How Cinema Molded Photographer Sonia Szóstak’s Visual Language

Sonia Szóstak, Photographer

Hometown: Szczecin, Poland
Based: Paris, France

What sparked your interest in photography, and was there a defining moment that made you pursue it professionally?
I chose this path early on in my life. I went to film school to get closer to that world, and it always felt like home to me. When I was fourteen, I would walk around with a VHS camera, make playlists for films that didn’t exist yet, and borrow every old camera I could find from relatives and friends. There wasn’t a single turning point, just a steady pull in that direction.

How would you describe your work? What’s your trademark?
My work has a cinematic, feminine tone that can feel a bit introspective. The people I photograph often seem absorbed in their own worlds, unbothered by the viewer. I’m drawn to beauty that is quiet and offbeat, something that is felt rather than performed. Creative autonomy and staying close to my own visual language are essential, whether the work is editorial or commercial. In my book, images from a decade ago sit beside recent ones, tracing that same instinct over time.

Do you ever imagine full stories behind your images, or do you prefer to let the viewer create their own interpretations?
It depends. Sometimes my instinct is to show someone simply as they are, without a concept or narrative. Other times, I find myself building a character and a world around them. A story often takes shape on its own, and it becomes the way I start to see the person more fully.

What do you love most about what you do?
The adventure of it all. I’ve been incredibly lucky with the projects and people I get to work with, and some collaborations have lasted for years. Our trips often feel like family reunions. This work has taken me around the world: living on a deserted permaculture island in the Philippines, photographing cholita wrestlers in Bolivia, climbing in the mountains of Kazakhstan, studying at the oldest flamenco school in Seville, crossing paths with a bear in Canada near Tasha Tilberg’s farm, dancing on Havana rooftops at night, watching vicuña families in the Atacama Desert, riding a horse through a storm in Utah with Kendall Jenner, and harvesting oysters off the Irish coast. There are moments that still feel unreal. I try to stay present and take them in rather than just document them. I am working on a book that will bring these stories together, the surreal, the intimate, and everything that falls in between.

What non-fashion influences (art, film, literature, music, etc.) shape your creative perspective?
I draw from everything around me: film, literature, conversation, and travel. I grew up in post-communist Poland, where access to culture was limited, and that early scarcity left me with a lasting hunger to explore. For me, openness is both a moral and emotional stance, and it is the only way to resist stagnation and keep seeing with clear, curious eyes. It is not passive; it is a deliberate way of engaging with the world. Cinema shaped me the most. It weaves together image, rhythm, and emotion in a way that mirrors how I see the world. But I am equally drawn to people, to stories, and perspectives that challenge my own. I value consistency and tradition, but what moves me most in art, film, or music is diversity. Hearing other voices and discovering new ways of seeing keeps me grounded. I never want to feel fixed in one narrative.

What’s something outside of your work that you would like people to know about you?
One day, I would love to open a small publishing house or gallery. Curatorial work truly speaks to me, not only as a way to shape culture but also as a way to create access for people who have not always had it. There is so much talent in the world, but not everyone has the freedom or support to pursue it. I learned everything on my own through practice and persistence. I never had a mentor, and at times, that was isolating. When I hear photographers I admire talk about their beginnings, there is often someone who guided them, believed in them, or opened a door for them. I did not have that, and there was no one to turn to with doubts or early decisions. Maybe that is why I made so many mistakes at first, but those mistakes taught me everything. Working without guidance forced me to trust my instincts and build my own path. It gave me independence and clarity, but also a real awareness of how valuable support can be. I would like to offer that to someone else one day.

What have you watched, heard, or read lately that has inspired you?
What I look for in art is personality. There are many good projects out there, but the ones that truly stand out to me are those where the creator’s individuality seeps through their work. My inspirations are eclectic; I’m drawn to contrasting worlds that somehow speak the same language. These are a few things that have stayed with me over the past year:

