Models to Mothers: an Interview with Photographer Sam Klegerman
Esteemed fashion photographer Sam Klegerman is releasing his first photographic series book entitled YES NO THANK YOU GOODBYE on September 10. Having had his work featured in Playboy, Sam Edelman, BOOHOO, MAXIM MEXICO, Marie Claire Magazine, and many others, Yes No Thank You Goodbye is Klegerman's first venture into the storytelling side of photography. The book visually explores the raw emotions and stories of Klegerman and his family as they journey through caring for his mother with early-onset Alzheimer’s through artistic and intimate photos. All profits made from Yes No Thank You Goodbye will be donated to UsAgainstAlzheimers.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Tell us about yourself.
[SAM:] I’m Sam, I’m a photographer from Laguna Beach, California. I grew up taking photos, starting around seventh grade. At that time everyone decided it was cool to pick up a camera and rock and roll so my friends and I did the same thing. This was when social media was really becoming a thing for brands to do marketing on. My friends and I started to do that at a young age and I started to feel a therapeutic release through photography. I continued to do it through high school then I applied to Parsons in New York City and I just graduated this past May. I’ve been taking photos since I was 12 professionally. For the past 10 years, I’ve been with clients making visual facades come to life, and my friends and I creating content for online companies. For the first time, I’m making a narrative that’s about myself and turning the camera away from the audience and onto me.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How would you describe your style of photography?
[SAM:] For the longest time, I created vibrant pop image photos when I worked with influencers and did a lot of social media content. I wanted to give this vibrant facade that channeled who I was as a person – I’m a very flamboyant person, I speak vibrantly and I always wanted to translate that into my images. When I went to Parsons it became more of a journey of what images do you make and what styles aren’t your own and how can you blend that together? Now, coming out on the other end, I realized that wasn’t my style at all. It’s been an ever-changing process but I consider my style very vibrant and pop-y.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How has the way you take photos evolved over the years?
[SAM:] When I started photography, I worked at Brandy Melville for four and a half years, from the age of 13 to 17. I was in charge of their social media and content. I was listening to what others wanted and responding to how they wanted the photos to look but at Parsons and with my schooling I really had time to reflect on myself as an artist. My artist statement has changed for why I photograph and who I photograph.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What inspired you to create your book, YES NO THANK YOU GOODBYE?
[SAM:] Through the four years at Parsons you are thrown these curveballs and it gets harder every year. In your senior year, you do what’s called your thesis and this is something that has to be meaningful to you. I sat there and thought about what makes me tick and there was so much that came to mind. For the past five years of being in school while working for Brandy Melville, I was caring for my mom with early-onset Alzheimer’s. I was a student, I was a photographer, I was a stylist, I was an influencer, but I was also a caregiver. I put that world in a separate box because I knew if I wanted to do something creative and do exactly what I wanted, I had to remove that part of myself and isolate it. When it came to senior year, I had this conversation with myself and I knew it was the right thing to do. At the beginning of the year, I sat with myself and thought, “I need to do something that is a full environment, a full atmosphere and really dive the deepest into my feelings and just put myself at the center of the narrative.”
[UNPUBLISHED:] How do you want people to feel when they see the photos in the book?
[SAM:] When I got the first copy I thought, “What do I want people who do not have a connection to someone with this disease to take away from this?” It made me think about family connections as a whole, especially during COVID with not being able to see people and leave the house. It really brought a new level of how I define isolation in my project. I’m in a position where I’m unable to see my family and unable to see my mom in her nursing home. What I want people to take away from this is human connection and what it means to be isolated and removed and what it means to be okay without having all of the answers. I’m really happy with it. It’s a collection of images that have been taken over the past 22 years that my mom took and my dad took that I put together in a crafty way. For every book sold on Amazon, 100% of the profits go to families, especially families of color, to help get the proper access to care.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How have your friends and family reacted after seeing the book for the first time?
[SAM:] When I started showing my friends I was nervous thinking about what kind of questions I was going to get because at Parsons we critique each other every week. My teacher was so hard on us, she was the meanest one but the best one. She had questions that would make you cry and questions that would make you feel good so by the time it was ready to share with my friends and family I felt like I had all of the questions ready to go. I was able to not only be confident in my answer but to also answer it thoroughly.
[UNPUBLISHED:] If you could describe your book in 3 words, what would they be?
[SAM:] Therapeutic, delicate, and distant. I really wanted to create an atmosphere, especially for myself, so when I looked at the images I felt a sense of connection with my mom. The connection that we have – the connection that we had.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How has seeing your mom deal with Alzheimer’s changed your perspective on photography and the way you make art?
