Reesee Zigga Zagga
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but if one were to look at one picture of Reesee – you’d think that she gets paid money to model. But the Canadian beauty with eyes that could melt the toughest snow in Alberta is… a photographer. With influences being unique across the board, the 22 year-old Scorpio is as fond of David LaChappelle, as she is with Quentin Tarantino.
She’s captured the smiles and accentuated the beauties of some of your favorite stars. Although she’s never formally studied photography, she’s used her drive and recognizable talent to advance her name in Canada’s growing urban industry. With a website that clocks more than a million hits a month and the beauty to match the brains, this remarkable woman is a force to be reckoned with.
Reesee sits down with Beauty & Brains to talk about her work as a photographer, talks about her most memorable moments and explain the subtle differences between your favorite urban magazines.
B&B: No offense, but is that your real name?
RZ: No, it’s not, it just my stage name that I go with. “Zigga Zagga” is also the name of my studio.
B&B: How did you get your start?
RZ: When I was 17, I was in the 11th grade. A friend of mines had been approached by an agency. At the time, I was doing a project for school. I was using a video camera that used still shots, too. So, I told her that if she paid my bus fare home that I’d take a few hundred shots of her. She did and they turned out nicely. Plus, I’ve always been an artist. I’ve been doing it all from drawing to sketching. So, I stuck with it and a year later, after high school, I found myself working in major publications. The work had started to increase greatly, so I opened up a studio, which I named “Zigga Zagga Productions.”
B&B: You have a very beautiful face. What made you want to be behind the camera, instead of in front of it?
RZ: I’ve always been kind of shy about things like that. I feel like it’s another form of stage fright. But when I’m behind the camera, I like being in control of the situation. I never thought that I was a good model, so I thought that I would do better behind the scenes.
B&B: I usually interview models, so as the photographer – what goes into setting up a scene to make these ladies look good?
RZ: One thing that I have is that I have a wonderful glam squad. They’re the best. They’re the most wonderful make-up artist, hair/nails, stylist – all of them do an excellent job. They play an integral role in how great the pictures come out. I mean, they help immensely because I have a short attention span. But even with that, it allows me to wonder and come up with the next concepts for my shoot.
B&B: Is there any that you haven’t been happy with?
RZ: I kind of like every shoot that I do. I think that I get better the more I learn and the harder I work. One of my favorites to work with is Summer Walker. She’s very bubbly and she knows how to work a camera. I enjoy what I’m doing, it’s all an amazing experience!
B&B: Are the models usually more cooperative with you, being a woman photographer? Or do they tend to want to work better with men?
RZ: It seems to be that a lot work well with me. Because I’m a woman, they feel more comfortable and trust that good pictures are being taken. Sometimes the models feel that the man who’s taking the picture is just going for the typical shot of breasts and the back shot, but with me, I like to use a lot of concepts. So, they feel like I’m trying to accentuate their beauty instead of just capitalizing off of it.
B&B: What has been your most memorable moment with a celebrity/model/athletic?
RZ: That has to be Chris Bosh and Ciara. When she came on the set, we only had a set amount of time with her. Being that she’s busy she did all of her hair and nails quickly and we started with the shoot. Within ten minutes, I had got everything that I needed. Every time I clicked the camera, she vogued and had a different pose for each shot. Chris is just a fun and happy guy; very good energy. We really just spent the entire shoot just crackin’ jokes on one another and it turned out great.
B&B: What goes into making just the right shot?
RZ: I’m very specific with my shoots. I already know what the background is going to look like. I try and think ahead when it comes to doing photo shoots. I see the concept in my head. So, because they’re so on-point, I may have to do three shots of the same pose and I’d already have everything that I want.
B&B: With more and more magazines profiling a woman’s beauty – do you think that these pictures are tasteful? Or are they just pretty girls modeling for ogling men?
RZ: I think that it’s a little bit of both. I don’t want to name any names, but a few like to use the same lighting style and it’s just very basic. Magazines like Smooth and KING are very good. I like it when they go out on location. They put a lot of work into what they do. Other magazines… they just put girls with the bigger assets and it doesn’t seem like they took much initiative or creative with the shoot. Each magazine comes with their own style, but I’m sure they tend to prefer a certain magazine, but I’m sure they like the curves.
