IN CONVERSATION with NYC Photographer Margherita Andreani

Seeing the world through her lens....Margherita and I sat down to discuss fashion photography & more.

Mar 31, 2023

It’s quite heartening to see the world through the lenses of women photographers.

Margherita and I met last year as I sought out a photographer to shoot my editorial-style birthday shoot. When I saw her work on socials, I knew we could create something beautiful — and we did. From the moment we met in person on the day of the shoot, we clicked. She made me feel relaxed & comfortable in front of the lens.

Taking place at Crescent Studios, her photography studio in Queens, NY, Margherita and I sat down to chat about her background as a photographer and how she got into the field. We also discussed her inspirations, her photography style, some of her favorite projects, and what fashion photography means to her. Margherita emphasizes the importance of capturing people's personalities in her photography and creating connections with her subjects to bring out their stories through her lens.

But let me not give out too much. Why don’t I let you meet Margherita for yourself.

Amarissa sits down with Margherita Andreani…

Getting to Know Margherita

Before we get into your work, can our audience get to know the woman behind the lens?

Of course. So, hello! My name is Margherita. I was born and raised in Rome, Italy, but I lived most of my life here in New York City. I've been taking pictures for a long time, and I was finally able to go full-time as a photographer after college. I was recently able to reopen my studio, Crescent Studios, with a couple of partners in 2022 in Long Island City.

Congratulations! Can you tell us how you got into photography?

Good question, because I've been shooting all my life. My parents noticed my interest when I was just a kid, around the time I was in elementary school. I'd always play with their cameras, and eventually, they gave me my own little compact camera. In middle school, I used to take pictures of all the events and performances in my school. My passion for photography was something that sparked at a young age. And then when I went on to a Performing Arts High School, I met so many musicians and artists, and that gave me the chance to kind of work on creative portraits and taught me what it was like working with people. And I loved doing that so much that I realized that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Finding your purpose so early in life is really helpful. You’ve been doing this for a while now. What would you say is the driving force for you that keeps you going even when you’re not in a creative space?

Absolutely the feeling of finishing planning & executing a photo shoot, and then looking at the end result. That is such a good feeling that you kind of get addicted to it (laughs). So that's definitely something that keeps me going.

What is that one special thing that sets you apart from other photographers?

I think my personality when I'm shooting. I believe having a photo shoot is a whole experience. I try to always make my clients have a great time - if they don’t laugh at my jokes I feel like I have failed (laughs).
What also sets me apart is the way I'm able to capture people's personalities. Instead of just capturing what's there, I try to capture something a little bit deeper than what's on the surface. I think I do that very well.

Inspiration & Style

Who is someone that inspires you the most in your life and your art? Is it the same person?

What inspires me definitely starts from within myself, for sure, but I do have inspirations in styles from major photographers and what I’ve seen them achieve in their careers. I see them as a point of reference for myself. I love Annie Leibovitz's work. She was the first woman that really took over the fashion industry the way she did, shooting for magazines like Vogue, Elle, etc. Her work is so memorable. I really respect her. And let’s not forget some of the classics such as French photographer Patrick Demarchelier. His work is so striking and yet so effortless that every time you see it, you're like, “I have to try to recreate this”. They're both really great inspirations to me.

Speaking of Annie Leibovitz, I know she doesn't technically define herself as a fashion photographer, however, she's done some of the most memorable fashion shoots for magazines like Vogue. Would you hope to put yourself in that same space?

Oh, I would love to put myself in that same space. Because you know what she does? She shoots fashion and commercial work and yet she's able to create fine art photographs from those sets. She takes, like, a commercial job or a fashion job, and turns it into artwork. That is super inspiring because it is very difficult to achieve the kind of emotions that she creates out of still images— she goes way beyond that. It's a rare talent. I mean, who doesn't want to try to achieve something like that?

That would be quite remarkable. So how would you describe your photography style?

