Kana Kozlowski: Wild Things

Hi! My name is Kana Kozlowski, I’m a photographer, writer and director in Los Angeles but I was born and raised in a beach town in San Diego. I’ve never not been doing something behind the camera! Since I was a child I knew I wanted to direct films and would shoot little narrative videos to practice. Once I was 18, I started modeling and realized quickly I would rather be the photographer! So, I started playing around with shooting film when I was 20 while also writing and directing two short films. After college, I started a job in the film industry and since then really focused and honed in on my artistic perspective as a director and photographer. I shoot pretty much entirely on 35 mm film and style and creative direct all my work.

I planned this photoshoot with my friend and model Lana Klein. I’ve known Lana for years and we had not been able to shoot together for a long time since I moved. So, when I was coming to visit San Diego we decided to do a beach shoot. I usually kind of just go with the flow for a more casual, fun shoot like this so it was less planning and more just letting it happen! With June gloom, the fog bank never cleared. Up until a few hours before, I was scrambling trying to see if any beach along the coast was sunny because I really did not want to cancel the shoot. I remembered Lana’s beautiful pool and yard and asked her if it was sunny there. Since it was, we spontaneously decided to shoot around her pool and house with no real plan, and chasing the little bit of sun we had and I’m so glad we did!

I recently showed some of my work at SAB Gallery and it was amazing getting to see the exhibit come together and show case my photography from different times of my life. The amount of people who came up to me and totally understood my surrealist, whimsical perspective was stunning to me. It’s so different hearing what people think in person than just on a screen! There’s nothing more rewarding than feeling like you’re being heard through your art. I really felt validated.

I think I draw more inspiration from directors and films! I love Sofia Coppola’s perspective and full immersion in the worlds she creates. I love the emotion Scorsese infuses in every film. I love Tarantino’s absolute attention to detail. I think from a director’s perspective I’ve really learned to take into consideration the character I’m portraying, what world she lives in, and therefore the kind of way she should be photographed.

I think as a woman in the industry it’s easy to be written off and not feel respected by your counter parts until you prove yourself over and over. I try to drown out that noise in my head by staying focused on the scene and what I envision, even if people are actively working against it. In any scenario that arises, I remember to trust my vision and trust the struggle.

I think a hard shoot for me was one of my first times shooting indoors on film. It was in this beautiful church that we basically had to just hope we wouldn’t get kicked out of. We were so lucky and it completely empty and we just made sure to be really respectful and not draw attention. It felt like such an amazing shoot and when the photos came back they were almost all completely unusable. I had misjudged how dark it would be in there so I tried to use flash to make up for the film being the wrong ISO. The flash had not synched with the camera and I was so devastated. We had gotten so lucky the first time I thought there was no way we will get that lucky again. I decided to reshoot it with my model and we did not get lucky! The church didn’t open for hours and when it finally did, they did not want to let us in. Somehow, I managed to get 15 minutes in there and we shot one roll as fast as possible and I got the exact photo I wanted! Still think it could’ve been better, but I’m hard on myself.

The best advice I can give is to search for inspiration all around you! Walk down the street in your city, go to a thrift store, watch some movies, enjoy nature. I think the biggest mistake aspiring photographers make is searching for new ideas on Instagram and Pinterest. People end up recreating other visions in slightly new formats rather than developing their own creative voice. I personally have a folder of random pictures of things I think could inspire me for a shoot one day. Whether that be a cool lighting effect I saw in the city, a beach with amazing texture and formations, or a unique object I found at a local store. Inspiration can come in so many forms and once you learn to piece together the little things that make your art special, your creative voice will reveal itself to you.

I also believe it’s so important to leave space for the unknown in your shoot. Plan 70-80% of it and then leave the rest up to chance, your model and the elements. Some of the best photos happen when you just let go and see what happens.

This is so hard! I think it constantly changes because I’m always working harder to out do myself. If I had to say right now my favorite photoshoot was A Goddess Born from Fire.

But of all time, it’s my short film Painted Lady. There’s nothing that shows my soul more than this film.

You can see my work in more detail on my Instagram @kanakozlowski and contact me. I’m currently taking bookings, you can email or DM me!

Instagram: @kanakozlowski

Website: kanakozlowski.com