FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER: Radiant Jungle

Hillary Frazier, Style Editor June 16 at 1:02
Read More:Brian Lichtenberg, brittany flickenger, christoph barthe, kris kidd, PHOTOGRAPHERS, radiant jungle, yotam solomon

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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