Today we’d like to introduce you to Emilia Kashfian.
Hi Emilia, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Thank you so much. I’m thrilled for the opportunity to share that with you. I’m a fine art photographer, living in Los Angeles since the age of 4. My passion for photography began from the very first time I picked up a camera as a young girl.
It all began with a 110-point-and-shoot, a birthday gift I had received at age 11. It was on a family road trip that summer when the fascination of capturing an instant began, where I was moved in such a way by what I was seeing and feeling.
In college, I took a class or two, learning to shoot with film. That somehow turned me into the designated family photographer/videographer of my household. My dad’s influence had something to do with that. Shooting landscapes and macro photography, however, was what I connected to back then. Documenting family gatherings didn’t appeal to me much, and it was what ultimately led me to lose interest in photography altogether for many years. That, and the untimely death of my father.
Looking back, I realize now how grateful I am to him for his push in taking photographs and videos those years ago, not only for the treasure of bittersweet memories he’s left for us but also for the profound meaning this medium continues to hold in my life.
While grieving his loss and not knowing what direction I wanted to take after graduating from UCLA, I took on a temporary position in management, which then turned into a permanent one for over 14 years. But whether or not I knew it then, my heart was always in the arts. I freelanced as a part-time floral designer and then as a makeup artist for a few years after that, wanting to re-establish myself as a creative. I also decided to take a few extension courses in photography at university. Studying the works of masters like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Richard Avedon, and Julius Schulman really impacted me and, in effect, re-ignited my love and passion for this art form.
It was when I was getting my training in digital photography that smartphone photography had just taken off. Funny enough, I was pretty reluctant then to be taken seriously, shooting with a smartphone. It somehow felt unprofessional to me. Fast forward to 2016, I decided to create a website, opened an Instagram account, and began posting and tagging my work. A little late to the game, but who knew where it would lead me in such a short period of time, shooting with an iPhone?
I was selected as a featured artist on Apple’s Shot On iPhone campaign five times. My work has since been recognized internationally, receiving the highest honors and countless accolades at the most prestigious photography competitions. I have also exhibited in a number of galleries and shows, including the LA Art Show, Foley Gallery (New York City), FotoNostrum and Valle World Hall (Barcelona), Espace Beaurepaire (Paris), and PH21 Gallery (Budapest). My work has been featured in Vogue Italia, Paris Match, GQ Italia, Feature Shoot, as well as other publications.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Figuring out my career path and how that happened somewhat later in life certainly felt like a struggle. And at the beginning of 2020, I had planned my first solo exhibition. When the pandemic hit, I reluctantly had to cancel the show. That, too, felt like a setback, but what transpired during the lockdown truly propelled my career in ways I’d never expected.
During such an uncertain time, I questioned how I’d be able to stay consistent as an artist. That’s when I began submitting my work for photography competitions. Considering at the time, when I wasn’t certain whether I had what it takes for my work to be reviewed by juries comprised of some of the most respected head curators and creative directors in the art world, the recognition I received was beyond anything I could have ever imagined. It opened the door to some truly wonderful opportunities, including my first gallery show. In retrospect, everything was playing out just as it was supposed to. It goes without saying that every individual has a different trajectory, and most of the time, it’s anything but smooth. I do believe that every hurdle along the way prepared me for what I was truly meant for.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
To everything in life, there is infinitely more than what first meets the eye. That is the premise of my work. Most of the time, we see things in a utilitarian way. Be it a tree, a puddle of water, or a random street scene, we only register the minimum information needed in order to process it and move on. However, my eyes tend to find in that very same scene or object more than what first appears, beyond what my mind has been trained to recognize it as.
I shoot what moves me. Cartier-Bresson called it the decisive moment. It’s using the camera as an instrument to convey your perspective. Some days, that instrument for me may be a paintbrush depicting the abstract or a magnifier reflecting the minutiae of an object in nature. My eyes are constantly framing images. It has become a habit I can’t seem to break and a gift I never want to lose.
In my photographs, my vision comes into frame at the very moment when my eyes, my heart, and my soul converge on one plane in perfect harmony. It is within this precise synchronicity where I hope to not only engage, connect, and provoke emotion but to evoke a sense of consciousness that goes beyond the mere one-dimensional perception. To not only reconnect us to the vastness of beauty all around us, but to the oneness within us.
The focus of my work is mainly on fine art photography with an abstract and/or minimalistic approach. While my portfolio consists of both color and black & white, I’ve always had an affinity for monochrome photography. I find its play of light and stark contrast so appealing and powerful. There is such a purity and rawness to it. My preference is to shoot in black and white, and this requires a specific kind of skill set and a different kind of mindset. It challenges me to see and feel in another way, and this process has been so effective in not only enhancing my aesthetic but capturing the very essence of a fleeting moment.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I think persistence is essential. As creatives, we are often faced with an incessant need to push to stay relevant and to keep momentum in creating the next best thing. This can be a dangerous trap to fall into. Not only does it make you question yourself, but the very purpose of your work. The joy and the power of creating can easily get lost in the process, and it is crucial to protect that.
It is imperative to stay true to oneself and to remember what compelled us to begin this artistic endeavor in the first place. That a lack of inspiration, for example, however long it may seem, is impermanent and a perfectly natural part of the craft, so we mustn’t get discouraged.
Quieting the mind and our inner critic and finding ways to reconnect back to ourselves, to the passion, and to what ultimately motivates the inspiration to create is key.
A friend once recounted this fitting piece of advice he received from his piano professor many years ago, and it really resonated. That when it comes to playing a piece of music, there are moments of silence within the piece called rests. He said we must always respect the rests because those parts are just as important as the parts of the piece that must be played.
That silence, in and of itself, is so dramatic and truly powerful. I have to admit, some of my best work materialized from those very moments of feeling creatively blocked. Like a metaphor for life, we can so easily resist the ebb and flow when all it takes is just learning to ride it out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.emiliaphotographe.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilia____photographe
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/emiliaphotographe
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/EMILIA_Photog
- Other: https://glass.photo/emiliaphotographe https://www.threads.com/emilia____photographe
Image Credits
Emilia Photographe
