Liz Bretz

L i z B r et z

Photographing ethereal dreams into reality

L iz Bretz

BY GABBY LOVAZZANO

The Photography of Liz Bretz is memserizing. It only takes one look to be instantly captivated by her lush images and transported away to another plane. She captures beautiful scense that are ephemeral and simply stunning. She manages to a world to the viewer into spaces that feels familiar and inviting while remaining intimate and unkonwn. Bretz’s photos feel like a moment drawn straight out of a dream and into the physical world.

YOU ARE THE DEFINITION OF CREATIVE. NOT ONLY ARE YOU A PHOTOGRAPHER EDITOR AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR, YOU ALSO ARE VERY POETIC. IN YOUR OWN WORDS TELL OUR READERS AND MYSELF HOW YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE AS AN ARTIST.

Thank you. That’s a tough question. I’ve described the aesthetic and style as surrealist, modern, haunting and nostalgic. The images I create are an honest reflection of how I am feeling, what I am processing through - clues to my current emotional state. It’s self-portrait, an opportunity to reveal, express ideas of self-identity and celebrate vulnerabilities. Sometimes, I am not fully intellectually connected to the work until the image has uncovered itself through the process of creating. During those moments, I am moved by the magic of the subconscious; I feel empowered by honing in on that depth. Other times, I know exactly what I’m going for and the creative process is a collaboration of efforts trying to achieve that goal. It’s interesting to look back through the work I’ve created to assess the evolution of themes - isolation, loneliness, escapism, sexual identity and the emergence of femme fatale and woman warrior characters. These themes couple with the evolution of my personal self. Creating art has been a beautiful process of self-discovery and reflection, that all begins with a desire to express a feeling.

WHEN DID YOU COME UP WITH YOUR DREAMY STYLE AND HOW HAS IT PROGRESSED SINCE YOU HAVE BECOME MORE VERSED IN EDITING? I started shooting in this style during my second year attending photography school. I was inspired photographically by Diane Arbus and Jill Greenberg, and by many others outside the medium: Tim Burton (director), Mark Ryden (painter), Wes Anderson (director). The style has evolved over the years into a visual aesthetic that feels more personal. During the second year of photography school, we switched from an analog curriculum to a digital curriculum. With the digital program we became well-versed in Photoshop. I fell in love with Photoshop; It was a magical playground where my imagination could play and expand. Practical effects were cost-prohibitive as a student; Photoshop gave me the tools to create with a tiny budget and big imagination.

DIANE ARBUS IS A MAJOR INSPIRATION FOR YOU. WHAT IS IT ABOUT HER PHOTOGRAPHY THAT YOU ARE SO DRAWN TOO AND WHEN DID YOU FIRST DISCOVER HER? At the time I discovered her, I was a regular consumer of pop culture and pop everything. Her imagery was a dramatic departure from anything I had seen, consumed, or experienced. There’s a strong psychological and emotional quality to her work that I found arresting, engaging and reflective of the mental and emotional space I was living in at age 22. I saw pain, but felt hope. I was educated by her images.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND RAISED? I was born in the Bucks County, Pennsylvania just outside of Philadelphia. In Bucks County, I grew up on a farm in a 300 year old farmhouse. At age 5, my family began traveling and living between Pennsylvania and Kauai, Hawaii. From age 5-18, we would spend 6 months on the farm in Pennsylvania and 6 months in tropical Hawaii.

things. I learned that I’d rather be in the creative arts and I learned that photographers could make commercial money. I moved back to the farm in Pennsylvania to pick up my camera for a year, photographing the farms and natural beauty of the area. My sister was living in LA at the time and encouraged the move out to the City of Angels. The invitation was all I needed. I moved out to LA as soon as I completed my obligations in PA.

