Meet Kayla Varley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Varley.

Kayla, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in 1991 in a small town called Bakersfield, CA and became obsessed with photography and image-making from a very young age. You could find disposable cameras in my backpack at all times and I took photos of myself and my friends constantly. At 13, I was given a tiny camera on Christmas and began to take photos all the time, self-portraits, pictures of all my girlfriends and images of nature. I decided I only wanted to be an artist and photographer when I got older. I remember I researched the career of a photographer for my Economy class in high school during my last year. I guess for me there was no other option, it was the only thing I wanted to pursue. I then moved to Pasadena in 2010 and went to Art Center College of Design. Gradually after staying at school for a few terms, I moved closer to LA and around the age of 20, I started getting hired by small surf and skate brands in California. Eventually, with time and experience and a lot of ups and downs – I started working in New York, Los Angeles, London and worldwide. Today I live in Del Rey on the west side of Los Angeles with my puppies and my husband and am represented in the US & Europe by Print & Contact and in the UK by AMP Agency London.

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?
No, it was never a smooth road. It has definitely been challenging and frustrating at times but it is also so much fun to be able to do what I do. I always struggled with taking care of myself when I left home at 18. I remember getting furiously sick a bunch of times and not really listening to my body because I was pushing myself too hard. It’s important to rest and recuperate. I also remember not getting taken seriously at a young age. In general, I had a hard time navigating living in a large city like Los Angeles at such a young age and struggled making ends meet. I began working as a nanny, tried acting, anything to help me afford to live in LA so that I could continue to pursue photography as a career.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I offer my photographic and directing skills and talent to bring brands to life and to help brands tell their story visually. I specialize in Fashion, Lifestyle, Beauty and Advertising photography.

My work explores the intimacy and connection with another human and touches on emotions through color, expression and kinetic movement. My work is about finding the joy in the unexpected and the magic that happens when you connect with another person. There is a playfulness that is woven through my work, and I believe I have an eye for unique and diverse beauty. I am able to gain the trust of my subjects quickly and with ease.

Some of my past clients include Levi’s, Ipsy, eBay Fashion, Josie Maran Cosmetics, Nuuly, Vanity Fair, Lively, and GHD Hair.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I remember a shoot in 2019 for Ipsy with the most creative, most fun crew to shoot with – by the end of the week, it felt like we were all family. That is what I love about being on set and working as a photographer – it feels like you create these close-knit families for each production and I love that intimacy and that feeling of having a solid, super creative crew to collaborate with! That is the best feeling. And when you look at the work after it’s all completed and it’s just absolutely stunning and you’re just so proud of the hard work and energy that all of these people bring to the table, it really is like magic.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kaylavarley.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @kaylavarley

Image Credit:
Kayla Varley

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