Joao Canziani
"the general chaos and life of it all. It's the best feeling."
Final edit
Title: Law Roach in Istanbul for Chase Travel & GQ
Featured: Chase Travel in collaboration with GQ
Outtakes
Q&A
Give us some background on this project.
I got hired by Condé Nast to take pictures of celebrity stylist Law Roach in Istanbul while a film crew shot a short doc of his experience there, all for Chase Travel in collaboration with GQ.
Why was the final edit selected over the outtakes?
Presumably because it featured more images of Law, and images that showed Istanbul in a more commercial way for Chase Travel's purposes.
Any anecdotal moments during this project that you'd be willing to share?
I'm incredibly lucky to be able to travel for my job. And this trip to Istanbul was probably my favorite of last year. No specific anecdotes other than that feeling I got when I was walking around the city's waterfront and shooting away – fellow travelers looking out, vendors selling their stuff, kids jumping into the water, the general chaos and life of it all. It's the best feeling.
Shed some light on how you got involved in this career.
It was a hobby of mine when I was a teenager. And then, after many years of getting distracted and wasting time (as one usually does in your 20s) doing menial jobs and going to college for something completely different, I decided to pursue photography seriously. So I moved to LA to attend Art Center College of Design. And the rest is history, as they say.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Everything. My young daughter, travel, movies, art, even something just as simple as the way the light from a window might hit a wall. But let's be real – also the good shit that my fellow photographers are putting up on Instagram.
Describe the project that defined you as an established artist.
Hard to say. But maybe this shoot I did for Gatorade, that spanned a few continents.
What’s it like being on set with you?
I'd like to think that I'm a kind but firm and assertive "director." I like to put cast and crew at ease, to establish a good space for collaboration, and ultimately for everybody to have a good time. We're all there because we love what we do, and I want to keep it that way.
Do you prefer a large or small team on set?
It depends on the needs of the project. Sometimes it's just me roaming a place, like with Istanbul above. Other times it's a crew of a dozen or more people, and that's fun too.
Describe your ideal project.
It has to be when I work with a very close knit group of talented people making something beautiful. Where commercial considerations are not present – or if they are, they are in the service of making good shit.
Express what your work means to you.
Other than my family, my work is my everything. I think I would be depressed or not quite me if I didn't shoot. It validates me.
What gear are you packing?
Usually just my cameras.
What factors influenced your artistic style?
The need for sincerity, and where everything in the frame aligns. Where I can almost taste the colors.
What would you like to be known for in the creative industry?
I guess for being a damn good visual artist??
Social media for artists… Give us your thoughts.
It's a double-edged sword. Employ at your own peril. It's a source of constant pleasure and frustration.
Do you have any suggestions to budding artists?
Work your ass off. Keep doing good work even if it's not recognized. And when you feel like you're just going to give up, that's when you need to keep on going. But above all, be kind and be honest, because it all comes back. A young PA on set can be the producer that hires you many years later. Your career will be short-lived if you're an asshole. (Although I'm very aware that the opposite is often true – as is often the case in every industry. To which I say, those people are probably rotten and miserable inside anyway.)
Anything else you'd like to share about you or your work?
Hmmm, I don't think so. Other than, it hopefully speaks for itself.
Why do you think it's important for outtakes to be featured?
Outtakes are my lifeblood! It's my favorite thing to do after a shoot. After sending selects to the client, I love poring through a shoot and selecting the outtakes that are important to me. It's a statement of my point of view.
What’s next for you?
Traveling to Barcelona for a commercial shoot.
Share a quote you live by.
Hmmm... "You only live once."
How can people follow your work?