Lauren Dukoff – Dark Horse

We discovered her name in what seemed at the time, an unrelated posting – a video for Oliver Peoples, starring folk musician, Devendra Banhart, who happens to be, one of Lauren’s most prolific subjects, not to mention, a close friend and collaborator, whom she has documented for many years. “[Devendra Banhart] was my first subject,” says Lauren, “I started naively taking pictures of him when I was 13, I don’t ever plan on stopping.”

You don’t say. We imagine discovering your passion early on in life makes things a lot easier, doesn’t it? You’re not left by the way side of the educational system, thinking about what you should do with your life instead of doing something with your life. You’re going to grab your major by the balls and own it. Well, in Lauren’s case, that was not the case at all. “I dropped out of photography school after a year,” a decision that was encouraged and supported by her parents. “I figured I could learn more on set watching other photographers work, than in a classroom.”  In fact, she continues, “my father is a director and cinematographer. He introduced me to photography. I grew up in a creative household where my visual interests were encouraged and supported. I feel blessed to have parents who completely understand what it is that I do for a living.”

It was probably a more difficult route to take when classroom comforts are amiss, but her passion for her craft ensued. Plus, living in L.A. doesn’t hurt. “Growing up in Los Angeles and being based in California has greatly influenced my work.” We could imagine. Being in a hotbed of celebridom, you might cross paths with a few big names now and then. Lady Gaga, Sting, Animal Collective, Kim Gordon, Beck, Mary J. Blige, Morrissey, Neil Young, and Adele, are now just some of the celebrated artists that Lauren Dukoff considers as part of her photo portfolio.

Not to say it’s all about about the glitz and glam. Lauren also admires her home base as much for the people as she does for the land itself. “Any type of landscape or terrain that you can think of is at your disposal. I just did a shoot on the top of Mt. Baldy in the snow with the Raveonettes, next week I have a shoot that I am doing on the beach.” Nice life yah? Until she adds, “Each location is less than an hour from my door.” Magical.

Her photos have appeared in the pages of L’Uomo Vogue, Tokion, Vice, Rolling Stone, Nylon, Another, Velvet, and Dazed & Confused. She’s worked for BBDO, Publicis, The American Red Cross, Interscope Records, Warner Bros., Atlantic, XL Recordings, Hollywood Records, and Sony Music, among others. Her work has been shown at L.A.’s Armand Hammer Museum, and has since been displayed in various galleries around the world. And a book? Why not. Indie publisher Chronicle Books released her first monograph, Family, which gained some serious critical acclaim. Dukoff has become one of the most sought after photographers in genres of music and celebrity, with a style and sophistication, well beyond her 26 years.

And when it comes down to it, Lauren Dukoff is thrilled to have a camera, some film, and a horse to shoot.

Texas Horse

Why do you shoot?
One small reason would be to document and remember. My best friend and wardrobe stylist Ashley Furnival tells me I have a horrible memory, I almost have black outs of events that happened during our adolescents together that she remembers clear as day. I suppose if you take a picture you can’t forget. I love capturing moments.

She + Him

What do you love shooting the most?
I love shooting people, there is such an unwritten narrative in each persons face.  I also have a deep rooted childhood obsession with horses, I love photographing horses.

MOZ

Favourite Photographers?
There are too many to list…Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon, Sam Haskins, Bob Richardson, Inez and Vinoodh, Hedi Slimane… I could go on and on.

M.I.A.

Equipment?
I have three cameras that I constantly shoot on. My first camera, an old canon 35mm that my father gave me when I was 13, a Mamiya 645 I bought on eBay for $500 that I shoot everything on, and a Mamiya RZ that I got from my friend David Black who’s photography I greatly admire.

Little Joy

Worst shoot experience?
I was photographing horses in the Texas Hill Country for an issue of Lula my friends Kate and Laura of Rodarte were curating this past summer. I had a terrible flu and was running a fever of a 103. I drove from Bandera to Santa Ana to Austin all in one day, photographing as I went along. It was over 100 degrees out, and the humidity was oppressive. I had never felt so delusional in all my life. Miraculously the photos came out, I wouldn’t have been surprised if they were all out of focus and exposed incorrectly.

Little Joy

Lady Gaga

Kemp Muhl

Favorite shoot experience?
I have so many. My favorite shoot days are the days that don’t feel like work at all. The days I get to remind myself of just how lucky I am to have found photography and the fact that I love my job.

Jesse Eisenberg

Jack Novak

Muses?
Devendra Banhart. He was my first subject, I started naively taking pictures of him when I was 13, I don’t ever plan on stopping.

Devendra Banhart

David Lynch

What is your dream shoot?
Just about anything that involves horses.

Danny Trejo

Charlotte Gainsbourg

What is the perfect picture?
An image that tells a story, even if in the most subtle way. A great image to me makes you want to know what is happening out of the frame or inside the mind of the subject. What happened right before the shutter went off and what is going to happen after.

Bat For Lashes

Beck

Bat For Lashes

What’s next for you?
My next personal project is going to be documenting what is left of the American cowboy way of life; more specifically, focusing on adolescent boys.