Written by Noa Fragneau
April 2, 2021
Laurel Golio is a Brooklyn-based queer woman, visual anthropologist, and photographer who shoots editorial and commercial work with brands such as ACLU, Converse, Nike, Vice, and many more. She is also the co-founder of We Are the Youth with Diana Scholl, a photojournalism project which “shares the stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth in the United States.”
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Zooming in on Laurel Golio
Shooting mostly digitally with a Canon 5D Mk4, Laurel also shoots film on a Pentax 67ii and “loves to carry around a little Pentax point and shoot for everyday random stuff.” Although she does not have any specific routine, it is important to her to connect with the people she works with. She mentions how important it is to “meet someone where they are” no matter what the energy surrounding them feels like.
NF: How did you come to find your love for photography?
LG: “I’ve always loved photography and grew up playing with my cameras around my house – my grandpa’s old Nikon and my parents had this Nikon point and shoot that I loved since I was a little kid. Around high school, I started taking a bunch of photography classes and really loved it. I was lucky enough to go to a high school with a dark room, and often was the only person in there, so it was a special time of exploration and growth.”
NF: What drew you towards visual anthropology? How does that play into your photography?
LG: “I didn’t discover (the formal field of) visual anthropology until college. There was a great cultural anthro professor who taught visual anthro at my school (shout out to Prof. Nancy Mithlo!). She became my advisor when I decided to major in the field. We screened a lot of older work from the 40s/50s – Margaret Mead, Gregory Bateson, Sol Worth and John Adair. I found it interesting but was always drawn to a more modern application of visual anthropology where collaborative relationships are stressed. I also was really interested in the ethics of visual anthropology and representation in photojournalism, especially in regard to conflict and war.”
“Studying the ethics of visual representations really informed how I think about my own work and the choices I try to make in my personal projects and my commercial work.”
Laurel Golio. Editorial use of the image is authorized.
Her Journey in Photography
“The most important thing when shooting a subject is to connect with them in a way that feels comfortable.”
Zeam, 17, Minneapolis, MN. Source: http://wearetheyouth.org/profiles/zeam-age-17-minneapolis-mn/
NF: Do you have a specific routine you like to do when shooting?
LG: “I don’t have any specific routine, per se. I actively try to slow down, especially on smaller editorial or portrait jobs. I definitely have an urge to move fast but I’m trying to get better at slowing down and taking a breath while shooting to ground myself in the moment.”
NF: You’ve worked with a lot of companies; do you have any favorites so far? Any that stood out to you whether it’s the brand’s message or how your work turned out?
LG: “Not sure I have a favorite client or company to work with, but I feel especially grateful for the projects that have felt super collaborative and personal in some way. Where I can connect to a certain aspect of the job, even if it’s an apparel campaign or a shoe campaign. I will say, I’ve also had some tough working experiences, but I value those just as much because I’ve learned so much from those challenges and hard moments.”
NF: How was it to photograph Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?
LG: “It was an experience! We pulled an all-female team for the shoot (which I try to do a lot but this one felt especially important to do that for). It was a small group; everyone was really excited and committed to making the best images we could. AOC was personable and professional and it was great to collaborate on images with her and her team.”
NF: How does art play a role in activism?
LG: “I think art and activism are inextricably linked. They don’t need to be and definitely aren’t always linked, but art impacts culture and culture impacts society. I believe in the power of visuals to make a difference in the world. Representation is so important. I’d even argue, and this is a charged conversation because there are so many awful things about capitalism, but I believe that representation even in the most capitalistic setting can change lives. Having a trans model as the face of some apparel campaign – a queer or trans kid might see that at the mall, and as cliché as it sounds, seeing themselves reflected in mainstream culture is so vitally important.”
NF: How do you think it impacts children/teenagers to be or not be represented as much in society?
LG: “I think it’s one of the most important things for young people. Be it queer, trans, Black, Asian – whatever it is. As a youth, looking around and seeing yourself reflected or being able to relate to a character in a book/movie is life changing, even if you don’t realize it at the time. I think it took me a long time to unpack the lack of queer representation around me when I was growing up. I was seeing some queer media, but always through a tragic lens. What if queer youth grew up seeing happy stories about themselves, or at least, stories with some happiness? It’s vital.”
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We Are the Youth
“Almost everyone I’ve met through We Are the Youth has impacted me in some way – it’s really been one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever been involved with.”
Hannah, 21, Oswego, NY. Source: http://wearetheyouth.org/profiles/hannah-21-oswego-ny/
NF: As the co-founder of We Are the Youth, could you tell me more about the project?
LG: “We Are the Youth is a photojournalism project that shares the stories of LGBTQ/queer youth, 21 and under, in the United States. The profiles consist of a portrait, taken by me, and an “as-told-to” interview, done by my childhood friend (and wonderful journalist!) Diana Scholl.”
NF: What gave you and Diana Scholl the idea to start this project?
LG: Diana and I started the project in 2010 because we weren’t seeing a lot of stories on or about queer youth in the “mainstream media”. Most of the stories you were seeing were sad – centered on bullying or suicide. Those topics are, of course, super important to cover and talk about, but we knew there were so much more to share! Queer youth experience wonderful, happy, sweet things as well and we wanted to create a platform where they could talk about their lived experiences, whatever those might be.”
NF: How can readers help support the project?
LG: “Buy the book and spread the word! It’s available on Amazon and we’ve heard so many lovely stories from folks who bought it for a family member who might not be exposed to many stories about queer youth. Those are my favorite emails, from someone’s grandfather or parent saying how impactful it was to hear interviews with queer youth, in their own words, and how they learned so much about themselves or their family member, friend, etc.”
NF: What’s next with it?
LG: “At the moment, the project is on a sort of hiatus. We spent about 8 years working a lot on We Are the Youth and around 2018, we were a bit burnt out. Diana was working full time at the ACLU and I was shooting a lot of editorial and commercial work so we unofficially put it on hold. We’ve talked a lot about revisiting the project though and maybe meeting back up with some of the folks that we interviewed years ago, which we think could be really amazing.”
Elliott, 21, Bronx, NY. Source: http://wearetheyouth.org/profiles/elliott-21-bronx-ny/
NF: If you had any advice for those who are just starting in photography, what would it be?
LG: “I think my advice would be don’t give up and find a voice/perspective that is unique to you. It sounds cliché, but I think (especially in NY), it’s so easy to feel like everyone around you is successful, making it happen, and getting hired for giant jobs overnight. But the reality is that most folks in the photo world spent years building their portfolio, going on meetings, sending 10000s of emails and getting a few replies here and there, really hustling to get where they are.”
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Thank you to Laurel Golio for this wonderful discussion!
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