Olivia Lifungula images portfolio and interview

Each month, in our new franchise Behind the Lens, we will be receiving to know the women driving the stunning pictures that fill the magazine’s pages and illustrate our on the net storytelling at Harper’s Bazaar. From celeb cover stories to fairy-tale trend editorials, every single picture is lovingly captured by one of our gifted pool of visionary photographers, devoid of whom the manufacturer wouldn’t be what it is these days.

This thirty day period we’re turning the highlight on photographer Olivia Lifungula, lately liable for taking pictures some of Bazaar’s most lovely celebrity and function imagery.

How did you get into photography, and did you often know that was what you wished to do?

“I was absolutely that child that was fascinated by MTV and viewed a great deal of music videos. I also religiously collected publications and frequently seemed at them and I believe that is where by my enjoy for image-making started. That stated, it took a minor while to start getting photographs I by no means even thought of images as a vocation for the reason that I just failed to improve up seeing any one that looked like me, or was from wherever I’m from, accomplishing it.

“Shifting to the United kingdom at 21 and dwelling in east London at the time in which everybody was a photographer, clothing designer or an artist of some form absolutely gave me the self-confidence I necessary to just go for it. We were all sort of having difficulties, but the good friends I created right here certainly put the batteries in my again and designed it achievable.”

What was your 1st images job or fee?

“My initial actual commission was from the Rachel Brown at Harper’s Bazaar. I first photographed Cush Jumbo and her son Max and then a couple of days afterwards, Jourdan Dunn and her son Riley, for the very same story referred to as ‘Letter to my Child’, motivated by Maya Angelou’s 2008 selection of essays ‘Letter to my Daughter’, which was committed to the daughter she in no way had, but observed all close to her.

“It was my 1st time photographing significant-profile skills, the first time functioning with children on established and quite initial lockdown shoot. So it was a great deal of firsts in one go, but thankfully it all went seriously perfectly and it can be even now one particular of my favorite commissions to day.”

What was the shoot that changed your career?

“All the particular assignments I worked on with my two good friends, make-up artist Laila Hassan Zakaria and stylist Palesa Dlamini. The many years prior to any of us begun finding do the job in the industry will constantly experience unique to me. We consistently prepared shoots to submit to various on the internet publications, usually acquiring turned down or overlooked. It was incredibly discouraging at the time but in hindsight, I definitely cherish all the function we did mainly because it gave me the chance to discover to develop freely, determine out what my work was about, and establish my self-assurance as a photographer and director.

“I couldn’t have discovered that any other way. I also designed existence-very long good friends that turned my spouse and children in this article in London I wouldn’t transform that for something.”

What is the greatest piece of vocation information you’ve got at any time been offered?

“Likely the electrical power of saying no and talking up with no worry of coming across as difficult. I’m incredibly reserved so it is really from time to time a little bit tough to converse up in rooms total of folks, in particular as a female. It’s some thing that I’m rapidly finding out to do.”

Which particular person or area you have shot stands out the most for you over your profession, and why?

“I was commissioned by Ronan Mackenzie and WePresent to photograph myself for an exhibition in Ronan’s new imaginative space known as House by Ronan Mackenzie in North London. The exhibition, titled The Self -Portrait, was a celebration of Black woman photographers, demonstrating the nuance of not only the stories we convey to, but the folks behind the lens telling them.

“As a photographer, getting a component of this gorgeous and historic instant, as very well as obtaining my get the job done in this sort of a attractive and inclusive space, future to other insanely talented Black women of all ages, was the honour of my career so considerably. As a female who has normally struggled with seeing myself, it was a good instant of self-discovery and self esteem. I felt gorgeous and empowered in the course of the complete method and now get to hold that feeling with me eternally.”

What has been your favorite Bazaar British isles shoot and why?

“The natural way, it will have to be the story with Cush and Jourdan. I’m usually in awe of Black women of all ages, specifically Black mothers, and couldn’t have dreamed of a far better to start with fee.”

Who or what do you obtain exciting topics to photograph?

“I’m seriously drawn to photographing men and women in adore. For as prolonged as I can try to remember, I have always been drawn to romance and its ability to permit me to escape and check out human feelings. There is certainly usually been a frequent longing and idealisation of enjoy in equally my operate and own life and sadly, as I grew more mature, I realised that just about each and every love interest in films that I cherished and shaped so a great deal of my eyesight, never included persons that appeared like me.

“As an impression-maker, I have usually felt named to forge my have path and produce additional of what I wanted to see in the environment, so I’m always tremendous intentional about producing do the job the place you see Black men and women, hugging and kissing. I want to share a different standpoint of our ordeals as human beings and showcase Black adore in a way that is not often represented in the media, highlighting our vulnerability, our intimacy, and our pleasure.”

What will make a excellent photo?

“Superior light-weight, the 1 ideal just before the sunset, is often my favourite – I’m even now figuring out how to recreate that in the studio. I’m most undoubtedly a planner and invest a lot of time looking at references and developing temper boards just before all my shoots, but my favorite photographs often close up becoming that minimal personal and spontaneous instant amongst my subject matter and me that I didn’t see coming.”