FASHION July 2013

STYLE STAGE CELEBRITY JUDGE PROFILE
My name is Franz Szony, and I am but a boy who
paints with his camera. I approach photography
from an illustrator’s perspective. Although my
technique is more modern than my aesthetic,
I deem to create a wondrous illusion that is
photo-real. This way, the viewer can believe the
illustration (no matter how fantastical) actually
exists.
I blend my Neoteric perspective with my devotion
to the Rococo, in essence this becomes my
mantra to create a lush world that is ambiguous
in character. An image that is unclassifiable
in time or place with a celebration of the
androgynous. My combination of traditional
theatrical tricks together with digital illustration
techniques create the illusion of a painting,
even though the image is actually a photograph.
I do believe in beauty, but I also believe in the
intention and thought behind that beauty. In my
work the imagery is seductive, but the feeling will
encourage you to understand the story. Much of
my work is inspired by my dreams. The worlds
and characters I’ve dreamt have influenced both
minute details as well as entire works of art...
visually and emotionally. The diary I keep next
to my bed has been filled with sketches over
the years. Most people think that when we are
asleep, we are unconscious. However, many
studies show that we are more conscious when
we sleep than when we are awake. If so, I can’t
help but think our dreams to be more real and
truthful than the physical world.
If you can respond to the beauty, look deeper for
the feeling, then go even further, you can find the
“space between your thoughts.” My intention is
to inspire the viewer into this state of mind. If I
can propel the onlooker into a transcendental
daydream, my magic has worked.
08
JULY 2013 | http://fashion-faces.com
Fashion Photographer
http://franzszony.com #franzszony
To elicit a response to an image requires a good
subject and an even greater photographer with a
vision to share. How do you judge what makes a
good photograph? Art is subjective. What gives
the photographer an artistic eye?
Franz Szony grew up in Nevada. As the son of a
casino manager, he watched all the shows that
came to town. The show’s costumes clearly have
affected his work.
He enrolled in art classes at the age of five and
the legend was born. Lucky for us at an early
age, Franz realized that he was destined to be an
artist. He immersed himself in the craft by studying
the history of photography and the techniques of
other photographers then perfected his own style
that would set him apart. Coming into his own
over the years has had its ups and downs but
he never lost sight of his path. He has no regrets
and thinks the word “regret” should be banned.
With the closing of Szony’s first show in Los
Angeles, and after he finished perfume ads for
fashion designer, Furne One, I wanted to know
more about Szony’s path and how he perfected
his “artistic eye”.
I like to think of my photography in the terms of
fashion. My fine art photography is my couture,
and customer-commissions are my ready to wear.
However sometimes these cross paths, and my
customer commissions want the fine art, this is
almost always in the form of advertisements.
My fine art photography (like couture) is my
vision completely; it represents the fantasy
and the unattainable.