Vivienne Mok is an international young woman. Born in New York in 1986, she grew up living between Paris and Hong Kong. After studying fashion design, she developed an interest in photography, quit her day job at a fashion house and decided to pursue her own personal dreams. As a self-taught photographer, Vivienne developed her own photographic style which she describes as dreamy, feminine, and personal. Her images are always full of sensuality and romanticism, and often recall the work of photographer David Hamilton. She took the time to answer a few of our questions.
Lola Who: What part of Paris do you live in?
Vivienne: I moved out from the busy center of the city about three years ago to live in the suburbs, where I grew up as a child. I find its calmer
Plus, I have a bigger place to live and lots of nature around me.
Lola Who: What did you study and how does it translate into your photography?
Vivienne: I studied Fashion Design at Parsons in New York. My studies, combined with my experience from my previous job working as a designer for the couture house of Anne Valerie Hash, have been very important for my photography. I could almost say that its the natural result of those two experiences.
Lola Who: Where do you get your inspiration?
Vivienne: In general, things from my daily life and the environment: nature, beautiful landscapes, moody movies, pretty old things which tell a story
Most importantly, I look for faces, by that I mean the person in front of the lens.
Lola Who: Do you have a favorite place in Paris where you like to take photos?
Vivienne: For indoor shoots, I usually build my own sets at home and for outdoor shoots, I prefer to be outside in a natural setting. My favorite kinds of backdrops are lakes, dunes or forests, the sea and sometimes pretty gardens. I don’t think that its important that the viewer should recognize the backdrop, as I prefer the pictures to be timeless and set in an “unknown” location.
Vivienne Mok’s website: http://viviennemok.blogspot.ca
