I’ve known Greg for years. Everybody knows Greg. He’s a photographer and works on shows. He’s handsome, warm, fun, and talented. Models love him and celebrities kiss him on the cheek, but none of these things seems to really affect him. No matter what happens, he’s always relaxed.
Last time I saw him, we were chatting at the end of a show and he began to talk to me about his life on the farm and, suddenly, everything was clear. For a few years, Greg has split his life between fashion and farm. In fact, not far from the life of my friend Laura Ferrara, and just as inspiring!
Can you tell me a bit about your fashion photography career?
My father was in the fashion business and one day asked if I wanted to go to a fashion show. Of course I said yes and, to keep me out of the way, they gave me a camera and told me to, “go follow Roxanne” (Roxanne Lowit). She is a legend and this was in the late 80s, so all the supermodels were there and it was probably the best place a kid from NY could ever imagine to be: backstage hanging out with Elle Macpherson, Cindy Crawford, Christy and Linda. I was a happy guy!
I’d been bitten by the photo bug, and was really shooting everything I could. My school saw I was shooting these girls and got me to work for the newspaper, so I had free film. I was shooting about, and some smaller journal magazines picked up my work. It was pretty great. I continued passively to shoot through university and, when I got out, I turned down an ad job and started assisting a photographer I met at a friend’s party. That lasted for 5 years and then, when an editor asked if I would come shoot for their magazine, I decided to leave and do my own work. While I was doing some editorial and smaller ad work, I became most know for my backstage at Style.com and the Model Morphosis in The New York Times. Now, as the fashion shows are generally becoming uninteresting for a variety of reasons, i am looking again to other areas of fashion and other aspects of photography (food and farming).
And you grew up in the suburbs just north of New York. How has the city been an influence in the direction of your lifestyle and a source of inspiration for your path to photography?
It was the really the best of both worlds, to have the excitement of the city so close to the safety of the suburbs. I can’t say that I’m particularly interested in going back to the suburban lifestyle, but it has allowed me to appreciate the beauty of being away from the city. I’m a little further out of town now but growing up in and out of the city has stuck with me. I love being on the farm, but I also love to pop back into the city for work or take a day or two with friends.
You have spent a long time right smack, bang in the middle of the fashion industry, shooting backstage at the world’s biggest shows. What has that been like?
It’s been great and still is great! I’ve seen a lot of incredible things, worked with a lot of great, creative people, and have seen both the fashion and photo industries change in a way no one could have predicted. Sometimes you ask what can possibly come next, and then you somehow find it or are a witness to it. Either way, there is always something new. You think you’ve seen or heard it all, but something always comes up and you’re like, “that was pretty cool,” and you take it from there.
Then, in 2010, what happened?
Burned out may be a little harsh, but I definitely needed a break. I was coming off a long few months of work that finished with a month of fashion shows. You can work every day and be fine, but do 30 days of fashion shows and your head starts hurting really bad. It’s one thing being on set and working together to make an image or story look great, and it’s another thing to be backstage with 50 different people, four or five times a day – and through much of that you’re trying to capture images. It’s mentally and physically exhausting. I mean, the excitement is like no other but, when you can’t remember taking the picture, it loses that magic. I didn’t like that.
So at the end of that season, I came home physically and mentally drained, finished up my deadlines and left town. I didn’t know I would end up at the farm. It was just an opportunity that presented itself.
Was there a particular moment you remember thinking “I think a farm is a great idea!,” or was this a dream in the pipeline for years?
It was all a bit of chance, actually. A friend working at the farm was pregnant. When I told her she shouldn’t be working so much and that I could help, her eyes sort of popped out of her head as she nodded in agreement. I started the next day and loved it. It wasn’t easy work, but it was something totally new for me and I just took to it. That was five years ago and, now, I’m planning around my experiences there and plotting where it may take me.
Can you describe what your responsibilities on the farm are?
I’m a farmer. I plant seeds, pull weeds, and harvest crops. I also worry about bugs and when it will rain.
What was the transition like, from spending all of your time in the city to spending much of it on a farm?
Let me tell you, it’s a very easy transition. You feel a weight lift almost immediately. Suddenly, there’s a little more time for everything. Maybe because there is less to do but, for me at least, it was much easier to focus and enjoy life instead of constantly feeling the need to be one place or another, or constantly position myself here or there. It just felt right, so there was really no question.
