Ilze Vanaga
Photography
Latvian

Graduated form Latvias Academy of Arts 2003
2005-2010 Lived in London, assisting both various fashion photographers and production designers.
2007-2009 Assisting fashion photographers at Spring Studios, London, freelance (http://www.springstudios.com )
2007-2008 Working on London Fashion Week as a front house photographer for Topshop and Elle4Lisa shows.
2005 – 2010 Assisting production designers ( freelance )on Robbie Williams, Elton John, Ronan Keating, Britain’s Next Top Model, DKNY, Margaret Howell, Topshop and other music and fashion shows.
2004 sept – dec Assistant Art Director, BBC film Archangel, filmed in Latvia and Moscow.

BIO
Over the last two years Ilze has been working on a project ” Childhood is like a loaded gun” which is about a journey to her past via presence of her niece Katrina..
Her heart belongs to pine trees and a fog over the river in summer mornings, but she still has her little desires to have Champagne @ 11o’clock in the morning in a 5 star hotel.
Ilze likes to be able to move around. City is a fiction for her. Its easy to stay inspired or at least surprised as it’s all there for you.. Unseen landscape is a reality check.. Its a connection or transaction point for her and to something deeper.. And these things gotta be in balance..
Currently while exploring the unknown, new areas of portraiture, ilze is collaborating with various Latvian artists. Keta Gutmane – fashion designer ( “Lust Lust ” fashion short film, awarded by ASVOFF Paris ), Arita Varzinska ( fashion designer )who just moved to Berlin for a while. Professor and artist Aigars Bikse ( photo collaboration on Survival kit project ” Who is not a sheep here ” ),
At the moment also working on a show at Latvias Museum of Photography.. Comming soon..
Nature is a big inspiration or a trigger to whatever may come…
She secretly dreams to move to New York for a while, give birth to five kids and publish lots of beautiful books..

WHAT GETS ME INSPIRED

A friend who falls on her face, gets it all swollen and bruised and are wild enought to let me photograph her for an advertising campainge..That innosence, youth, love and wildness knocks me off my legs
Light is one of my magic values as for a photographer
Wild kids
Love
Cowboys
Good time spent with friends
Crazy party
My nieces
Dogs and horses
Night rides in London..
Pine trees
New York
Good exhibitions
Books
Movies – Larry clark – KEN PARK
Darren Aronofsky – REQUIEM FOR A DREAM
Lisa Cholodenko – HIGH ART
Kristof Kieslowski – TREE COLOURS
Wim Wenders – PARIS, TEXAS
Woody Allen – HUSBANDS AND WIVES
Martin ScorseSe – THE KING OFCOMEDY
God the list is endless…:)

Amazing photography is more important than hot food for me.. ( Jane Hilton, Jock Sturges, Sally Mann, Alec Soth, Duane Michals, Dash Snow, Nan Goldin, Terry Richardson, Helmut Newton, Lina Scheynius, Seba Kurtis and hundreds more)
Music – those moments ar changing ever other second. But as you caught me i was listening to Grant Lee Buffalo ” Fuzzy ” ( i woun’t be able to send the track, please find it on youtube or other source )
I am a big fan of all the 60′s-80′s stuff.. But then I like electro and good hip hop too.. Indian classical music blows my mind away while some trance clears it..
I am a mellow yellow cool bananas…:)

You can find her at:

flickr / ilzevanaga / ypu