Bryan Whitely
How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it? clean, simple, raw.
At what point did you realize that photography is what you wanted to do as a career? I've always been infatuated with the idea of photographing people. I knew in the early years of high school that I really wanted to be a photographer.
What do you want to communicate with your work? I want to capture people in an honest and pure way.
What is your ultimate goal? I think I’d like to work in advertising/commercial work and start doing more editorial-type work.
What do you love about living and working in New York City? I love how I get to photograph people from all over the world.
Your projects are a collaborative process. What's it like to always be working with new stylists, models, and designers? For most of my shoots it is just me and the model. I get the best work this way.
What qualities do you like to see in models? I like when models aren’t afraid to look foolish or try weird things.
Where is your favorite place to shoot? I shoot almost everything in my apartment. If i shoot location it is very minimal and simple backgrounds.
What's your uniform? Black jeans, white t-shirt, army boots.
Current obsession? coffee.
Your muse? A good photographer friend of mine, Cassie, who is also a model. I've photographed her several times. She trusts me and always like to play.
What photographers from the past or present have influenced you the most? I'm a big fan recently of Josh Olins work and have always loved Solve Sundsbo,
Peter Lindbergh, and Richard Avedon.
What's the most rewarding part of your career? Seeing the beauty that you can create when you pull back everything and just focus on the person.
What projects are you working on currently? I've been trying to play more with clothing, although I work in fashion I feel like I almost “unstyle”, or under state the clothing to focus fully on the model.
Aside from fashion photography, what other art forms do you have a strong appreciation for? My father is an oil painter and I have a lot of his work throughout my apartment.
How do you spend your spare time?
My whole life is my job.
Plans for the future? I want to travel,
I’ve never traveled before.