You may remember when I had a conversation with Zak Krevitt of Radiant Jungle, and he mentioned the work of Kris Kidd, a sixteen-year-old from California that he (and we) thought was a brilliant photographer.  Lately there’s been waves of young photographers, but Kris Kidd definitely sticks out as one worth mentioning.  I’ve known of his work for a few years, and will say without a doubt, I’ve always been impressed with his aesthetic, and similar to Radiant Jungle, he has the most insane concepts for shoots I think I’ve ever seen (especially his self-portraits).  I also follow him on Twitter and always find myself laughing at things like “if every cigarette you smoke takes 7 minutes off your life, then every game of dungeons & dragons delays the loss of your virginity for 7 hours,” and “I can’t tell if this is a parody of fox news or if its the same bullshit they always do ,” and so I thought, I have to talk to this kid.  After exchanging a few emails, Kris answered some of the questions that his fans are always dying to know, as well as the typical Fashion Indie ‘it makes no sense that these questions are in an interview’ questions:

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FASHION INDIE: How long have you been into photography, and how did you get your start?

KRIS KIDD: I’ve always been taking photos, it started with those weird dildo shaped Polaroid cameras, you know? And it grew. I was twelve, almost thirteen when I realized that I could make something out of it.

FI: Where do you draw inspiration for your concepts for shoots?

KK: I’m one of those people who goes off of feelings.. There will be a part of a song, or a scene in a movie, that just hits me a certain way, and I run with it.

FI: Do you feel that being a lot younger than most photographers serves as an advantage or disadvantage?

KK: Two way street, definitely. There’s always the issue of maturity, and whether or not someone my age can work professionally, but I’d like to think that I can, and so, my age becomes an advantage, and makes people look at the work differently.

FI: Tell us a little about the organization you’re working with, World Class Youth.

KK: World Class Youth is my second family. They are the most creative, talented and genuinely sweet people I have ever met. We’re opening doors for the younger generation, and serving as a gateway to the world of fashion.

FI: Where do you hope to take your career, or do you even hope to pursue photography as a career, or try something else? What do you hope to have accomplished by the time you’re 25?

KK: I’d love to be a celebrity portrait photographer, maybe somewhat of a cross between Lionel Deluy and Terry Richardson. By 25, I’m hoping I’ll have made somewhat of an impact with the images I’ve created. I want to make people see something.

FI: You and your work have become pretty popular over the internet, do you think having all of these media outlets is good for the art?

KK: I think its great for the art, so many people in all different areas of art have been recognized through the internet. it’s a great way to put yourself out there.

FI: What is the craziest thing a fan (or just a girl) has ever done when they saw you?

KK: Nothing too crazy, I’ll usually just be out with friends, and have someone approach me, and ask if I’m “kriskidd” and, being me, the answer is usually a no.

FI: Since you’re still in high school, who would be your ‘dream date’ for prom? (they can be dead, alive, a celebrity, cartoon character, someone you’ve never met..)

KK: Edie Sedgwick. I’m not gonna lie. We’d look pretty fly rolling up to prom together.

FI: If you had $1000 to spend on something that was not photo equipment, what would you buy?

KK: I want orange shag carpet for my room! Its ridiculous how expensive something so ugly can be.

FI: Imagine if there was a recording of every dream you have ever had and you could watch them all, but your parents had to be in the room with you while you watched…would you do it?

KK: Oh hell no, they’re not old enough to watch such material yet.

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(Kris Kidd and Zak Krevitt of Radiant Jungle by Lenore Melo)

Thanks to Kris for answering all of our questions! See more of his work on Cult, his Flickr and Tumblr, and follow him on Twitter to keep up with his hilarious tweets.

Since I got a Twitter account I’ve been randomly followed by a few different people each day.  Luckily, last week it was Radiant Jungle.  I noticed he was a photographer and clicked his link to his website, and was not only impressed by his crazy photos, but also his blog, complete with party photos, fashion opinion columns, and photographer recommendations.  But what I think is the most impressive thing about Radiant Jungle, or Zak Krevitt (formally), is how thought-out his photographs are for a seventeen-year-old. Let me say that again, this kid is 17.  I immediately emailed him and asked a few questions about his work:

FASHION INDIE: How did you get your start in photography?

RADIANT JUNGLE: I got my start when an ex of mine got his first SLR. We fooled around with it for a bit and I made some of my first stabs at party photography. But, that was short-lived and I didn’t start Radiant Jungle until about 6 months later. I had connections to using some old movie lighting equipment and for my first few shoots I used this old, awkward light equipment. Now I own my own stuff and can explore a lot more options.

FI: Where do you come up with your crazy concepts for shoots?

RJ: I do a lot of people watching. Since I was little I would always make up stories for the lives I would imagine people living.  Long drives to the city were always my favorite because you would see a lot of really interesting people on the way there. I like to take these made up stories and try to convey it through my photography.

FI: Where do you hope to take your photography next?

RJ: I’ve had my eye on fashion from day one. I do enjoy doing party-pic stuff but in the end  I want to be working in high fashion. I’m in talks right now with a couple designers (Brian Lichtenberg, Yotam Solomon) about the concepts we want to go with for a future shoot.

FI: What is your favorite thing about art/photography?

RJ: I love how art allows me to put my mind out there. Others can interpret my work however it may apply to them, and I love that. I’ve grown up in a family of artists, I really feel that may have influenced my view on the concept. I’ve always been encouraged to see art everywhere.

FI: Who are some of the best/most creative people you’ve worked with, or enjoyed working with the most?

RJ: The first photographer I worked with was Christoph Barthe, he was french and had really great ideas. He helped me start Radiant Jungle actually, but over that we realized our creative differences were pretty large. Working with Brittany Flickenger (from Paris Hilton’s my new BFF) was … well interesting. We showed up at her North hollywood apartment and she was still asleep. So the male model for the shoot and I went thrifting for a bit. Then she called us and we came over; she was still in her underwear and pajamas and was just dancing around her apartment. It was hilarious. Once she got ready though we had a great time shooting. She’s a really fun subject to shoot.

FI: What is your least favorite thing about it?

RJ: I hate how just about anyone with an SLR and a Myspace account can call themselves a photographer.  The field is becoming a bit over-saturated which has its pros and con’s. One perk is that there is amazing talent being produced by people that would never be able to get their name out there if it wasn’t for the advent of social networking sites. One name that comes to mind is Kris Kidd. He has amazing talent and he’s only 15, he’s very smart and has been extremely successful at getting attention through the internet.

FI: Any advice for hopeful amateurs out there?

RJ: Never take the camera away from your eye. There are a million amazing photographs happening every moment, try not to miss them.

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Here’s a photo by Kris Kidd, the fifteen-year-old that Radiant Jungle recommended:

Check out more of Radiant Jungle on Cult or his site RadiantJungle.com