With work that is reminiscent to that of Nan Goldin, Felicity Sagoe defines a generation with images that capture the mood and emotions of the youth of today. Her atmospheric and captivating subjects contain culture with an array of emotions in a way that is not at all contrived.  Felicity’s photos are beautiful in their simplicity but strong in style and mood.  Felicity has said to be very influenced by the world of music and film and it is clearly visible in her work, they could be taken straight from a film still, her obsolete images leave you wanting to know and find out more.

FAULT: What is your creative background?

Felicity: I studied fashion at university and then went on to work at ID magazine on a 1 months placement.There I met alot of great photographers who gave me really good advice. I then went onto work at different photographic studios in London over a period of 3 years as a studio assistant. These studios included Metro, Click and Chalk Farm that specialised mainly in fashion. Working in these studios allowed me to meet great creative photographers and sometimes watch how they lit their images. My natural progression was to start assisting photographers which i did for 2 1/2-3 years. This was brought to an end after having a hernia from the heavy lifting. I then decided to get any office job to finance my photography and started testing with models. A year later I got my first 2  publications in Fashionline magazine and Pride magazine.I continued to test and build up 2 creative teams and really worked on building my style and my portfolios.

FAULT:  What made you take the Career path of a photographer?

Felicity: I have always been interested in photography since the age of 15 when i bought my first Zenith camera.It was a medium i could express myself through, be it in fashion, landscapes or portraits. I love all aspects of it from taking the images, post production and printing.  Losing people early in life also made me want to capture moments that may seem insignificant at the time, but later on become extremely meaningful.

 

 

FAULT:  Who’s work do you most admire?

Felicity: I really love Jeurgen Teller, the late Corrine Day, Gordon Parks, Bill Brandt,  Glen Luchford, Mario Sorrenti and the late Davide Sorrenti, Helmut Newton,Terry Richardson, Larry Clark and Richard Avendon. All these photographers are so individual in their style. They really did their own thing no matter what anyone said. They were real pioneers- the world had to catch up with them!

FAULT: What camera do you use?

Felicity: I use a Nikon digital SLR, a Lumix Panasonic compact and a old Polariod camera. For me it’s not really about the camera you use its about the eye of the photographer, the lens and lighting (natural or artificial)  a photographer decides on and what the photographer is trying to say or portray in the images.

FAULT:  Do you have an all time favourite image?

Felicity: This is an impossible question for me to answer.

FAULT: Editorials Vs Campaigns?

Felicity: They are both amazing things to get involved in.

FAULT:  Who’s fashion campaigns do you most admire?

Felicity: Marc Jacobs campaigns shot by Jeurgen Teller. They are bold and really individual, and they break alot of the normal rules applied to campaigns.  I loved the campaigns Glen Luchford did for Prada 1998, they were so cinematic. Levis and Paul Smith have done some good campaigns in the past. I also really like the Margaret Howell and Paule Ka campaigns 2011 shot by Venetia Scott.

FAULT: Any top tips?

Felicity: If photography is your passion, follow it with everything you have and slowly things will start to come together. Find a couple of good model agencies you can work with if it’s fashion you want to get into. I have been really lucky with agencies like Premier models. They are fantastic. Annie the head of new faces has helped me from the beginning , by allowing me to use great girls for tests which lead onto me getting editorials. Build and work on your style and portfolios and find a couple of good teams (hair, make up and stylists)  who understand what you are trying do in your images.

FAULT:  What is your FAULT?

Felicity:  I can not stop eating cakes!

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