I listen to how people have described my photography style and I'm going to use that one word that's very common ... my style is bold. It's definitely very bold. It's very -- I want to say colorful, but the words bold & dark describe my style best.

How do you express yourself through photography?

Oh definitely through my colors. I started using gels a while ago, and that really helped me show variety in my work. It was easier for me to express the feeling I wanted from each picture by using different color combinations.

Fashion Photography

What does fashion photography means to you?

That's a good question. I’m going to say what fashion photography should mean. When you do a lookbook, it's about the clothes. Absolutely. It's about the clothes. But what if it wasn't just about the clothes? I think that right now, the fashion industry is kind of going in the direction of making their campaign shoots not just about the clothes. It's about the story. It's about the person wearing the clothes, it's about creating an emotional connection with consumers, it's about the coloring, and it's about the background. We're not shooting on plain white anymore. We're not shooting those Amazon products on white backgrounds anymore. Shoots are becoming more like lifestyle imagery. It's also a little edgier. The lighting in some shoots is kind of “incorrect” in some sort of way, and I do really appreciate that-- the imperfection of it all. These are elements I would like to see more often. Fashion photographers should be able to capture something more than just the clothing. Because that's what the designers want anyway, they are creating a piece of clothing, sure, but they also want to create a story. They want their clothing to be memorable.

To add my two cents – I like how you mentioned how some photographers use incorrect lighting. I feel like what makes a shoot very authentic is when it doesn’t look too perfect, too airbrushed, or too posed. I really appreciate the images that are not too touched up. They really show the real essence of the person in the shoot and consumers can connect to them more because of the real-life element displayed in the shoot.

Exactly. And the brand itself shows that they're not hiding anything. They're just showcasing how the product really is and how it can really be worn. It feels more like a story rather than just a picture of a piece of clothing that costs this much.
Also, a lot of brands are doing, like, Polaroid shots, film, and analog more often. You can't lie on Polaroids, you can't lie on film. Film is back in for that reason because it's raw. You can’t (shouldn’t) really edit it. You're not going to smooth the skin on a film image. A lot of campaigns that I'm seeing are shot on film on medium format cameras, and they kind of keep that raw element. And did you notice that nowadays, especially for brands and for fashion and editorial shoots, they're now showing the full behind-the-scenes setup? This is because it's very popular to show people what the setting of the photoshoot actually looked like. It adds to the whole authentic feel of the shoot. Photographers are telling us that they’re not lying–this is what the set actually looked like. It gives consumers that sense of reassurance that what they’re seeing is true.

Authenticity and storytelling in shoots are very key elements for successful fashion shoots. So, when you're shooting a subject, right, how would you say you bring out the story that person is trying to tell through your photography?

Okay, so that's a great question and a great point for me because I think it's my personality. I always try to hang out a little bit with my models before the shoot, like when they’re doing their hair or makeup. If I crack some jokes with the models beforehand, I can kind of gauge their mood and what they are like. So then when we're shooting, we already created a bond. I know what I can say to make them laugh and to make them more comfortable. Once I’ve gotten my subject comfortable (laughing is the best way to do that) then I can start seeing the personality of the person and their shyness kind of goes away. And then aside from the professionality of doing the job, I can get on a personal level with them and that helps in bringing people's personalities out through the lens.

I can definitely attest to that. When we shot together that was the first day we met, and I felt 100% comfortable. We did an editorial-style shoot, my first one ever, and I really felt like you helped me tap into a part of myself that I didn't know I could bring out.

So do you ever get in front of the lens?

Well first, thank you. That's all I wanted! That's all I want to hear from my clients and I’m happy I could achieve that with you. See, by getting your client comfortable, they can do what they want to be doing instead of being in their head. It felt like you and I were just hanging out.
In terms of getting infront of the lens, I only do my own self-portraits, but I do force myself once in a while to do shoots with my photographer friends, so I can get in front of the camera and practice what it's like to be on the other side of the lens. It's way more stressful and I feel way more self-aware! Like, you're way more self-conscious in front of the lens than you are behind it. I definitely feel very comfortable behind the camera. But I do want to feel what a model feels like, especially when you have a client that hasn't been shot that much and you're trying to get them to loosen up. You kind of want to know what they're feeling, so getting in front of the lens is helpful.

