Meet Hannah Gini , Los Deviles | Photographer & Art Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hannah Gini , Los Deviles and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hannah Gini, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
I adopted the habit of attending concerts alone, a LOT. Experiencing concerts alone is so different than turning to your friend every few seconds to gush, or sing, or scream. While these are all obviously really fun and I do love to nerd out with friends and fellow fans around us, I also came to enjoy the ability to just take the entire experience in on my own.

This habit gave me the opportunity to attend every show I wanted to see without second guessing myself because I never had anyone say, “I don’t listen to them,” or, “I don’t really care to see them.” These experiences were instrumental in reigniting my creative spark to get started with Los Deviles as I was able to see some truly incredible artists and their incredible creative teams, it was so inspiring and kind of made me go, “wait, I want to do what they’re doing.” From that point, I reached out to a few local bands and have been photographing and creating with them since.

Also – saying “YES” (and “thank you”) to every opportunity to get creative experience. Everything is a learning opportunity and/or a fun story waiting to happen.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have an eye for creating shots that accurately depict someone’s brand (or “vibe”) and how it felt to really be there vs. overworking the photo to look super commercial. I recently had an artist repost a photo I took of him and his bandmate commented that it was “a visual representation” of his “true essence.” While people are pointing their phones at a band’s faces, a lot of the time I’m over here taking pictures of the band’s shoes or facing the complete opposite way to capture something that’s a not-so-obvious yet still-so-crucial piece of that moment.

I am super early on into my creative career, and so far, it’s been awesome and I feel like I learn at least one new thing everyday. The biggest challenge I’ve faced so far is getting media passes for major artists, but I understand it’s early and I am still building a portfolio, so I am hopeful this will come with time and experience.

A great lesson I was reminded of by Matt McNally, this really awesome designer I work with, when choosing your final best shots – “If it’s not a ‘hell yes’, it’s a ‘hell no.'” Also – Ryan Chang (talented photographer for many bands including Ghost) once said, “If there are hundreds of photographers in the same area of the photo pit, stay as far away as possible. Why would you want to produce the same images as everyone else?” and I always have that in the back of my mind when shooting.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh I love this question. My sister and her girlfriend (now fiancée) come to visit every once in a while, and I always have some sort of “surprise” location I drive them to, just to get their reactions. The first time, I brought them to Immanuel Presbyterian Church in K-Town. It’s a really gorgeous church where My Chemical Romance filmed their “Helena” video. They were stoked. The second spot I brought them was the big blue Scientology building in Hollywood, at night obviously so it could be seen in all of its insane blue, glowing glory. I also brought them to Bookstar in Studio City, I think it’s so cute and they both love bookstores. Lastly, my favorite place is the Mountain View Mausoleum in Altadena. It is INSANELY gorgeous and feels like you’re transported to a different country when you go inside. The painted ceilings, the stained glass, it’s crazy. When I first got my camera, that’s where I went to practice because there’s lots of different lighting everywhere you turn.

When it comes to food, Republic of Pie is always on the agenda for me. I practically live there. I’ve also been known to frequent Kura Sushi, Din Tai Fung, Big Boi, and Perch when friends are in town.

I’m not a huge drinker, but I always bring friends to the Good Nite in North Hollywood for the BEST karaoke. The emcee who hosts karaoke always whips out the best backup harmonies when I sing Ghost songs, I love that place.

Also – all the shops on Magnolia Blvd. are great to bring friends for a day of shopping (my favorites are Best of Times, Yes Baby! Vintage, and Crystal Shrine).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Yes, actually so many but I’ll try to narrow it down!

First, I want to thank my longtime friend, Mia, for giving me the initial kick to just get out there and start creating. She’s always been supportive of my weirdness and has thrown my name out there for creative opportunities. I also want to thank Matt (Mia’s sweet boyfriend) for letting me borrow one of his nice cameras to get me started.

I am also really grateful for my mom, she brought me to my first Lady Gaga concert in 8th grade on a school night which I think has a lot to do with who I am today. She was always very supportive of my early creative endeavors, even the cringey Garageband mixtapes and iMovie music videos.

Shoutout my friend Nolan and all of the band Theef for letting me work with them, and for not getting too annoyed when I show up to shoots with costumes and weird ideas.

Huge shoutout to every band, artist, or creator who has reposted my content or tagged me when using my content. It seems like such a simple thing, but I genuinely am so appreciative of every sprinkle of support, it goes a long way.

Lastly, I want to shoutout a few inspirations of mine – the band Ghost and Jesse Jo Stark have both been huge for me creatively. I admire both of their abilities to be spooky, sexy, masculine, feminine, and funny all at once. That’s what I’m going for. If you don’t listen to either of them, you should.

Website: losdeviles.com

Instagram: losdeviles.ca