Nicky Lesser kommt aus L.A. und verwirklicht derzeit ihren Traum des Fotografie-Studiums in New York. Ihre Bilder entstehen in intimem Momenten der Vertrautheit und zeigen Menschen zu denen sie eine enge Beziehung hat. Sie war so nett mir mehr über sich und ihre Kunst preis zu geben:

Abgeschirmt: Tell us something about yourself:
Nicky: I used to want to be an actress.

Abgeschirmt: How is life in New York? Whats the best part of living there?
Nicky: NYC can be good and bad at the same time. It’s really the best, its just you have to get through each day’s struggle living here to appreciate it. But i think part of the reason why people love it, is because it feels like your working so hard to just to live each day in this city, whether its living in a shitty apartment, trekking through the streets or public transportation, or freezing in the winter. It makes everything good seem even more worth while because of all the effort it takes to live each day here.

Abgeschirmt: How did you get into photography?
Nicky: I just randomly took a class one summer always thinking the idea of photography was cool, and i really liked it a lot and kept doing it after that.

Abgeschirmt: Do you remember your first photograph? What was its motive?
Nicky: I remember the first few, but not the ONE. I remember getting friends to pose, and one time i had a big high school house party and got a bunch of kids to pose in my hallway where i had a medium format Twin Reflex camera set up on a tripod. I think the one that pops into my mind the most is getting my best friend to wear this fancy cocktail dress and high heels falling off, and have her smoke a cigarette in the bathtub and look fucked up.

Abgeschirmt: What means nudity to you?
Nicky: Nudity was at first really exciting because it ultimately makes everything more interesting. And its beautiful. And its organic. However, i think i have strayed away from needing nudity in my pictures and use it more as a tool to express a specific idea when necessary. I think that nudity is often used to express intimacy, because sometimes people feel vulnerable when they are naked, and need someone that gives them comfort in order to feel okay with it. I think that nudity can be expressed in many different ways, it also can be a statement of free love and acting crazy and out of the box, and showing a youthful physique. Sometimes clothes just get in the way too, and the body makes a more beautiful picture. I have recently been trying to style my pictures more while incorporating nudity, using clothes to send messages just as nudity does. Sometimes alluding to nakedness is more powerful than full nudity.

Abgeschirmt: What are your thoughts on the internet and young photographers?
Nicky: I think that it has become a huge platform for showing artwork, and many young photographers have caught one, such as me :) I get around to some sites and blogs, but i don’t go too deep. I know a lot of people who are really into the internet and know things/show me things that I really have no idea about. I think that the internet has made being creative extend to so many more people, and creating one’s own site or blog or magazine is much easier. I made my own website, so that is definitely something that many artist or photographers can take advantage of to have a showing platform. I’m on some blogs too, but sometimes i think its too much when people use my pictures without asking… because i like to respect my friends privacy who are in the pictures, if say, they didn’t want their image circulating the internet. But i try and ask before i put my pictures on the internet anyway, because i know that anyone can take stuff from my website. Its probably a good thing too. Maybe i’m overprotective

Abgeschirmt: Ask yourself a question and answer it please:
Nicky: What is your astrological sign? PISCES!

Abgeschirmt: Your current favorite record:
Nicky: “Roast Fish Collie Weed & Corn Bread” by Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry

Abgeschirmt: Shout outs:
Nicky: Chadd, Kyle, Jeff, Marc, Ryan, Matt, David, Fryd Frydendahl: photog. buddies!

www.nicolelesser.com/