[SAM:] It has made me put a lot more thought and care into things. Especially being her caregiver at one point, helping her get ready in the morning, dressing her, and helping her go to the bathroom, it was a situation where I had to be careful with myself. That process has been applied to my artistic practices and I handle a lot more of it with care. I ask a lot more questions, I want more clarity. I feel like the photos I’ve taken in the past without meaning or without evoking any sort of emotion are expired in a sense. I think the photos I’ve taken during this process have changed me. I am very thankful for this process.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Why is sharing the experience you’ve had with your mom so important to you and why did you decide to channel those emotions into this project?
[SAM:] For as long as I can remember, my mom was such an artist, she used to be a graphic designer. She wanted to go to school but at the beginning of her doing that and really proving to herself that she could make it happen, I saw her starting to slip away and the Alzheimer’s really taking over. Making this was proving to myself that I could do this but also for me to show her, “I know you couldn’t do this and I know time was shortened on your end but let me finish it where you left off.” I want to pick up the pen exactly where she left the dots. I’ve had a conversation with myself about what I’m bringing, if this is the right way to bring it, and if she would approve of it.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Has your mom seen the book?
[SAM:] Not yet, I got it about a month ago and her nursing home has been very careful which I’m very thankful for. I haven’t shown it to her yet but I’m excited to share it with her caregivers and I’m excited to share it with her. I know when she gets it she’ll know what it is and that makes me the happiest.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Where did the name of the book come from?
[SAM:] My mom, when she was frustrated or didn’t know what to do, she always limited herself to these four responses that were a little minimizing but also allowed her to release. I was thinking about her and how she would go through these difficult situations and it made me think of the situation I was going through with her. “Yes, no, thank you, goodbye” has always been her response to a difficult situation so for me I apply it in the sense of releasing and grieving. They are in a way my final words to her. I am really happy I was able to make something come to life throughout the book, even though images do speak, I’m happy the title speaks as well.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How has working with large brands such as Brandy Melville and Playboy affected the way you view photography as an art form?
[SAM:] When I was nine I was diagnosed with type one diabetes and that taught me before I even started taking photos that if I want to feel a certain way, I have to put the work in to make it come to life. Even when I was working with these brands and doing things that weren’t so personal, I was creating campaigns and social media content. It made me really appreciate the value of the art that goes into projects that take a long time. It takes a copious amount of heart and attention. I was so one dimensional with imagery and this bent my back for how I take photos and how I could make them come to life.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How is working with brands different than working on something more personal like your book?
[SAM:] I’m in control and I have the say of what goes and what doesn’t. Working with brands, nine times out of ten, I’m tethered to an iPad and the CEO is going, “No, no, yes, yes, no”. I’m here not only to make my vision come to life but also to get approval from the person in charge. For the first time, I was putting that attention and that same amount of love into my own narrative.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Are there any photographers that you currently look up to?
[SAM:] I’m really loving Ted Emmons, he’s a photographer and the creative director of the hair brand OUAI. He’s in charge of making all the visuals come to life. I’m also inspired by Nadia Lee Cohen, she creates all of these huge sets and designs and they’re so vibrant and pop-y. It feels like you’re in her brain when you’re looking at them. You’re really able to transport yourself there and be in her shoes. I’m really interested in people who pave their own way and make their own magic on their own terms.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How has quarantine affected your ability to work?
[SAM:] When I was doing this project I was in New York and I was at Parsons so a lot of what happened was me planning. It was the most therapeutic thing for me to really dive into the zone and be in my own space so when COVID hit and everything was coming to a close I had an idea of how I wanted everything to end with a cap. Being able to hold the book for the first time and finalize it where I started it made it that much more special to me.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you see yourself continuing to do photography for the foreseeable future?
[SAM:] My favorite thing this project has taught me is I love photography so much but I see myself creating the visual on a more business scale. Maybe that is creating for brands and painting the picture but not always taking the photo. I think I’ll always take photos, but at the end of the day, I think it’s about the creative choice behind it.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What’s next for you?
[SAM:] I’m excited to just take this book as far as I can. I really want to bring it to health outlets and educate people and show people what Alzheimer’s looks like. I want to be an advocate and show what people in this community are going through because this isn’t my grandma with Alzheimer’s, this is my 58-year-old mom. Especially during COVID, it is important to think about what your art can say but also what can it do. How can your art take you on experience but also leave you with a message?
Connect with Sam Klegerman on Social Media:
Follow Yes No Thank You Goodbye’s Instagram here.
For More Information, Visit http://www.samklegerman.com.
Purchase YES NO THANK YOU GOODBYE here.
