MPB Meets: Portrait Photographer Lawrence Agyei
Published 8 December 2020 by MPB
This week, we speak to portrait photographer Lawrence Agyei @lawrenceagyei—who has worked with publications including Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, TIME magazine, The New York Times, Rolling Stone and The Marshall Project.
When you look beyond his portraits’ stunning poses, there is the incredible use of colour and light to create a unique palette and atmosphere. Keep reading to find out more about Lawrence’s influences, how he chooses his equipment and how his life has shaped his work.
MPB: Can you tell us about how your background in photography?
LA: My journey as a photographer started when I moved from Italy to Chicago in 2007. But I started taking it seriously during my senior year of High School when I took a photography class. I fell in love with creating in the darkroom and analogue film. After winning a portrait project, my teacher encouraged me to keep training my eye and to never stop shooting. I took his words seriously and ran with it. It took me a long time to get to where I am right now. It took a lot of studying, but the first time I picked a medium-format camera, my whole life changed. It was like magic—I never turned back. Now, I’m a full-time photographer.
MPB: You seem to get a lot out of your subjects—are you looking for a specific something when shooting portraits?
LA: I'm always looking to show their real essence through my photos. Most of my subjects are stylish and have beautiful clothes—but what is their story beyond that? I'm looking to show their humanity and the story beyond the clothes.
MPB: Can you tell us about your lighting?
LA: Natural light is king, so I will always lean towards that. But I'm learning studio lighting now, so we'll see what happens with my next shoots.
MPB: Your work plays with effects, how do you achieve these?
LA: I bought a box of filters made for the Mamiya Leaf RZ67. The effect filter is a Cokin filter made in the 90s. I just attached them to the lens, make sure my subject is in focus, and the rest is magic.
MPB: What do you find to be the most challenging part going shooting with someone new or someone you haven’t shot with before?
LA: Connection. Sometimes the connection is not there, no matter how many conversations you have with that person, but I always find ways to break that wall. Music always works, though.
MPB: Your images are imbued with great use of colour—how important is your heritage, and how does this translate to your images?
LA: Colour photography is very important to me because of how it evokes an emotion, a feeling. My heritage and upbringing play a huge part as to why I choose colour for my work. I'm originally from Ghana but born and raised in Italy. All I saw growing up is beautiful traditional Ghanaian clothes with strong bold colours and Italians with amazing suits in many different colours! Whenever I shoot with strong colours, it takes me back to that time and place from my childhood. I just remember being so inspired by these things, so I play it into my work now.
MPB: Do you find it’s important for photography to say something?
LA: As Nina Simone once said, “It is an artist's duty to reflect the times”. I think about this quote whenever I'm shooting. I'm always focused on saying something, in telling a story. There's nothing wrong with just shooting—but for me, personally, I have to reflect the times, I have to tell a story. It's so many untold stories from all over, and as an artist, I truly feel like I should photograph to bring those stories to light.
MPB: You shoot on a mix of digital and film—what’s your thought process behind choosing one over the other?
LA: I always say that digital is information and film is poetry. I prefer analogue over digital. I have a real emotional connection to my film cameras, especially the Mamiya RZ67 and Pentax 67. I feel more connected to those cameras than the digital. I just use digital as a backup or sometimes for client work.
MPB: Where would you like to see your photography take you in the future?
LA: To be quite honest with you, I'm still trying to figure it out. I don't see myself ever stop shooting, but I do want to move into directing short films—so that might be my next thing. As artists, we have the opportunity to use every medium to tell stories, but we'll see what happens in the next few years. I have been thinking about doing my first solo show next year and will release a book.
Thanks, Lawrence. You can see more of Lawrence’s work on Instagram @lawrenceagyei, or on Twitter @lawagyei.