Amel Guellaty
interview with the incredibly talented and super cool Amel Guellaty who's photography for the Zizanie Pop Up caught my attention.
Amel what are some of your greatest inspirations or influences?
I have a lot of influences, different kind of photographers that I admire and follow, from Diane Arbus to David Bellemerre ,contemporary photographers as Alex Prager or classic ones like Cartier Bresson.
I love Cinema too, Stanley Kubrick and Tarantino are my biggest influences. Jean Luc Godard said "Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second." I'm passionate by images in general, aesthetically pleasing images or really powerful press photos. It's a question of feeling.
Tell us about your most interesting photo shoot so far?
I have to say that every time I shoot I learn something different from the people I work with, from the model to the stylist or even the assistant. Even when I am the assistant, it's really interesting to see how the photographer works. I love to do street photo as well, especially when I travel. My Zizanie photo shoot was very interesting because I worked with really talented and creative people, and it was a really fun day. When I have fun that typically means the results will end up really good.
If you could work on a shoot somewhere what kind of project would it be?
I would love to shoot staged sets and models to create "film-like" images. Big pho toshoot with beautiful set ups and costumes, to tell a whole story in one image. I discovered a few weeks ago the work of Oleg Oprisco, romantic, creative and beautiful photos. In the fashion/celebrity world I would love to work on a Annie Leibowitz project.
Some upcoming projects you are working on?
I am currently working on a personal project about women in the Arab world that will explore freedom and identity. Arab women are my biggest inspiration because they live in a complex world where their femininity is difficult to express, where the body is taboo and the mind has to be closed.
What is the Zizanie pop up?
Zizanie is the brand behind a series of pop up stores all over Europe . The founders describe themselves as creators and curators for cool creatures. They have a wide collection of unique and statement pieces curated with love from all over the world.
Who are fashion icons in your opinion?
In my opinion Kate Moss is the biggest fashion icon of our century. She has been shot by the biggest names in fashion photography, from Helmut Newton to Mario Testino. At 41, she's still a fashion icon. But my biggest influence in my private life and in fashion is my sister Sofia Guellaty, she is a fashion journalist but also she is an Arab independent and free women, who lives and works in the Arab world. She is exactly the kind of woman who inspires my world.
Anything else you would like to share?
Come discover my work on amelguellaty.com
Amel Guellaty
