Fashion Faces

STYLE STAGE CELEBRITY JUDGE PROFILE
Fashion Photographer
http://franzszony.com #franzszony
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.
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 customercommissions
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.
20 JAN 2014 | http://fashionfacesmag.com