in Motion: Photographer Aviva Klein
Klein captures pulse of the city
It takes a particular kind of approach to make portraiture come alive. Photographer Aviva Klein’s work always seems to be in motion. The Brooklyn native has shot for Nike, Google, Spotify, Puma, and Jordan Brand. She’s photographed Prince, Beyoncé and Halle Berry. Klein’s work also includes a growing body of film work. She recently was a Lucie award finalist for abstract portraiture. Klein spoke to us about how she trains her lens to make images that are full of momentum.
Some of the works I've seen capture people in motion — hair swinging, off balance. What attracts you to people in motion verse standing still?
That’s a really interesting question. I am very much attracted to stillness. It’s actually a very integral part of my work. Even the images that are captured while my subject is in motion have a very still and intimate quality to them.
In the works I've seen of yours set in the car, the camera seems to be listening in on a conversation. In your portraiture, have you used cars, bikes, other forms of transpo as props? How do you go about scouting and selecting the right look.
My work doesn’t typically include many props, however that can always change. A lot of the time if there is a car or bike included as part of a photograph it’s just happenstance. What’s most important to me is the lighting- everything else is secondary.
As a New Yorker, you've grown up with a visceral, direct connection to the streets. How do the city streets inform your work?
My work would not exist without my experience growing up on the streets of New York. My work looks at and celebrates everything about this city and its people. From the angular architecture to street fashion. No matter where I go, I see the world from the lens of a New Yorker and am attracted to anything or anyone that reminds me of home.
“I would love to shoot an auto campaign my way. It would definitely not look like a typical car ad. ”
Can you update me on what you're working on/most proud of?
What I’ve been working on in the past month or so, are a couple of personal projects. I’m documenting the making of Lee Quinones’s most current body of work. I’m also creating a photo series about a skateboard manufacturing shop in Boston run by a former pro Zoo York skateboarder, Robbie Gangemi. What I’m most proud of is my resilience as an artist.
Are you interested in shooting auto campaigns/photography? Why/why not?
I would love to shoot an auto campaign my way. It would definitely not look like a typical car ad. I think what’s missing from automobile ads is the story telling. Yes, they have to show what the car looks like, but I think it’s also important to connect with the consumer in a real way. I just never see ads that target my friends and me. I’ve never seen an ad that I felt spoke to our lifestyle or that felt genuine.
What work best defines you?
I think the work that best defines me is the work I make that is less produced. The shoots that are organic and don’t have much direction. Where I let the light lead me or when I have no control over what my subject does but patiently wait for them to move into the right place. I like to study light and people.
How has your photography changed over time?
To be honest, I’m not sure that my photography has changed a whole lot over the years. My approach has never changed. What has changed, is now I’m using the moving image to tell stories through directing.
Photography by Aviva Klein.