
Wbsite: wendygarfinkelphotography.com
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