Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabella Margolis.
Hi Isabella, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a photographer based in Los Angeles, CA and this is the story of how I got into photography/music. It’s quite difficult for me to pinpoint exactly how and when my journey started. As cheesy as it sounds, I feel like I’ve been doing it my entire life in one way or another. Growing up, I always had this insatiable fascination with music and art. It was my safe space away from chaos and the childhood adversities I faced at a really young age. I was constantly listening to music, trying to find the next best artist or sound of the moment as a way to recreate my reality. It’s funny to think about it now, knowing that what I listened to at the time still goes strong to this day and I really didn’t know anything about music at 13 years old. However, it wasn’t until I added cameras into the mix that things started making a lot more sense to me. I was exposed to photography at a really young age thanks to my dad, but it wasn’t until 2016, when I got one of my own, that I realized the full extent of my love for the craft. I was 14 at the time and I had started out by just messing around with my camera to learn its different features. I would do silly photoshoots with my friends, take it on any trip I went on, no matter how far or exciting it was. I started making videos at the time too, anything from fun edits to travel montages and concert recaps.
Shortly after, I started doing various portraits and family photos to make some extra cash here and there. As I got older and entered college in 2020, as well as a pandemic, I sadly took a break from my photography due to things outside of my control. I had to shift my focus to school and my mental health but the thing that always kept me going was my music. I poured my time into learning about different artists, their music videos, basically anything I could. It remained as my safe space during a whole new time of pure chaos and uncertainty, one nobody had experienced before. Fast forward to last year. I started getting more comfortable again with my camera. I am currently in film school, so at that time, I started making my short films and scenes again (post lockdown). Then, on March 31st, 2022, I got to photograph my first live show since 2018. I photographed Inhaler Dublin alongside Junior Mesa. It was at the show that everything finally clicked for me. Although I’ve always known that I had this insane love and passion for music and photography, it wasn’t until that night that it finally got through to me and I saw both of my passions merge together in this weird harmonious mix of awesomeness.
At that show, I met one of my now closest friends who introduced me to her magazine, Underground Magazine. I started photographing shows for the zine and as I got more into live shows, I started working for another magazine, Buzzkill. I dedicated as much time as I could to going to shows and interviewing different up-and-coming artists about their new music. This all brings us to today! I continue to photograph for both magazines as well as do freelance work of my own. I’ve had the pleasure of photographing some of the coolest bands and artists around, such as Inhaler Dublin, Fontaines D.C, Tahj Keeton, Johan Lenox, Curtis Waters, Harry Teardrop, Greek, the Regrettes, Liily, Mccalll and many more! I’ve begun to work on more cover art as well as content creation for other artists. I am planning to photograph Primavera LA in a couple of weeks which is a huge step for me. It’s been such a wild ride. Throughout this time, I have not only been a student but I have also worked two jobs on top of that in order to support myself out here in LA. However, at the end of the day, I can’t complain too much. I love what I do and I can’t wait to keep learning more about the music industry and how I can continue to blend both my love for music and photography.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. I’ve faced a lot of adversity throughout my journey. I grew up in the suburbs of Minnesota so it hasn’t been easy trying to find my way into the industry, especially with its history of nepotism and who do know. Growing up there wasn’t a lot of resources for film and photography and I got made fun of for being so into it which was always hard to deal with as a young kid. Another challenge has been financial difficulties. I don’t come from an excess of money or even a lot of money, so being able to fund the dream has always been hard. I’ve been using the same camera since 2016 and as much as I would love to upgrade and get new lenses, I sadly can’t afford to make those upgrades. I’ve had to prioritize finding ways to pay my tuition and my rent as well as the basics such as food and water. That tends to limit me at times since I can’t always put my time into what I want to do, but I’ve been making the best out of what I am lucky enough to have already. I am hoping to be able to upgrade someday and not worry about student loans and debt. Outside of that, I feel like the most obvious/recent struggle is COVID. A lot of things changed for me at the time. I was going to film school while being at home, work was hard to find while being locked inside the house, and it was also just really isolating. Not only that but it really messed with my mental health and pushed me back a ton.
As someone who already struggles with mental health, COVID had a really large impact on me. I have faced a lot of struggles post-pandemic as well. With inflation alongside the other chaos of the world, I’ve had to work three jobs to support myself and now that school is back in session, I am struggling with balancing the need to work with the need to get a degree. Outside of all of that though, the only struggle thus far is being taken seriously as a photographer. I am a young 2o years old woman so many individuals don’t see me as an equal in the profession. There have been many a time where male photographers in the photo pit will make side comments like “which member of the band are you sleeping with to be here” and other misogynistic comments. It’s really discouraging to hear as someone who is there for the same purpose as everyone else in the pit, we all just want to create something. I’ve learned to just brush it off but sometimes it’s hard to bounce back from things like that.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I currently do multiple creative things. My main gig at the moment is my concert photography. That is definitely my specialty, I really love being able to capture not only the moment of action during the show but also capture the emotion of the performance and the audience. Although I have my own style that comes through in each image, I really try to focus on the artist and that specific show. I want to capture the essence of the artist and what makes their music different from others. I think through doing that, my photos have a more authentic feeling to them. Outside of that, I am starting to get into cover art for artists and other photos for their campaigns. Some of that also looks like video work, I work with artists to get content that they can continuously use to push out upcoming singles and things of that nature. Additionally, I now work in A&R for a production company based in LA. I absolutely love finding new talent and finding a way to get them the resources and push to really put out their music and make an impact in the industry. Finally, I am in film school so I have a lot of experience on set and with editing. I grew up as a vine editor and that passion never really went away. I think that all of these things come together to make a nice package of art. It gives me such a unique perspective on the industry having worked on both sides, production as well as management! I like to think of it like those kitchen sink cookies that have a bit of everything but are still really tasty.
How do you think about happiness?
That is such an interesting question to me. Happiness me for me comes in a few different forms. First off, concerts make me really happy. I remember crying after photographing Fontaines in LA because it was just such a beautiful show with a beautiful crowd of people. Simply seeing that sense of community and seeing everyone connect because of a singular artist makes my heart feel really full and happy. Family and friends make me happy. I’ve begun to grow such an incredible community of artists and creatives out here. Everyone is so supportive and there is nothing like hanging out and creating with people who understand your love for music while also watching everyone grow in their own way. I finally feel like I fit in somewhere and that is such a different type of feeling for me. Most recently I’ve been swimming at sunset with my roommates. I’ve been doing it for a while now and I still can’t figure out exactly how to explain why it makes me so happy. It provides me with a sense of nostalgia in a weird way. I grew up in Minnesota so I didn’t grow up swimming in the ocean but I think it might just be because it’s a symbol of how far I’ve come. I finally made it to LA. I didn’t give up and I chased my dreams all the way to the beach! So for now, those are some the biggest things that make me happy. Overall, I honestly just love creating. As long as I have a chance to do that I’m a happy camper 🙂
Pricing:
- Photo Rate – $300
- Photo and Video – $350
Contact Info:
- Website: https://isabellalorenphoto.myportfolio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bella.margolis/?hl=en
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/isabellalorenphoto/?hl=en