HOW HAS YOUR UPBRINGING INFLUENCED YOUR WORK? The environments and experiences between growing up in Pennsylvania and Hawaii created an interesting tension. The 300 year old farmhouse was haunting, dark and damp - full of critters and sounds; Hawaii was bright, warm, full of color and floral smells. Both environments stamped their respective familiarities into my psyche. Earlier themes and work were influenced by family dynamics and childhood traumas. Creating art gave me the opportunity to work through and understand pain. As a child, I felt isolated, alone and as an outsider - a sentiment that was perpetuated by the experience growing up as a Haole in Hawaii. Art, photography specifically, also gave me a space to claim and define my femininity - something that was difficult for me to claim or define while growing up.

AT WHAT TIME DID YOU DECIDE TO MOVE TO LOS ANGELES, AND WHAT ABOUT LA BROUGHT YOU HERE? After I graduated college with a degree in Advertising and Graphic design, I worked in the broadcast production department of a large advertising firm in Boston. While working in advertising, I learned two life-changing

CAN YOU SHARE WITH US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR EDUCATION. ARE YOU SELF TAUGHT OR DID YOU PRACTICE AT A SCHOOL? IF SO WHAT SCHOOL AND FOR HOW LONG? IF NOT HOW LONG HAS IT TAKEN YOU ON YOUR OWN TO LEARN FROM HOME AND WHAT PROGRAMS DID YOU USE? I took my first photography class in high school and continued to take every photography credit my high school offered. When I was in college in Boston, I abandoned photography; I didn’t enroll in any classes or work on a single personal photo project. After I moved out to LA, I enrolled in photography school at Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, CA. It was a three year technical program, learning and practicing in both film and digital. After graduating Brooks, I moved back down to LA to work in the photo industry as an assistant.

WHAT KIND OF TOOLS ARE YOU WORKING WITH TO CREATE YOUR IMAGES? CAMERA? PHOTOSHOP? LIGHTROOM? I’m currently shooting digitally with the Canon 5 d mark IV. I do advanced editing in Photoshop and color toning in Lightroom with customized filters. I like the latitudes of shooting digital with the replicated toning and colors of film.

Creat ing art has been a beaut iful process of self-discovery and Creat ing art has been a beaut iful process of self-discovery and "

reflect ion t hat all begins wit h a desire to express a feeling." reflect ion t hat all begins wit h a desire to express a feeling." "

WHEN I LOOK THROUGH YOUR WORK I CAN SEE THE RELATIONSHIP AND UNDERSTANDING YOU HAVE WITH YOUR SUBJECTS. EACH SHOT IS A MOOD WITH A VIBE. I WANT TO SAY THIS HAS A LOT TO DO WITH YOUR SKILL AND ALSO WITH THE TEAMS YOU CHOOSE TO WORK WITH. IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE, WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE COLLABORATIONS? WHAT ABOUT THE TEAM MADE IT EXTRA SPECIAL? One of my favorite collaborations was with a sister duo who grew up dancing together. Their artistry and their dynamic was stunning and unique to capture. I was an experience I can’t replicate.

A photographer-subject relationship is collaborative and fluid. One of the best exercises I ever committed to was taking improv comedy classes. The practice and art of improv improved my directorial style. It also emphasized the importance on building up and creating together. Improv has given me the tools, presence of mind and confidence to guide or encourage action and emotion from behind the camera.

Personality and character go a long way on set. Negativity, lack of professionalism, ego and attitude will immediately torpedo the vibe and productivity of a set. My intention is to keep sets calm, positive, comfortable, inspiring and productive. The environment nurtures the creation. The largest part of ensuring that atmosphere is populating the environment with the correct team.

SO YOU MENTIONED YOU’RE OPENING YOUR OWN STUDIO. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE NEW SPACE? I am very excited for this new venture. Two of my dearest friends and myself are opening Moon Seven Collective, a multidisciplinary space for creators, located just south of downtown LA. We believe everyone is an artist, and art flourishes in space. When I was starting out as a new photographer in LA, I quickly realized affordable creative space was hard to find. It was frustrating. We wanted to create, and we didn’t have to means to do it. It was important to me that once I had the means, ability and time, I would help create a space for the sole purpose of creating art. It will be a fully equipped photo studio, primarily used for photo shoots, video shoots, seminars, workshops, arts and crafts circles, rehearsals, podcasts, events, etc.