Snapshot: Cecilia Majzoub, San Francisco

Cecilia Majzoub’s photography has me so nostalgic for San Francisco…

Lives in: I’ve lived in the San Francisco Bay Area my whole life, born and raised!

Shoots with: I mainly shoot with my Canon AE-1, I definitely favor it over any camera at the moment. Recently I have started shooting Polaroids though, and I love that process quite a lot… being able to have such instant gratification, but also having the freedom to tweak it in different ways, experimenting with the image on an actual physical level rather than through digital processes such as Photoshop.

Favorite subject: To be honest, there is no particular subject I prefer shooting over others, I just love to document. I do not usually plan too far ahead and decide on something specific that I am going to shoot. It is more of an instinctual process for me; I feel as if that helps my photographs come off much more honest and raw. Although, I hope one day to combine the alternative processes I use, with documentary to create visual diaries for musicians and skateboarders alike.

Inspired by: I mostly draw inspiration from what is around me; friends, family, the city and everything it holds. It can even be something as simple as how the light is hitting a stranger on the bus. Music and skateboarding are also two things that have shaped me to be who I am today, which I think comes through in my photographs. Both have helped me become more confident with my work. I’m also quite fond of Ryan McGinley’s photography. His work was some of the first I was introduced to when heading into art school, and I was astonished. He is extremely talented and I hope to work with him some day.

Era of choice: I would love to have shot the Harlem Renaissance during the 1920s and 1930s in New York City. I studied quite a lot about that movement when I was in high school and was really captivated by it. The 1950’s in America also fascinate me; the fashion, the architecture, everything about the 50’s was so perfectly stylized and it would have been a thrill to capture that.

Random fact: Currently, I am working on a curation that is continuous. Sad Monk is the name, (sadmonk.blogspot.com) and I use it to help expose photographers work whom I truly believe in. Each post will have interviews, personal writings by the artist, or playlists including their favorite music. I want to not only showcase their work, but tell the viewers a little bit more about them, make it a tad more personal.

ceciliamajzoub.com