— Peter Doig, House of Music, Serpentine Gallery; exhibition
— Romantic Brutalism, Visteria Collection, Warsaw; architecture/design project
— Hania Rani, A Piano Concerto in Four Movements; music
— Solange Pessoa at Art Basel; sculpture
— Richard Serra, Running Arcs at Gagosian; sculpture installation
— Miranda July, All Fours; novel
— Maya Binyam, Hangman; novel
— Sun Ra, The Immeasurable Equation: The Collected Poetry and Prose; poetry
— Alice Rohrwacher, La Chimera; film
— Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest; film
— Edward Weston at MEP; photography exhibition
— Crystal Pite; choreography
— Marcin Rusak, Ghost Orchid; installation
— David Darling & the Wulu Bunun; music collaboration
— Gerhard Richter, Louis Vuitton Foundation; exhibition
— Chanel S/S 26 Show
— Ruth Asawa: A Retrospective, The Museum of Modern Art, New York; exhibition
— Kerry James Marshall: The Histories, London; exhibition
— Bob Thompson, Measure of My Song at Maximillian William; exhibition

Who’s one to watch?
My friends from Poland are doing remarkable work. I’m really proud of them.
Hania Rani – musician, pianist, and composer
Ada Petriczko – writer & journalist
Magda Gemra – member of the curatorial team at the Fondation Louis Vuitton
Natalia Grabowska – curator of architectural projects at the Serpentine Galleries in London
Kasia Redzisz – artistic director of KANAL-Centre Pompidou in Brussels

Selected Work

Fear of God, American Symphony, F/W 24 Campaign
A day I will not forget was shooting at Universal Studios in LA with Jerry Lorenzo, founder of Fear of God, stylist Beat Bolliger, and an incredible team who felt perfectly in rhythm. The “American Symphony” collection reflects Jerry’s attempt to reinterpret American luxury, drawing inspiration from the history of American dress, film, Westerns, and styles from the 1970s and earlier, including Native American formal attire, Harlem elegance, and 1970s Western aesthetics. The whole experience felt cinematic in itself, which was fitting, given our location. When we wrapped, I took a golf cart and wandered through the empty backlots. I turned a corner and suddenly found myself on the Jaws set. It was pure movie magic.

Fantastic Voyage Within, Rika Studios Paper
This photo always takes me back to my time in LA, chasing sunsets through the city and running down side streets to catch the last moments of light. There was a wild, golden energy in the air, a feeling of freedom and possibility that is so specific to LA. It was a spontaneous shoot. Alex Assil styled it and brought this incredible piece from CDLM by Chris Peters. Somehow, everything just fell into place.

Małgosia, personal work
Growing up in Poland, I dreamed of one day photographing Malgosia Bela. She was the model who had always inspired me. When I was preparing my first solo exhibition at the Leica Gallery, I could not stop thinking about how much I wanted her to be part of it. We did not know each other then, but I finally gathered the courage to send her an email, and to my surprise, she said yes right away. I had a few ideas in mind, but the moment she walked into the studio, I knew I just wanted to photograph her as she is: natural, powerful, and effortless. I will always be grateful that she agreed to take part in such a personal project. It was an incredibly generous gesture.

Will I see you when you pass me by? for Zara
We were given the freedom to tell our own story and to show New York the way we see it. My friend wrote a poem for the film, and one of the lines was born on set in the middle of the city’s noise and movement. It is an impressionistic take, but that is exactly how New York feels to me. Every time I am there, I only catch fragments: flashes of light, faces, streets rushing by. I am always moving, never still.

Fortune Teller Told Me, Leica Gallery Solo Exhibition
The exhibition takes its title from a book by Tiziano Terzani, a classic of literary reportage that transforms careful observation of reality into something that transcends its boundaries. Many of the works on view emerged by chance, guided by instinct and the spontaneity of the moment.

Altuzarra S/S 23 Campaign
This was one of the most challenging shoots I have ever been on. The conditions in the Atacama were extreme: several thousand meters above sea level, altitude sickness, freezing temperatures, strong wind, dust everywhere, and weather and light that changed every few minutes. The locations were surreal, we filmed at night under the stars, at pink lagoons, and among alpacas running around us and the team was incredible, which made it all possible. It was definitely one of the top adventures of my life.

Rebecca, Paris, 2016-2025
I met Rebecca (Leigh Longendyke) almost ten years ago when we did a small shoot just outside Paris, and I was completely mesmerized by her uniqueness and beauty. We recently met again in Paris after all these years, and it was amazing to see how her career has grown and how much she has evolved.