Rising Stars: Meet Sequoia Emmanuelle

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sequoia Emmanuelle.

Hi Sequoia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Photography came into my life very early. I was around three years old when my mom took me to an event at the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis. I was dancing at the party and a man named Phil saw me spinning in a long skirt and he started taking photos of me. That led him to meeting my mom and offering her the photos of me. One thing led to another and they fell in love and we moved in with him.

From that point on, Photography became a prominent part of my life and my relationship with Phil. It would become our bond and our regular hobby together to do photoshoots on location or in our home studio. Phil was a unique and very artistic man, who loved portrait and fashion photography, and had an amazing collection of vintage hats, jewelry and clothing. My mother was also wildly creative and was a painter and costume designer at that time. So the three of us were always creating together, and I was learning and soaking up so much technique and creative influence from both of them. I don’t remember my life without photography and photo shoots. It just feels that I was meant to be a photographer and artist. It was my destiny.

I went to Minneapolis College of Art and Design was a Photography Major. I took all kinds of art classes and have always been excited by all sides of art and design, painting, graphic design, set design, lighting, furniture making, fashion and costume design. I loved that with photography, I could combine all of those things in a photo shoot or in the video.

Eventually, I moved to New York through MCAD and went to Parson’s, and did an independent study program, as well as a couple of internships at the Polaroid 20×24 Studio.

I fell in love with New York and stayed there for four years before moving to San Francisco, where a whole new journey of experimental art, Underground and burning man culture became a big part of my world. I think moving there was a crucial part of developing my creativity and I also was part of a clothing company, where I designed women’s clothing and eventually started my own clothing company with my then partner Gita. We then moved to LA and opened a store on Melrose.

I was doing photo shoots for my company and also photographing all kinds of people and fashion companies, musicians, performers, etc.

It was an amazing chapter in my life, and also a lot to juggle with both my clothing line and photography, and after a great run with my store and clothing line, I decided to focus 100% of my time and energy on my photography career. I had many goals to reach as a photographer, including publishing a coffee table book, which I did!

https://www.sequoiaemmanuelle.com/product-page/sequoia-emmanuelle-photography-book-duende

Since then, I have been shooting in LA, NY, SF, etc. Most of my work is in Fashion, arts and entertainment. Everything from editorial, and commercial as well as directing music videos. I have been crossing goals off the list and making new ones!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s not really been a smooth road.. more of a roller coaster! Lots of highs and lows.

I think for me, I always felt it was a bit of a lonely journey as a photographer. Socially, it’s great and I have so many friends in the industry and the teams I work with, clients, etc.

What’s made it lonely is just many, many years of me trying to learn, understand and figure out how the business works. I think it’s different now, and people are more open and transparent about sharing information, but for years that I was getting into it, I felt in the dark of how things operate in the bigger commercial world and how to get to certain levels of success and make it as a photographer.

How to charge, how to communicate, how to invoice, how to license, how to pitch, reach out, get clients.. so many things go into it besides just being a good creative. It’s something I have just figured out as I have gone, and wished I had more of a manual book of success.

Luckily now there are tons of great resources out there, and I am still learning from them and working on my craft and my business. I didn’t come from a business background with my family, but more of a super artsy one. None of us really knew how to mix business with our creativity, but we’re working on it and figuring it out!

I feel that I am in the best year of my career yet, and it can only get better, and I feel empowered by constantly learning how to run my business.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a photographer, artist & director known for my unique art direction and lighting style. I specialize in Fashion Photography, portraits, celebrity, music, commercials and music videos.

What makes me unique is the influence of my creative talents together including fashion design, set design, painting, film, wardrobe styling and graphic design.

I’m proud of a mix of many projects and milestones I have made in my career. My photographs have been used on album art, advertising campaigns, gallery shows, music videos and appeared in numerous magazines and publications such as Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, V Magazine, Paper, Flaunt and Photobook Magazine, etc.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sequoiaemmanuelle.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sequoiaemmanuelle
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sequoiaemmanuellephotography
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sequoiaemmanuelle