Who: Danna Wexler

What: Fashion Photographer

Where: Tel Aviv, Israel

Hello Danna! To start, would you discuss your background as an artist? 

I actually started my early career with a B.A. in Business Management, working in sales and marketing without showing any interest in art at all. One day my dad bought a second hand Nikon camera for himself, he asked me to take a photography course so I could “teach him” how to use it..I took a short course and fell in love with the subject matter. It took me a while to understand that this is what I wanted to do professionally. It was a drastic switch, going from my job in marketing to becoming a freelance photographer. People around me thought I'd gone mad, leaving a great job that pays a lot, for “art”. Even I didn't know what I was going into and how hard it would be. To make the change easier, I applied for a year in an art school just to change my environment, while meeting artistic people who would inspire me and let me re-focus. After finishing school, I got my own studio equipment and started shooting fashion, knowing that I finally found my place and that I made the right choice.

That's amazing! So you were born in Ohio and now live in Tel Aviv? What sparked the move?

I was 6 years old when my family moved, so naturally I have had very little say in the matter. I’m always flirting with the idea of moving back to the States and seeing how well I can grow there artistically.

Flipping through your portfolio, your photos all have a captivating quality, is there a typical process for creating one of your pictures?

Each photo story is unique. On a commercial contract, I listen to the customer and try to understand not only the requirements, but also the intent. I then compose a fashion session that will show the symbiosis between the garment and the model, as well as the inspiration behind its design. In essence, I try to convert their story to a visual artistic representation. When I shoot a portrait, I always try to understand the person whose picture I’m about to take: Who is he? What’s her character? What will make her comfortable and let me reach the inner her? Some people are easy to get to, some are not. A pre-session chit chat always helps. If I manage to find something in the person that will make him or her interesting to me, a presence I can touch, the portrait will come out better. The best are the pictures I take for myself. Free from any commercial constraints, I am free to express myself. Those pictures do not necessarily talk to a wider audience, but they are me.

Beautifully said. Do you have a favorite photo or series ? If so, why?

My favorite photo is a portrait of my grandmother. It was the first portrait that I ever took. Throughout her life, my grandmother had been a feisty lady, with a rich history of non-conformity, who never before had been photographed in a high-impact way. On her 90th birthday, it was important to me to take her portrait in such a way that caught her life-long fighting spirit and the impact of her presence. I came to her house with a borrowed camera – I didn’t even own one at the time, set some hard lighting, and posed her appropriately with her purple flowered attire - the shirt on her and the skirt as the background. Just before I clicked, I asked her to tell me a funny story - but she just winked (First photo at top of page).

My favorite series is a documentary project I did on Compulsive Hoarding - a mental disorder showing a pattern of behavior that is characterized by excessive acquisition, and an inability or unwillingness to discard large quantities of objects that cover the living areas of the home, while causing significant distress or impairment. It's shown that most people that are hoarders are people that suffer from childhood trauma or are second generation Holocaust survivors. A very close family member of mine is a compulsive hoarder, so this subject has piqued my interest to the extent that I wanted to know more and gain my own visual perspective on the subject. Throughout the project I had established enough rapport and trust with some hoarders to the point that they agreed to let me into their house – a place that for many years, in some cases even more than 20 – no other person was allowed to enter. In there, I saw some really hard situations, the only photos I have released so far as part of that series, are of one person’s apartment - Maya’s home - who lives with her mother the hoarder, the mother refused to be photographed (Second Photo at top).

Wow, that's incredible. When and where do you find inspiration for these creative shoots?

I think that creativity is something that comes in random cycles. There are periods when I’m at the highest creativity level, and periods where I have a creative block. I can certainly say that I get most inspired when I meet a creative, artistic person (painters, singers etc.). Their uniqueness and inner beauty is something that I love to capture in a portrait. I feel that it is my privilege to grab a view of their deeper self. (pic 8 and 9). Another thing that always helps me get creative is traveling to different physical environments, I recently visited Paris which was big inspiration for me. My latest creative moment was when experimenting with film. I started shooting with a medium format film camera and felt that there is something so raw and real about film, I can definitely claim that my future personal work will be expressing myself on film.

Do you admire a particular artist?

I really love Araki and his intimate photos, I think the way he can make a flower look so erotic is amazing. Viviane Sassen is one of my favorite fashion photographers. Apart from photography I really dig the artist Toshio Saeki - I even got a tattoo recently of one of his drawings. Oh I think that Joan Cornella is king.

Last, any wisdom, life hacks, or professional advice that you wish you’d known years ago? Especially working Freelance?

As a self-taught Fashion photographer I like to always play with the way I create my photos, always challenging myself and experimenting with everything I can. I think that in photography and life in general, you are always evolving and learning so don't be afraid to make mistakes. I really do believe that if you never make mistakes it only means that you are always in your comfort zone, and you’re not daring enough.  

And please, where can we find more of your work?

I will be presenting at the women's only gallery “Artemisia” starting March so if you're in Tel Aviv come and visit. And you can always check out my site www.dannaw.com for more updates.

Thank you Danna for chatting with Une Vie Cultivée!