Favorite Projects & Dream Subjects

What has been your favorite project so far and why?

Ah, that's a hard one. I'm just going to tell you the first one that comes to mind because that's probably the one. A few summers ago, I was able to photograph and work with Uniiqu3. Uniiqu3 is an amazing artist. She's like this insanely talented New Jersey Club DJ. We did this photoshoot that felt kinda like we were just hanging out in my studio. The entire shoot was so much fun, with music, jokes and just great energy. Little did we know that from that photo shoot, we would end up on Times Square billboards, on the international cover of DJ Mag, and on so many posters all around LA.

Margherita's work on a billboard in NYC & posters in LA.

That’s amazing and such a huge accomplishment. I can imagine the feeling of seeing your work on billboards and posters throughout these two major cities.

Who would you say is your dream person to shoot?

Okay, I'm going to first say Pedro Pascal -- he is my baby. He's my idol! I would love to photograph him. But if I have to say someone for an editorial-style shoot, I would definitely probably pick the one and only-- Bella Hadid. Every time I see that woman, I think "That is my dream subject." Her angles, the shapes she makes with her body, her eyes, the colors she wears...It's just beautiful. She's fierce. It would be a dream to photograph her. She is bold, just like my style!

She's absolutely gorgeous. I love Bella. I feel like her fashion sense is also very eccentric and she brings that eccentric energy to her shoots. So would you ever consider shooting subjects that are not people? What would that be?

I do dabble in product photography. But one thing that I do love to photograph if it's not people, is food. Being Italian, yes, it's food 100%! I love to capture that— like a decadent chocolate cake dripping or lasagna getting pulled, for example. I love doing those photo shoots because it's just so satisfying, in a totally different way. It's definitely very different from shooting people.

You said you've shot food before, correct?

Yes, once in a while. My best friend has a bakery, Settepani Bakery, and I shoot for her business. That’s when I realized I really like shooting food, too.

Desire for Change

If you could change one thing about the photography industry, what would it be?

Well, straight off the bat, I would say that I would love to see more women behind the lens. That is the first thing. I know so many photographers in New York, and the industry is literally 95% male. I'm not saying that men can't do the job but I would love to see more women dominating the field. It should be more diverse.
A woman’s eye is very different, and I think it's so strong. One great example of this is the person I mentioned earlier, Annie Leibovitz. She led the way for women in photography to reach great heights in such a male-dominated industry.

Advice to New Photographers

What is a piece of advice you would give someone who wants to get into photography?

Oooh, okay. The first thing that comes to mind would be to pick -- I don't want to say niche---but pick your inspiration. Pick what you like. Take time to figure out what kind of images and what kind of styles you like. Practice doing that. Imitate maybe your idols' photography, make it your own, but definitely try to figure out what your coloring is, what you generally like, and not what you think you're supposed to be doing. The more you practice that, the more you'll find your way and you'll create your own style. That's when you're really going to have fun.

Margherita’s Message to the World

Lastly, what is one thing you want the world to know about your art?

I want you guys to recognize the “female gaze” and kind of like the elegance that can be brought out of people when they feel good about themselves. I want people to notice the difference that photography makes in people's lives. I would love for the world to see how with only 45 minutes, you can change somebody from a very insecure, very shy person to a very confident individual. And that helps a lot of people. Seeing somebody feel so happy about themselves because of your photos and your eye... It's just beautiful.

Thank you so much for sitting down with me today. It’s always inspiring to hear about women succeeding in male-dominated fields. I really wish you the best of luck on your journey. Keep putting in the hard work!