Sedona Turbeville
Sedona Turbeville
Photographer / Creative Director
Los Angeles, CA
www.turbevillestudios.com
www.sedonaturbeville.com
instagram @sempervirens__
pinterest
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“Commercial photography, with a focus on food, still life, and travel; with some creative direction and retouching sprinkled in.”
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
My dad was an artist and jack of all trades when I was a kid — he was a draftsman for an architectural firm and later a jeweler, so there was always some kind of art project going on at the house growing up. He always encouraged me to try out new forms of art and somehow photography was the one that stuck.
I am self-taught, and grew my photo chops while working in house at Scandinavian Designs in my early twenties. I started out as an assistant and ended up becoming a jack of all trades in our studio — a small creative team meant that I often had my hands in all aspects of production, from styling catalog shoots, set building, propping, studio managing, art direction, and shooting. It was a pretty awesome job and I’m grateful to have had that experience.
How do you stand out in your field?
I like to keep my photos organic as much as I can — I was a pastry cook at a farm-to-table restaurant when I was younger and feel that experience lends itself to how I style and shoot my work now. I like my images to be polished, but also realistic.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
Right now I’m working on a big passion project of mine that I started nearly a decade ago, cataloging forgotten towns and liminal spaces in the American West. Hoping to start getting some more images together to self publish a book next year.
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE/PERSPECTIVE/TASTE? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT THAT REPRESENTS THIS?
My style and taste is constantly evolving the more I experiment with my work, and I feel like it can vary depending on the project. I really love playing with different forms of contrast in both my commercial and personal work — spatially and conceptually being two of my favorites.
WE ARE ALL SLASHIES WITH MULTIPLE SKILLS, WHICH ONE DO YOU WISH YOU COULD DO MORE OFTEN?
Definitely more art direction.
WHAT IS FRUSTRATING YOU RIGHT NOW?
Not having enough time to travel as much as I’d like to shoot my personal projects! And writing about/sequencing the images overall. There seems like there’s so many possibilities and I’m having a hard time settling on one way of presentation.
IF YOU COULD HIRE SOMEONE FOR $20/HR, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO TO MAKE YOUR DAY EASIER?
Someone to write pitch emails for me! I’m so bad at it.
LET'S BRING OUT THE TIME MACHINE. WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOLD YOURSELF, WHEN, AND WHY?
If I could go back and talk to 19-22 year old me, I would tell her to go with yr gut and break more rules! Impostor syndrome held me back from taking more opportunities like assisting and creating personal work because I didn’t feel like I was a “real” photographer (whatever that means).
IF YOU COULD TALK TO AN EXPERT TO GAIN MORE INSIGHT ON SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?
It would be great to have some kind of mentor on running your own creative business. I feel like I’ve done enough to get by, but would love advice on getting better about putting myself out there more with marketing and finding more clients I really click with.
WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES/PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
I’d love to work with more brands that have a clear aesthetic, but aren’t afraid to get a little weird and see what we can come up with. It would also be awesome to incorporate more motion into shoots, i.e. cinemagraphs or stop motion/GIFs.
DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL JOB/CLIENT/COLLABORATION.
I really love the challenge of planning and executing a full campaign from start to finish, and having a client who wanted to put their creative trust in me to collaborate on that would be amazing. I love seeing ideas go from conception to reality, and the few projects I’ve been given full creative freedom on are some of the most fun jobs I’ve been on.
WHAT IS YOUR HOURLY RATE, RETAINER, OR SALARY RANGE?
Hourly rates are difficult to negotiate. There are so many factors that go into a job it’s really a case by case basis, which is why I charge a job rate. I’m always happy to custom tailor a package that works for clients!
HOW SHOULD SOMEONE APPROACH YOU ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER?
Shoot me an email with your ideas and budget, let’s talk! hello@turbevillestudios.com
HOW DO YOU STAY CREATIVE?
Taking time to find a balance between professional work and personal work, being inspired by my friends art, cooking, changing mediums when I feel like I need a break (lately it’s been block printing)
This member profile was originally published in May 2020.