FASHION
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Biljana Erdeg Bibi Photography
Biljana Erdeg ( Bibi ), 50 , has built a brand in the St . Louis region that is popular with magazine publishers , models , stylists , and hair and makeup artists . She is not just a photographer - she is an artist . We are excited to feature her work in Gazelle STL .
Gazelle : When did you move to St . Louis ? Erdeg : In just a few short years , I lived in five countries and two continents . Unfortunately , it was not for pleasure . My home country experienced a huge tragedy - war - so I started searching for a new home for a place to belong . It happens that my wonderful Aunt Vida lived in St Louis . She helped me to come to the U . S . from Croatia in 1997 . Since then , I lived and worked in St Louis . I consider myself very lucky to get a chance to come here and call it home .
Gazelle : What do you love about this city ? Erdeg : St . Louis diversity fascinates me . The fashion and art scenes are vibrant , and it ’ s something that interests me .
Gazelle : How did you get started in photography ? Erdeg : It is a long story . It started when I met my husband , Vlatko . His family was one of the pioneers in the photography field in the early 1900s , so he introduced me and trained me in photography . Those were my first steps . After that , I attended college , workshops and educated myself every day .
Gazelle : What is your inspiration ? Erdeg : For me , inspiration in life is my husband and my marriage . It has definitely been a happy marriage for 27 years . He is the one who always believes in me , even when I am losing attention or hope . He believes I can do it , and we can do it together . Our life is very focused on taking care of each other and respecting each other . And we are very focused on our work . Vlatko is very honest and critical about my photography ( sometimes it hurts , ha-ha ), but we find the joy to work together , and he helps me to make improvements with every photo shoot . Both of us love people . Our family is very small - it is a family of two - so working with young models , designers and the creative team feels like a holiday for us !
Gazelle : Have you always photographed fashion ? Erdeg : I was not in fashion photography at the beginning . For years , I was doing fine art photography . My work is in collections in Spain , the U . S ., Mexico , Croatia , Colombia , Serbia , Bolivia and Germany . Even though I loved fashion and was the owner of a fashion boutique business , at that time , my heart was in art , doing art photography focused on people and portraits . Photographing people and telling the stories with images is something I am inspired by and passionate about . I started to be more serious with fashion portrait and editorial photography at the time when digital photography took over film photography . It was not easy , but I love it now .
Gazelle : What do you love about fashion photography ? Erdeg : For me , fashion photography is like a storytelling process - stories about clothing , people and the environment . It gives me the opportunity to add my creative touch to any assignment .
Gazelle : What are the challenges of being a fashion photographer in St . Louis ? Erdeg : St . Louis is a wonderful city , and it has been very good to me . One thing I ’ d like to see more of is open minds and people willing to reach out and explore outside their close circle of friends .
Gazelle : What is your proudest moment as a photographer ? Erdeg : As most photographers will say , my proudest moment is when my work was published and printed for the first time .
Gazelle : What do you like about Gazelle STL ? Erdeg : I followed Gazelle STL from the beginning . It is an elegant and classy magazine with great content . One of my favorite parts is content and fashion spreads highlighting local talent . Gazelle STL is big enough for the national stands , but still stays dedicated to its origins , which is St Louis . Very inspiring !
Erdeg can be contacted at biljanaart1 @ centurytel . net , ( 636 ) 328-5075 , or visit behance . net / bibana .
58 GAZELLE STL