The biggest compliment is when the client says, 'just do you’

Featuring Diana Lange Words by Nastasia Khmelnitski

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Careful work with color and the setup encountered in Diana Lange’s work encourages one to get familiar with an exquisite sensuality through the prism of fashion photography. Color is a critical element in Diana’s images, which enriches the perception and adds intrigue, a feeling of intimacy with the character and the narrative. Women emerge as strong and men as delicate, shifting the perception to discover additional possibilities, eventually bringing the differences to become a similarity. Coming from Lviv, Diana has never erased the intrinsic understanding of the culture and the art scene in Ukraine. Her work offers a fresh perspective on fashion photography.

Diana Lange is a fashion photographer born in Lviv, Ukraine. Diana studied Media Design at MOME, Budapest, later deciding to move to Berlin, where she is currently located. Diana’s work is informed by the aesthetics and mentality of her hometown in a merge with Berlin’s character and architecture.

In this interview, we go back with Diana to some of her childhood memories and her first encounter with photography, in her own words, “just the way about her and the whole photography process - I just knew there and then that that’s all I wanted to do from then on.” We speak about her decision to move to Germany, her continuous search of the distinct Diana Lange style, and her recent determination to practice nude photography.

I Am

Hi Diana, we’re happy to have you in the magazine! Congrats on joining collectiveinterest this year! How are you doing? 

Hey Nastasia & Dmitry! I am very curious to try this out. Thank you for this. I am doing great - this time is very peaceful, really.

Let’s start with your story. What was your childhood dream? How did you come about to become a photographer?  

My childhood… It’s funny to reflect on it now, but as a child, I dreamed of just becoming a celebrity - I even used to count how many famous kids there are of my age and tell myself that I still have time, since most celebrities don’t get famous till later in life. Crazy how much has changed since then! In school - I wanted to be an emo, a never-so-popular subculture in my hometown, Lviv. The kids in my mid-school found it funny how I and the pics I had on social media were so different. That profile picture that I used was a picture of a pretty teenage emo girl (I was at the tender age of 10 then) that I downloaded somewhere on the web.

Since then, I have spent years teaching myself photoshop. I found myself shooting with young amateur photographers to get my picture taken, and then I would vigorously edit them into different backgrounds, make myself look totally different, change my clothes, etc. Once, a few years later, I got lucky, and the hippest photographer in town wanted to shoot me for free. To me then, the whole setup seemed so unbelievably professional, I had to pinch myself. I have got to experience working with the 'real' photographer. It was the way she decided on the outfits, the way she held her camera, how she navigated me through posing - just the way about her and the whole photography process - I just knew there and then that that’s all I wanted to do from then on.

‘In my hometown, even though some who seek excuses might disagree, there is everything you need to get far in photography.’

‘In my hometown, even though some who seek excuses might disagree, there is everything you need to get far in photography.’

From Lviv to Berlin

Born and raised in Ukraine, at a certain point, you decided to leave your hometown and move first to study Media Design at MOMA Budapest and later relocate to Berlin. In what way do you think opportunities that are available for photographers differ based on the location? 

To be honest, I think they don’t differ as much as you would expect them to. In my hometown, even though some who seek excuses might disagree, there is everything you need to get far in photography. If anything, I think it’s even more special if you can manage to embrace what a unique environment you have around you. Though, of course, moving to Berlin had its advantages - three years ago, I would do small fashion stories, and for a while, until I found the people I enjoy working with on a regular basis, I have shot with completely different teams every time. I think it was also very important to be open-minded - I always thought to myself: “I am in a totally different world now, I want to learn as much as I can from all these people that had all kinds of different upbringings, none of which were like mine.” That probably is the biggest difference to Lviv, where everyone had pretty much the same Post-Soviet poor childhood and now wanted to seem as glam and perfect as possible.

‘Perhaps for every photographer, the biggest compliment is when the client says, 'just do you.' Some of the clients you mentioned gave me their full trust, and I believe that’s the biggest ground for the strong result.’

Fashion Photography

You worked with clients like Gucci, Du Ciel, Calvin Klein, Refinery29, and many others. What are some of the themes that interest you the most when working with fashion brands and creating a narrative for them? 

Perhaps for every photographer, the biggest compliment is when the client says, 'just do you.' Some of the clients you mentioned gave me their full trust, and I believe that’s the biggest ground for the strong result. Right now, I am taking a pause from commercial & magazine work to redefine what 'doing a Diana Lange shoot' means. I am doing a lot of very personal projects right now, and I feel like that’s the best gift a photographer can give themselves.

‘That shoot brought the attention of a lot of people whose taste I admire and set me on the path of understanding what it takes for me to make a strong image.’

The Milestone

Sometimes a tiny nuance can become a turning point in our career, a new driving force that leads to a different yet fulfilling direction. What would you say was the major milestone you have reached or the most crucial turning point you experienced? 

To me, it was a little over a year ago when a friend of a friend from Ukraine, an incredible model, decided to travel to Europe and make a stop in Berlin. I offered her a sleepover at my place, and spontaneously we decided to take part in her trip together. We went to Amsterdam, Brussels, and Antwerp - it was a lot of fun. When we were back, we went to Humana and got a few pieces and then took some photos at home - no makeup, no hair, just me and her, feeling very connected. That shoot brought the attention of a lot of people whose taste I admire and set me on the path of understanding what it takes for me to make a strong image. I am to this day very proud of those photos and can’t wait to travel with her again :)

The Theme

One of the recurrent themes in your work is a specific use of blue color, which gradually changes its tint to a darker tone or the black and white with its shades. The color is always a critical part of the final image as it enriches the perception and adds - as in your case - an intrigue and a feeling of intimacy with the story that unfolds on set. What does the color represent for you, and how do you choose it?  

It must be one of those subconscious things - I noticed that even when I go through magazines or photo books, I always stop at the similar hue shots - somehow, that’s just what my eye sees as beautiful - it’s impossible to explain. It’s really worthwhile to do what you find is the most beautiful.

‘I want to shoot more nudity. That’s another thing I can’t get my eyes off - human bodies are so intriguingly unique!’

Next Steps

What project are you working on or planning as the next one?

I want to shoot more nudity. That’s another thing I can’t get my eyes off - human bodies are so intriguingly unique! I am a very shy person, so I never really felt brave enough to ask my subjects if they’d be okay with nudity, but I just feel that I can’t hold it any longer. At the same time, I am very happy that there is something about photography that gets me so excited - I know how life can be very different, and I know the feeling of emptiness quite well. Therefore, even just knowing that there’s something I am anxious to do makes life make sense. Hopefully, very soon, I'll have more to share!