Short profile
Josh Wool grew up in the Low Country of South Carolina. After spending nearly a decade in New York, he currently lives with his wife in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. His first book of photographs “Modern Alchemy“ was published in 2015 and was produced as part of his work for the Artist’s Initiative Grant. Josh Wool was selected for PDN‘s 30 New and Emerging Photographers Award, 2014 and works commercially for brands such as General Motors or Sony Records as well as for magazines such as the Sunday Times UK, Rolling Stone or GQ.
5 QUESTIONS TO JOSH WOOL
Can you tell us a little bit about how you became a photographer? And tell us something about your pictures.
I fell into photography at age 30. I was a chef and restauranteur, while I always appreciated the medium, work left very little time for outside endeavors. I ended up having a couple of surgeries on my hands, and during the recovery I picked up photography as a hobby. A year and a half later I moved to NYC for work, but in the six months that followed I realized that with the physical limitations from the surgeries and a diminishing passion for life in the restaurant industry, I needed to make a major change. I left the restaurant world and took some time to reassess what I wanted to do. While I was figuring that out I was also photographing as many people as I could, I wasn’t sure how long I was going to stay in NYC, so I wanted to make the most of it. As the months went by I started to get editorial assignments, build a social media following, and licensed some photos that allowed me to keep pursuing photography. So it sort of just organically evolved into a career.
Photo: Josh Wool
Please share something about your images. What is your special interest? How do you choose the colors, composition, themes etc.?
I am a portrait photographer, and while I do commercial and editorial work, portraiture is what I find to be the most rewarding. The common theme in all of my work is connection, my work tends to be subtle and quiet, I try to strip away the unnecessary and extemporaneous elements so that the connection between the subject, the viewer, and myself is distilled into its simplest and most effective form.
Photo: Josh Wool
Where does this interest come from?
I’m genuinely interested in people and the human condition. A portrait can be a very powerful thing. It can change perception, for both the viewer of the subject and the subject of themselves. I suppose that my interest in portraiture is showing the world how I view it. Every portrait is the culmination of our life’s experience, is a record of the place where the photographer, the subject, and the viewer intersect. It is a bit existential, but I do find that to be endlessly interesting.
Photo: Josh Wool
How do you get inspired? And what inspires you the most? Films, books, or magazines? Or what surrounds you?
I find that most of my inspiration comes from the process, doing the work, the best ideas always come in the moment for me. I leave a lot of space for that to happen, rigidity in thought or expectations don’t allow for those ideas to work their way through the noise. I’m inspired by people’s stories and experiences, by those who aren’t afraid to cut their own path, to explore life in unexpected or unconventional ways. I myself looking to painters for visual inspiration. I also find that when I spend time in nature away from people, I come back with a renewed sense of curiosity, a clear mind, and an openness to connect.
What are your plans for the rest of the day?
I’m working on some color treatments for a recent assignment and scouting some locations here in the gold country of northern California for a personal project. After that, an evening walk with my wife and our dog before cooking dinner.