B&B: Your resume is really well put-together. Who would you say has been the most difficult to work with and why?
RZ: It’s actually not anyone famous, but I recently started shooting – I mostly do eye candy and musicians. So, I started to shoot children portraits too. They have a shorter attention span than I do. They’re just not listening to me. It’s funny, but at the same time it takes a lot longer. I hope to keep working with them, too.
B&B: Is being a photographer a better paying gig than being a model?
RZ: I think so. Being a photographer offers more advances in your career, we can be more flexible with our careers. As opposed to being just a eye candy, you can get type casted. So, whatever you put out in front can change as you see fit.
B&B: Which one would you rather do and why?
RZ: I like meeting new people. I love people! I like meeting people from different aspects of life. I like finding out why people react how they do. It really inspires different ideas within me. I’m a creative person so I like to come up with concepts. It’s a perfect job for me.
B&B: Who were some of your influences [both photography and otherwise]…?
RZ: I love David LaChappelle. But honestly, it’s actually people outside of the photography world that I look up to. I look at situations that are going within the world to draw inspiration from. I like the works of directors like Quentin Tarantino. I even dig the work of video directors. But it’s usually people outside of photography that inspire my work.
B&B: As you continue to build your name up within the industry – where do you want to go with your life?
RZ: I never planned on being a photographer. But it’s a beautiful avenue, so my plan in ten years is to go somewhere in Africa or Cuba to be a volunteer. I have been blessed with an opportunity, so I want to do something for someone else.
B&B: Has there ever been an instance where someone has approached you because they’ve seen your work?
RZ: Yeah, often, actually… Toronto is such a small city and people know me there. I’m heavy on promoting my work and people will ask me if I am who I am. I like that my work is appreciated and being seen by lots of people.
B&B: Last question – when it’s all said and done, your work will speak for you – what do you want people to know that they may not know about you?
RZ: Good question… This is funny because I’m a very private person, but I am an everyday person. Let me remind you… I’m only 22 years-old and people think that I’m jet setting all over the place… but I’m not. I’m in the studio… working. I’m working hard every day trying to come up with something fresh and innovative. This is my life and as long as people are there to look for me, I’ll be there shooting.
Want to know more about Reesee? Go check her out on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/reeseeziggazagg. Or go to her personal site at http://www.ziggazaggaproductions.com/.
She’s captured the smiles and accentuated the beauties of some of your favorite stars. Although she’s never formally studied photography, she’s used her drive and recognizable talent to advance her name in Canada’s growing urban industry. With a website that clocks more than a million hits a month and the beauty to match the brains, this remarkable woman is a force to be reckoned with.
Reesee sits down with Beauty & Brains to talk about her work as a photographer, talks about her most memorable moments and explain the subtle differences between your favorite urban magazines.
B&B: No offense, but is that your real name?
RZ: No, it’s not, it just my stage name that I go with. “Zigga Zagga” is also the name of my studio.
B&B: How did you get your start?
RZ: When I was 17, I was in the 11th grade. A friend of mines had been approached by an agency. At the time, I was doing a project for school. I was using a video camera that used still shots, too. So, I told her that if she paid my bus fare home that I’d take a few hundred shots of her. She did and they turned out nicely. Plus, I’ve always been an artist. I’ve been doing it all from drawing to sketching. So, I stuck with it and a year later, after high school, I found myself working in major publications. The work had started to increase greatly, so I opened up a studio, which I named “Zigga Zagga Productions.”
B&B: You have a very beautiful face. What made you want to be behind the camera, instead of in front of it?
RZ: I’ve always been kind of shy about things like that. I feel like it’s another form of stage fright. But when I’m behind the camera, I like being in control of the situation. I never thought that I was a good model, so I thought that I would do better behind the scenes.
B&B: I usually interview models, so as the photographer – what goes into setting up a scene to make these ladies look good?
RZ: One thing that I have is that I have a wonderful glam squad. They’re the best. They’re the most wonderful make-up artist, hair/nails, stylist – all of them do an excellent job. They play an integral role in how great the pictures come out. I mean, they help immensely because I have a short attention span. But even with that, it allows me to wonder and come up with the next concepts for my shoot.
B&B: Is there any that you haven’t been happy with?
