Connect
To Top

Meet Josh Separzadeh of Josh Sep in Santa Monica

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Separzadeh.

Josh, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I found my love for photography after the frustration of being a reclusive artist.

In college, as most students, I felt I had a lot to say, but having to paint or sculpt something after I had already reached the focus of the piece felt like the loneliest time of finishing a project. I’m a people person and the student opening galleries wasn’t enough. I wanted to add the human element back into my process, so I switched to film and photography for my creative outlet, I noticed trying to find models, locations, or actors was part of the process I really enjoyed. Just meeting someone new that both parties are encouraged to fast-forward a connection and open up in emotional ways that only expected from a longer experience together made my creativity blossom. This soon became my favorite part of the art form and realized it’s a huge part in my career now in portraiture.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like many roads untravelled, it has not been smooth, although I don’t think I realized it while I was in the thick of it. My hunger to finish an idea in my head dwarfed any hardships that I was facing at the time and It gave me an edge that I think a lot of the people that took a chance on hiring me could see. When I started out of college, I wanted a space without sunlight that I could shoot in with my available lights.

So without much startup cash, I trespassed into a basement studio that used to be owned by the music group, The Pharcyde. It was six rooms with windows into each room and was soundproof. It was really sketchy bringing people into there, but I worked closely with my friend Sofiya who would be there to help. I think just having her there played a huge part in how comfortable the subjects were, it taught me a lot.

I got away with trespassing for a year or so, mainly because the building was so enormous (18 floors), the security team knew me from the previous owner of the building and the door leading to this studio looks almost like a water heater room, very easily overlooked. The security team had a key and as long as they could use the place and I kept it clean they were willing to look the other way when I came in to shoot. Anyway, eventually we got caught, arrested and forgiven, it could have ended much worse, but I learned that most people are rooting for one another. Once the owner found that I was just a young hustler he decided not to press charges. It was a very interesting arrangement we had and the experience imprinted in my brain that anything is possible and I have kept that mentality throughout all of my jobs.

Josh Sep LLC – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I fell into television and theatrical marketing photography, which the industry calls Key Art. This was a business I didn’t even know existed and never even thought about how they make movie posters. It made a lot of sense for my aesthetic because it allowed a creativity that is different compared to a lot of other photography genres. I am proud of the work I have done in the time I was able to get it done.

Sometimes when you get a big talent or multiple big talent and you aren’t a world-renown photographer, you get 10 minutes, and most of the time that means 5 minutes, and the talent doesn’t even know they are walking into a photoshoot. I think what’s different about my company and something we are known for is being able to get that quality expected at a longer shoot in a shorter time frame. We work to be as efficient and streamlined as possible for our projects. Don’t get me wrong though, I would love to spend a day driving around in a Van with Lady Gaga coming up with ideas, taking my time and shooting on the fly, but most of my bigger jobs it feels like we are the ace in the hole if schedules are tight. Sometimes my team and I think that the hardest part is done before the talent even gets there.

A recent job, we had two talent and three setups and were expected to wrap in 3 hours. We planned everything out with a structure everyone understood, everything and everyone fell in line and we wrapped in 2 hours. We were meticulous. The client grabbed me after wrap told me that he didn’t think that was going to be possible to finish in even 6 hours and the 3 hour time limit was to keep us close to it. That felt good knowing that he got what he needed and he saw the structure in place.

There’s only so much you can learn about the reliability of a photographer from their website, and you never know what was happening behind the scenes. I think that is a major aspect of what sets me apart.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
That’s a really tough question. I would say one of my proudest shoots is with Sonita Alizadeh. I go to Sundance every year for fun and because I love movies. One of the movies that was getting a ton of buzz was a movie called Sonita about an Afghani female rapper that was being sold into marriage. She was so talented that she ended up getting a Scholarship at Wasatch Academy in Utah and she escaped her marriage. They mentioned they had just finished editing the film that week and Sonita literally flew in a few days earlier.

The movie really moved me as I have parents that came to America during the Iranian revolution and they fled for America. I reached out to her on Facebook and since the movie hadn’t come out yet she wasn’t oversaturated with offers or interest. She wrote back and I went with my art director Deema Alansari.

We flew to Utah, all paying out of our own pocket, and met with Sonita’s teachers. After a lunch they just gave her to us and said how excited she was. Our trip was magical, it felt like everything we did was important. Sonita was so gracious and happy. Our hearts were full every day. I often think about that shoot and hope one day I can replicate something similar in my future.

Contact Info:

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in