Meet Austen Renzi | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Austen Renzi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Austen, can you tell us about a book that has had a meaningful impact on you?
My younger sister gifted me ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid last summer for my birthday. I haven’t finished a book that quickly and connected with reading something fictional in a while. The writing allowed me to create a cinematic world both in old Hollywood and New York City. I remember being so captivated when Evelyn’s character is first introduced, there was more than visuals I was picturing but an allure. I was in a relationship at the time and the way Evelyn’s character feels for the real love of her life, Celia, and her best friend is remarkable and moved me to tears throughout reading. I lent it to my partner at the time and he just recently returned it to me after taking a while to read it. He understood why it was so moving and resonated with me deeply. There’s a lot of tragedy in it but the way it builds and has twists and turns and the title of the book isn’t strikingly queer but it is a queer love story. It has elements of friendship and family throughout and the visual landscape the relationships the characters have elevate that. I felt like I was watching a movie or experiencing a vivid dream shifting through the pages. Writing about it now reminds me how I want to do a photography series inspired by the writing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I know I’m not the only one but I have a love for photographing people in passing moments and sparking a conversation to create a photograph. Often times I let things pass and still remember them as if I did take a photograph and it lives in my mind. Other times I make it happen and it becomes a street portrait that I’m grateful I was able to capture. To me it’s more of a need, the way I feel is that I have to take it in order to move on and distill that moment. It’s become more complicated living in LA and I’m continuing to shed the fear of judgement and other feelings that I let get in my own way. Lately, I’ve been experiencing even more of a feeling of I am the only one who cares about this so I have to make it happen, it’s completely up to me because it’s my life. This is a reminder to myself to just pull over my car to ask someone to photograph them or stop them on the street because more often than not people do love being apart of creating something. I’ve also been starting to write on top of my photographs more in a new way that feels right and like I’m telling secrets because you have to look a little bit closer to read the words. I was encouraged to find a way to do it and I am sure it’ll continue to evolve but it is nice to try to new things.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My favorite spot in Los Angeles is outside of the city and in Laguna Beach. I would definitely bring my best friend there and give them the whole experience so I’d pack snacks for the drive since it’s a bit of a drive. Also, we would get iced matcha lattes on the way, probably from Coffee Bean because I tried that recently and really like it. Once we would get there we would lay at the beach down further at Treasure Island near the Laguna Ocean Tide Pools. After laying out and swimming we would go to get some lunch at Ruby’s diner or get pizza and for dessert get gelato from Gelato Paradiso. I’d also take who I was with to the Laguna Hare Krishna Temple. I go to the ISKCON Temple in Culver City and have gone to the Laguna temple once and really love the space, it’s so light and unique. If it was a weekend get away we would stay at the Montage because it’s a beautiful hotel right on the walkway overlooking the beach, so watching the sunset would be perfect and there’s a big pool, as well. In Los Angeles we would go hiking at Runyon Canyon in West Hollywood and Fryman in Studio City. Those trails have beautiful views and are also a good workout. I would also take my friend to a park I really like in Pasadena area you walk up a trail and there’s a pond and a view of the buildings in downtown Los Angeles. We could sit and write, read, photograph, and journal. We would listen to lots of music in the car and go swimming at a pool and play card games, hang out with friends, and get good food. I went to a vegan restaurant recently for my birthday called Gracias Madre. The food is amazing and the outdoor patio has a nice atmosphere. We would definitely get the cashew cheese nachos, they are perfect. We would also take a trip to the Broad museum in downtown LA because the art there is inspiring and it’s a nice space.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are a lot of people that I’d like to credit my support to, both family and friends. First, my Grandma Rose for gifting me my first film camera at age 5 or 6 for Christmas. I had left the film in the camera in my sock drawer and found it 15 or so years later and developed it, getting to see the way I photographed back then resembles how I still capture the people around me now. It’s an unusual gift to give someone so young but she must have known my curiosity was manifesting through art and imagery. I’m grateful for my parents and siblings for always supporting my love for capturing and in general through the ups and downs of life. My mom is a talented drawer and painter, she also gifted me her old 35 mm manual camera in high school. That’s a camera I still use today it has captured so many of my friends, family, strangers, and more. To my friends for accepting that I’d be photographing our vulnerable moments. My good mate for being a muse for a long time, letting me capture intimate times and memories, and witnessing my growth both closely and from far away. I’m grateful for these co creators because at times I also like self portraits and need assistance taking them, so I’ve been lucky to have help. My professors in college, especially in my last year my studio professor for pushing me to stop turning the camera away from myself and to strip down the core story I was telling at the time which was about me. Also, to myself for continuing to be inspired, even in times I’m really hard on myself and don’t feel like I’m doing enough.

Instagram: Austenrenzi

Linkedin: Austen Renzi

Image Credits
Austen Renzi