RZ: I kind of like every shoot that I do. I think that I get better the more I learn and the harder I work. One of my favorites to work with is Summer Walker. She’s very bubbly and she knows how to work a camera. I enjoy what I’m doing, it’s all an amazing experience!
B&B: Are the models usually more cooperative with you, being a woman photographer? Or do they tend to want to work better with men?
RZ: It seems to be that a lot work well with me. Because I’m a woman, they feel more comfortable and trust that good pictures are being taken. Sometimes the models feel that the man who’s taking the picture is just going for the typical shot of breasts and the back shot, but with me, I like to use a lot of concepts. So, they feel like I’m trying to accentuate their beauty instead of just capitalizing off of it.
B&B: What has been your most memorable moment with a celebrity/model/athletic?
RZ: That has to be Chris Bosh and Ciara. When she came on the set, we only had a set amount of time with her. Being that she’s busy she did all of her hair and nails quickly and we started with the shoot. Within ten minutes, I had got everything that I needed. Every time I clicked the camera, she vogued and had a different pose for each shot. Chris is just a fun and happy guy; very good energy. We really just spent the entire shoot just crackin’ jokes on one another and it turned out great.
B&B: What goes into making just the right shot?
RZ: I’m very specific with my shoots. I already know what the background is going to look like. I try and think ahead when it comes to doing photo shoots. I see the concept in my head. So, because they’re so on-point, I may have to do three shots of the same pose and I’d already have everything that I want.
B&B: With more and more magazines profiling a woman’s beauty – do you think that these pictures are tasteful? Or are they just pretty girls modeling for ogling men?
RZ: I think that it’s a little bit of both. I don’t want to name any names, but a few like to use the same lighting style and it’s just very basic. Magazines like Smooth and KING are very good. I like it when they go out on location. They put a lot of work into what they do. Other magazines… they just put girls with the bigger assets and it doesn’t seem like they took much initiative or creative with the shoot. Each magazine comes with their own style, but I’m sure they tend to prefer a certain magazine, but I’m sure they like the curves.
B&B: Your resume is really well put-together. Who would you say has been the most difficult to work with and why?
RZ: It’s actually not anyone famous, but I recently started shooting – I mostly do eye candy and musicians. So, I started to shoot children portraits too. They have a shorter attention span than I do. They’re just not listening to me. It’s funny, but at the same time it takes a lot longer. I hope to keep working with them, too.
B&B: Is being a photographer a better paying gig than being a model?
RZ: I think so. Being a photographer offers more advances in your career, we can be more flexible with our careers. As opposed to being just a eye candy, you can get type casted. So, whatever you put out in front can change as you see fit.
B&B: Which one would you rather do and why?
RZ: I like meeting new people. I love people! I like meeting people from different aspects of life. I like finding out why people react how they do. It really inspires different ideas within me. I’m a creative person so I like to come up with concepts. It’s a perfect job for me.
B&B: Who were some of your influences [both photography and otherwise]…?
RZ: I love David LaChappelle. But honestly, it’s actually people outside of the photography world that I look up to. I look at situations that are going within the world to draw inspiration from. I like the works of directors like Quentin Tarantino. I even dig the work of video directors. But it’s usually people outside of photography that inspire my work.
B&B: As you continue to build your name up within the industry – where do you want to go with your life?
RZ: I never planned on being a photographer. But it’s a beautiful avenue, so my plan in ten years is to go somewhere in Africa or Cuba to be a volunteer. I have been blessed with an opportunity, so I want to do something for someone else.
B&B: Has there ever been an instance where someone has approached you because they’ve seen your work?
RZ: Yeah, often, actually… Toronto is such a small city and people know me there. I’m heavy on promoting my work and people will ask me if I am who I am. I like that my work is appreciated and being seen by lots of people.
B&B: Last question – when it’s all said and done, your work will speak for you – what do you want people to know that they may not know about you?
RZ: Good question… This is funny because I’m a very private person, but I am an everyday person. Let me remind you… I’m only 22 years-old and people think that I’m jet setting all over the place… but I’m not. I’m in the studio… working. I’m working hard every day trying to come up with something fresh and innovative. This is my life and as long as people are there to look for me, I’ll be there shooting.
Want to know more about Reesee? Go check her out on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/reeseeziggazagg. Or go to her personal site at http://www.ziggazaggaproductions.com/.
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