Capturing Life Through the Lens: An Interview with Kaylee Arzu

Kaylee Arzu is a Honduran-Amercan photographer from the Bronx, New York and current senior at BC studying International Studies with minors in Marketing and African and African Diaspora Studies.

NOIR

In the realm of contemporary photography, there exists individuals who possess an innate ability to transform moments into timeless visual narratives. Amongst them is Kaylee Arzu. In this exclusive interview, we delve into the world of Kaylee Arzu, exploring her inspirations, creative process, storytelling and more. Kaylee is truly inspirational, evolving as an artist by her unwavering commitment to capture life’s myriad moments. Today, we uncover the essence of her work and the stories she endeavors to convey through the lens.

What inspired you to pursue photography as a career or hobby?

 I’ve always been a creator in some shape or form; as a child I loved writing stories and series back when Wattpad was poppin’ (if you know, you know) or finding new foods and recipes to cook at home to share with my family. This love and ability to make things transitioned into visual arts when I assisted my mom with videography for our church, which is where I was first put in contact with a camera.

Soon after, in highschool, I had a friend who was our school photographer and she allowed me to assist her with a photoshoot she was having, and I absolutely fell in love with her ability to talk the models (our friends) through different stories and scenarios to evoke particular emotions she wanted them to express. I immediately knew that that was something I wanted to learn more about—how to evoke emotions and expressions from people using conversations to express a particular story, and within that, capture what that looks like.

Since then, it’s been something that has brought me an incredible amount of joy and has taken me all around the world. I’ve been able to hear about the lives of so many people and craft stories visually through photography. Amongst all the stresses of my everyday life, it has been the one thing to consistently keep me passionate and ambitious in such innovative ways.

NOIR

Can you share some of your favorite projects or photoshoots you've worked on?

I’ve worked on a few great projects, one of them being NOIR where I explored different forms of elegance in my own young, Black community, and another being To Be Young, Gifted, and Black where I explored the experiences of GenZ creatives across the African Diaspora, particularly in Paris, France. My favorite project is the one that I am currently working on and that will be displayed for my first solo exhibition, Harmony of Hues, where I will reflect on my experiences traveling the world in 2023. The theme and title of my showcase delves into the poetic interconnectedness of my experiences around the world, my love for bold, theatrical colors and forms of expression, as well as this transitionary stage in my life to an unknown, but exciting time. This series of works is hands down my most fashion-forward and ambitious undertaking, but an accurate reflection of where I am as an artist currently and where I hope to continue going.

How would you describe your photography style or approach?

Developing my style is honestly something that I am actively working on and thinking about a lot. When you first start exploring a camera your main focus is learning the machine, gaining techniques, and trying to figure out how to be a Photoshop master (which I’m still not). Once you reach that point where you feel like “oh ok, I’m actually good at this” and begin to view yourself as an artist and not just someone with a camera, style is everything. It’s what makes your work, your work.

Some things I have been reflecting on is wanting my images to be a representation of how I see the world—rich, full of wonder, and curious. I want my style to continue to be theatrical, fashion-forward, and cultural and have deep, colorful hues. I want each project to feel like a global, cultural experience. Especially as an active traveler and International Studies major, I am trained to view everything from a larger, global perspective.

How do you approach capturing the essence or emotion of your subjects?

NOIR pt. 1

The process of capturing the essence of my models is an art within itself. Outside of photography, I love being able to connect and learn about people. Being actively curious and interested in others makes my job as a photographer that much more lively and honestly, easier. I enjoy talking to my models before the shoot, learning more about them, and talking them through the entire process. I’ve done this more in my recent projects, but creating really in-depth moodboards and inspiration shots that I send to them in advance helps prepare them (and me) for what I want to look for and what to expect.

I try creating some storyline that they can pull from as they pose and think about the “character” they’re evoking. It’s always fun getting to chat about casual silly things and reassuring them through the process that they’re doing an amazing job, which is always the case. People become a lot more relaxed and comfortable when they feel connected to you in some kind of way, which is why I try to keep these words by Malian photographer Malick Sidibe in mind, “you have to remember a good photographer is also a social animal…because the customers don’t really see the camera, they see you, the artist– you become the product they’re buying”. Whether it’s client work or personal projects, I am a representation of my work at that moment and if I want the shoot to feel like an experience, I have to be intentional about curating that experience.

 How do you stay inspired and continue to evolve creatively in your photography?

Honestly, taking breaks! Harmony of Hues is a product of a years worth of unreleased thoughts, ideas, and concepts. As a creative it’s easy to feel burnt out from producing things that do not feel as inspiring and that do not challenge your creativity, which is what I was feeling. I took the summer and my semester abroad to reevaluate how I wanted to approach photography again. A lot of this required me to start saying no to things that I no longer felt aligned to, and decreasing client work in order to increase my own independent projects.

I still love working with clients, but learning how to balance executing my own work with client work fuels me to continue feeling the joy of what I do and to push my creative boundaries. Consuming media that adds to my creative “bank” is also something that keeps the wheels turning. Whether that’s learning about new photographers, other artists and creatives, listening to music, watching great shows, or—a new one for me—admiring interior design and architecture keeps the ideas rolling. In order to keep my sight set on always evolving, I like to study the process of other artists. One in particular that I was obsessed with was Bethann Hardison after watching her documentary Invisible Beauty. She is the coined the “mother of modeling”; She starred in the “Battle of Versailles” show in 1973 and became a renowned model agent. Her ambition and drive, like no other I’ve seen before, allowed her to create a whole new experience for Black runway and editorial models in the modeling industry. A lot of what we are able to see now in regard to growth within representation in the modeling industry, despite there still being work to do, is because of her. I aspire to this level of dedication and cultural impact in whatever I do, but especially in my artistry. It’s not just about the photos, but the impact of what I’m doing and the stories that are being told through it.

To Be Young, Gifted, and Black

Are there any photographers or artists who have influenced your work?

Absolutely. A few of my favorite photographers right now are Renell Medrano, Gabriel Moses, and Rafael Pavarotti. Renell Medrano in particular has been a big inspiration for me for the past 5 or so years, and I’ve resonated deeply with her work and her beginnings as an Afro-Latina from the Bronx, which I am as well. Her editorial work and magical ability to capture narratives of vulnerability, heritage, beauty and culture are all things that help me think about how I craft my own images. I actually got the chance to meet her a few weeks ago and felt really excited to chat with her about my own work! Gabriel Moses has been a more recent inspiration, but from the moment I discovered who he was, I knew he would influence how I viewed editorial work and fashion photography. His style is so distinct and specific that I can tell it’s him at first glance– this is how I hope to develop my own style. His images are moody and use incredibly deep hues, which I absolutely love. I also love how he speaks on his religious beginnings growing up in London and the role of powerful Nigerian women in his life. He is super in tune with the prominent fashion and cultural scene in London which is an area I would be honored to explore one day. Lastly, Rafael Pavarotti is another recent artist discovery that has left me amazed. His influence is present in this upcoming project because of the intensity of color he incorporates in his work, the references he makes to Brazilian culture where he has born, and I hope to continue working with bold, beautiful hues in my work from now on. All three of these artists are people I hope to not only meet but work with at some point in the future.

To learn more about Kaylee, follow her Instagram @katuredbykaylee and show support for Harmony of Hues on Friday, April 5th from 7 - 9 PM in Carney 203!

Article by Brooke Olson ‘25

Photographs by Kaylee Arzu ‘24

We would like to thank Kaylee for her hard work with the Arts Council: organizing her Gallery 203 Exhibition and honoring us with this interview.