‘We Each Bring to the Table What the Other Is Lacking’: Photographers Alana Celii and Daniel Dorsa on Their Classic New York Love Story

New York City is a global
metropolis, but sometimes it can feel like a small town—and the
love that formed between young photographers Alana Celii and Daniel
Dorsa is one of those city stories that perfectly illustrates the
dichotomy.

She, a New York Times
photo editor, and he, a Florida-born photographer carving his own
path, met by chance only to discover a shared world of common
friends and interests (Erik Tanner, the primary photographer for
this article, was a mutual friend to both). 

The two stylish Brooklynites
might share a world of passions, but the inner workings of their
relationship also reveal them to be an intriguing, unlikely couple:
Alana, a bit watchful and idea-driven, makes an interesting foil to
Daniel, who describes himself as gregarious and
spontaneous.

The mix, however, seems to be
working. Celii’s new monograph, Paradise Falling, is about to be released by AINT—BAD, while
Dorsa’s photography has recently been featured in the pages
of New York
Magazine, the New York Times, and Vogue Mexico. That’s not to mention their recent
collaborations or their forthcoming show this
summer. 

With us wondering what makes
art-world couples tick, the recently engaged pair chatted with us
about their idiosyncratic meeting, what they each bring to the
relationship artistically, and how they like to spend their
weekends together in Brooklyn.

Can you tell me a little bit about your backgrounds and
how you each wound up working in the photography
world?

Alana: I
was born in Illinois, but moved all over. Most of my family is from
Pennsylvania. I lived there till I was 10. I lived in Tennessee for
two years and I lived in Texas for six years and I graduated high
school there. My parents gave me a camera when I was three. It was
Care Bears-themed. My mom would take them to the drug store to get
developed, so my interest kind of evolved from there. Then my dad
gave me his camera. I still have a dark room in my parents’ house
in Texas. 

I came to New York in 2005 to
get my BFA in photography at Parsons. I started working as a photo
editor in 2011, for a time at the Wall Street Journal and now the New York Times, while still pursuing my fine art-based
photography practice on the side.

Daniel: I’m
from Florida originally and grew up down there. I started
photography when I was about 16, in high school, and fell in love
with it from there. Then I went to a small community college, where
I studied photography. Once I graduated, I left to move to New
York. Around 2013. I worked my way up from a fancy photo-studio
assistant. I came up in a very traditional time in the photography
world, in that sense. 

So you were both living in New York and in the photography
scene. How did you meet and how did your “love story”
begin? 

[Both laugh]

Alana: Daniel
emailed me to come in for a portfolio review… and I apparently
ignored the first email. Sorry, Dan! But then I did respond to the
second email, and then two of my coworkers and I met with
him.

During this portfolio meeting,
Daniel and I realized we had a ton of friends in common. It turned
out that I knew all of his studio mates and one I had actually
worked with at time. We’d been at the same parties and just had
never met. He knows a lot of my friends from college. Then the next
week we kind of ended up going on a date that wasn’t supposed to be
a date.

Daniel: She
knew my roommate and now studio-mate, Erik [Tanner], and we were
all planning to meet up for a drink but he had to bail last minute.
Now, I’m in this position, right? She’s my editor, and I’m trying
to not be that guy, trying to keep it very professional. But as the
night progressed, it just wound up becoming a date. Essentially,
though, it all stemmed from that portfolio review. So if Alana
hadn’t responded to my second email, then we wouldn’t all be
talking right now. 

When was this exactly? Do you remember where you went for
that first non-date? 

Alana: Yes, I
remember the day because I was having a really good day. It’s
funny—I had a shoot with [R.E.M’s] Michael Stipe and I’ve always
been a big fan of his. He let me touch his beard, which was
exciting.

We had the portfolio review on
Wednesday, October 12, 2016. Then we went to get drinks the
following week. We went to Kinfolk in Williamsburg. Then we went to
see a friend of a friend play music at Rough Trade. We went and got
pizza, he walked me home, and he kissed me. Immediately, I was
like, “Okay, I can’t work with you now.” And actually I’ve never
hired him, but my coworkers do. So it kind of worked out for him
both ways.  

