Vanity Fair
I cannot think of one time where I’ve seen a Vanity Fair Magazine, and haven’t secretly wished, “Maybe one day I will see my work on the cover”
There’s just something about a Vanity Fair issue. It’s a hard one to get to, a prestigious goal. 🤌🏽
Maybe because photographers who had their work on Vanity Fair Italia covers are incredible like Annie Leibovitz, Steven Klein, Herb Ritts (he massively inspired my work), Marcus Piggot, Mario Testino, Norman Jean Roy, etc...
Today, I can say I did it! I can add my name to the list.
This is my first ever Vanity Fair Italia cover. 🤯 @vanityfairitalia
And it came with the help of a lot of people working nonstop...
First of all, THANK YOU @tizianoferro . Thank you for trusting me. Thank you!💚
THIS AMAZING TEAM:
Photographer: @IamWalidAzami
VF: @marinamoretti64 @ @marchettisimone Production Companies: @ContainsHumanity Grooming: @clairepromakeup Stylist: @lil_saigon Stylist Assistant: @cindomon Video: @thezacharyolson Video Editors: @thezacharyolson & @rakolczagery
Lighting assistant: @joshua_elan
Digitech: @Spencerversustheworld Production Assistant: @ernesto_lvna
Post: Bojan Lalic Studio: @Fourteenstudios_la Management: @bigpicturemgmt PR: @about.ent_
Very Supportive people: @_thedesigner_@matteo_h_matt eloyflores @brandywithawhy_
Ps… I custom made the backdrop myself and my niece @sophiesamisammichies gave me all of her opinions on FaceTime which lead to the cover image. 👸🏽
And everyone at the Milan office of Vanity Fair! 🇮🇹 thanks DM’ing me on IG when my website was down 🤯
Rolling Stone
Rollingstone Magazine was on my bucketlist ever since I picked up a camera.I have two magazines on the bucketlist, this is one. The other I won’t mention now cause I’m superstitious like that. 🤷🏻♂️🧿
It was the only magazine I bought and read as a kid. I’d read it at swimmeets and water polo tournaments. I read them all cover to cover hoping to work in music one day, in some capacity.
So this is very special to me because it’s with an artist that I deeply admire and love working with, @tizianoferro and a magazine I love! 💙
@rollingstoneitalia
Prod Co: Legacy Productions
Photo: @iamwalidazami / @walid.azami
Art Dept: @leftloft.design
Glam: @88manuel88
Styling: @dolcegabbana
Dolce & Gabanna Rep: Matthew Gebbert
On-set graphics: @rakolczagery
Prod Assist: Mo Pope
Anthony Bailon
Christian Scagnamillo
Location: @_sad_studios
Consult: @matteo_h_matt
Lucky Charm: @brandywithawhy_
Courtney Love
For the past couple of years, I haven’t really posted many images because it doesn’t feel good, the world is on fire. It feels weird saying “look what I did!”while so many are suffering. But since we’re almost at WWIII - I’m gonna start posting cause I don’t know what tomorrow brings. 😂😫
Photographer in DTLA
Photo: Walid Azami
Hair: Michael Solis
Makeup: Preston Meneses
Wardrobe: Kyle P.
#courtneylove
Walid Azami X NPR
I spent some time at NPR West Coast, Creative Directing their first video podcast (Fresh Air).
But the process showed me something I didn't expect.
I realized that as impactful as Tonya Mosley is, she was trapped (literally and figuratively) behind massive desks, microphones, and a show deadline. It left out a whole other side of her, the side I knew.
There is a Tonya that is playful, deeply curious, and refreshingly human in a way that the "standard" format just couldn't capture. So, I had an idea...
I approached Tonya with a simple pitch: "I have an idea, can I show you? You'll need to do a sit down interview with me though" - she trusted me.
I wanted to build a cinematic sub-show. It would be the first of its kind to feature its own mini-documentary based on each episode's topic. Not content, not a 30 second snippet but a true mini-doc.
My goal was to design a visual system that allowed her to be both: the serious journalist getting the story for the masses, and the vulnerable human connecting with guests like Spike Lee. What happened leading up the show and immediately after?
It also allowed me to selfishly further study Tonya, and stay in her orbit.
How she navigates each conversation, etc... I watched her record each show from the sound booth. I was equally mesmerized by her ability to communicate the guest's story and each guest leaves feeling better. I've heard them all say it. They felt lighter after a conversation with Tonya. It's rare.
Ultimately, my work comes down to one thing: I see the latent potential in people/stories, and I build the environment that to help them succeed.
This is one of the first projects under my new agency.
Huge respect to Tonya for trusting my idea and letting me run with it.
Directing/Editing: @walid._.azami
Post-Production Color: @rakolczagery
Filmed at NPR West, Culver City CA.
Putting out some work from a short while ago. Feels weird posting when the world is rough.
Anyways, this was a small team and the model is great. Her name is @_sailor.belle_ - she’s also very pro humanity 🍉 and we need more people that speak out, like her.
Photography me
Hair @thehairrobot
Wardrobe: @lil_saigon
Makeup: @josephadivari
Some BTS. This is more my photography style than anything else, a bit more bold. Comments closed, likes hidden… For myself 😇 Did this with @sarahaliceburns and @88manuel88
This is the only way I’m going to post work and not get trapped looking at Instagram’s analytics (comments off/hide likes).
This is the behind the scenes to the Vanity Fair Italia photoshoot. @vanityfairitalia
There are a lot of people to thank at Vanity Fair Italia, two people in particular are:
European Editorial Director and
Editor in Chief @marchettisimone
Producer VF @marinamoretti64 !
Thank you @askyeff for stepping in, covering every angle, and being one of the easiest people to work with.
Thank you @rakolczagery for putting everything together, editing it beautifully for Vanity Fair. And for everything else you did to make this shoot successful.
Cover: Elisabetta Canalis
(IG won’t let me tag)
Fashion Stylist @orettac
Hair @virginie.pineda
Make Up @abramovicm
Fashion Assistant: @jesuisallegra_
Production Manager: @rakolczagery
Digitech: @justinbordeaux
Post: @igor_imaginationmedia
Prod Asst: @andy.quintana24
Prod Asst: @beniserhien
The Milan Team! (In no particular order) 🇮🇹
Marina Moretti
Sara Cervo
Iacopo Caravaggi
Enrico Fiandri
Daniela Narducci
Tatiana Conter
Sofia Setti
Vrishabha Sharma
Silvia Rivelli
Daniela Ravaglia
Teresa Marra
Alice Crose
Valentina Di Pinto
Production/Creative Los Angeles @containshumanity
Thank you:
@peterrakolcza (for helping put 🔥 out)
@thevisionariesagency