Photography brought you together in a very literal sense, but
I wonder what kind of role your both being photographers plays in
your day-to-day life, and also in the more conceptual sense of your
respective practices. Do you influence each other
artistically? 

Daniel: Since
we do both work in the same industry, outside of our personal work
and the work we make together, we do talk about it a lot and it’s
definitely influenced how I look at work. The school that I went to
is more of a technical program. Alana has more of a fine-art
background and she’s definitely exposed me to a lot of other types
of work that I’d never seen and other artists that I’d never know
about. And through her own work—her sensibilities and how she
edits—it helps me edit mine. So, definitely, in practical sense,
the relationship has an impact, but also conceptually she’s
encouraged me to push myself. 

Alana: We
started making work together because we both had a kind of writer’s
block with our own personal projects and were feeling frustrated.
We each bring to the table what the other is lacking. Whereas
Daniel can come in when I’m missing a technical skill, I can work
to just create weird ideas. We’ve worked together on two shoots recently
and we have a pretty good rapport. 

Daniel: When we’re
working together if one person is drawing a blank, the other person
can kind of step in to suggest things. We both have really similar
tastes in the type of work that we like, but since we do both shoot
pretty differently, one person’s sensibility can come into play
really well in a particular situation. 

How would you describe that shared aesthetic? 

Alana: The type
of work that we like is soft and clean. Whereas I will skew a
little bit more candy-color saturated, and contrast-y, he’s less
contrast and I’d say almost a little romantic in the way that he
shoots. 

What are the differences in the way you both work?

Alana: I still
shoot film mostly, and he works in digital, so I think that lends
itself to some differences. I take my time with it, whereas he
likes to shoot a lot, quickly. I feel like he’s also a little bit
more cool on set, whereas I’m maybe trying to make things a little
bit stranger or looking for opportunities to set up an unusual
moment. There are little things I might see that he wouldn’t, but
at the same time, I think he’s better at naturally posing models
and bringing out organic expressions from the subject whereas I
could be a little bit more awkward. 

Do you each have a favorite camera?

Alana: When I
shoot on film, I shoot with a Hasselblad, and then for digital I
have this little point-and-shoot Fuji X 100 T that I just carry
with me everywhere.

Daniel: I’m
definitely a flavor-of-the-month type person where I’ve gone
through a million different setups. Right now I’m using a Nikon
DSLR and then a digital medium format Pentax 645 Z. That said, I
like to try new things and will probably be switching things up
again soon. My favorite camera of all time is probably a Mamiya 7
that I used pretty exclusively in college, when you could rent out
a camera. I loved that thing to death. I feel like I’ve changed
cameras a  million times because my work has changed a
lot.

Are there some photographers you’re both interested
in? 

Daniel: Erik
Tanner, my studio mate, who photographed us for this article. I’ve
been sitting next to him for years. He’s one of my favorite
contemporary photographers and someone who pushes me.  We both
also like Wolfgang Tillmans. I’m a big fan of Robert
Adams. 

Alana: Roe
Ethridge, too. I’m really into Dora Maar right now and excited for
the retrospective of her work, which will open at the Getty
soon.

You both have a joint show coming out together later this
year right? 

Alana: Yes, we
have a show together at the gallery Castleton University in
Rutland, Vermont. It’s the first time we’ve had a show together.
The space is an old bank so we’re excited to utilize that unique
aspect of it.

Daniel, you travel a lot for work and Alana, you have a
pretty consuming day job. When you’re both in the same place and
your schedules align, are there any particular things you like to
do together? How do you sort of reconnect?

Daniel: We do
cook a lot at home, which is pretty much a daily ritual. We can be
so busy during our work days that by the time we get home, we just
start talking and cooking. 

Alana: He’s my
sous chef. Until very recently I worked Sunday through Thursday and
we would hang out together on Fridays. We’d go to galleries because
no one would be there. In the summertime we’ll go to the beach and
we go upstate a lot too—camping and hiking. 

Daniel: We’ll
wake up on a Saturday and go to diner for brunch and then just see
where our day takes us. 

The post ‘We Each Bring to the Table What the Other Is
Lacking’: Photographers Alana Celii and Daniel Dorsa on Their
Classic New York Love Story appeared first on artnet
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