It’s almost like you live a double life. Is this the ultimate balance, or do you sometimes find it difficult to adapt from a fashion shoot to farm life?
It is ultimate! They of course have their differences, but they both get you out of bed early and keep you busy all day long – there are just different tasks in between those bells. It’s nice to be able to mix up the two. Maybe it’s a little hard to leave the farm for the city, but they both complement the other.
Little this, little that… But I’m dedicated to both the same.
Do you ever feel like you have to shake off your farm persona when you arrive at a shoot, or vice versa?
No, I think you are who you are and that’s what makes working with lots of different people great. It is funny, though; my fashion friends are always curious about the farm. The farm people, well they’re happy when I’m back in the field.
How has the slow pace, the surrounds of nature, working on the land affected, your state of mind and your outlook on life?
I feel happier and healthier, and not too bothered about the little things anymore.
It was a big shift, but what has been the most rewarding part of it all?
And the most difficult thing you had to overcome?
You now have an agricultural column in The New York Times, ‘A Chef in the Field’. Can you tell us what it’s about?
‘A Chef in the Field‘ came out from us having lunch in the barn early one spring, just trying to put a meal together with whatever we could scrounge out of the field. It’s funny with the whole farm-to-table movement happening. Everybody loves going to the market and everyone seems to know their farmer, but something is missing from that exchange. People still don’t know where their food comes from or, more specifically, what their food looks like in the ground. There is still a disconnect. ‘A Chef in the Field’ wants people to be able to trace their food better or at least be more aware about where their food comes from and to eat seasonally. We also want to demystify some vegetables and help people introduce more variety into their lives. To help this along, we take a chef for each piece to a farm and create a recipe around what is fresh and available for that time of year.
What has it been like to bring these two passions of your life together?
It has been such a great surprise, to love two things so much and have them work together in such a perfect way. I couldn’t ask for anything better.
We’ve started noticing more and more people making the change, and embracing a simpler life. Why do you think that is?
I think people are tired of fighting for things that shouldn’t be a fight and realizing that it is just better to do things simpler. Why complicate life and create difficulties, why put yourself in a position to get frustrated? Work with people you enjoy, and enjoy working. Keep the conversation open. So long as you’re not hurting anyone, do more things for you. Keep things moving and keep things happy.
Would you take any of it back? Ever return to your old life and give up the farm?
And your best advice for someone who is thinking about changing their life in a big way, like you did?
There’s no reason not to. Take the step – you’ll be much happier that you did, even if you go back.
Je trouve cette expérience très intéressante car elle casse les clichés et montre que l’on ne se résume pas à une seule chose, que chacun d’entre nous est unique et complexe.
Very inspiring interview. And the picture with the dog is amazing!!
This life seems like a dream- very inspiring! Thanks for sharing this, Garance.
I think this is one of the most enviable life that can exist! It is a perfect mixed one side we live the excitement of New York, fashion, photography, things that may seem futile but so beautiful. And on the other one, it relaxes and focuses on the real values. I think I would like that kind of life. These are two things that fascinates me, nature and art. I didn’t think it could be possible to mix the both.
Very inspiring! I got into gardening this year, and, surprisingly, I haven’t been happier. Planting flowers in the fall, and then looking forward to beautiful, full of flowers, Spring! Nature is very therapeutic, much more than shopping!
This article really struck a cord with me! “Ultimate” is how Greg describes his dual life and I tend to agree. I am an ER physician and have always loved to paint and dreamed of doing something with it. Two years ago I started printing scarves with my artwork and I have to say it has made me so happy. I have learnt to appreciate both worlds and am at a much better and happier place in my life. Bravo Greg! Live your dream.
I am in love with this dual lifestyle. These stories inspire me to bite the bullet, follow my passion and seek out simple happiness. Thank you for this.
Pas la moindre trace de terre, de boue, pas un seul grain de poussière sur les godillots du fermier ou les roues du tracteur briqué, lustré et qui étincelle. Tu m’étonnes qu’il aime la ferme le photographe de mode.
What a wonderful interview! I am envious…perhaps I can find some similar balance when I retire, since I intend to stay quite active. I have less than 2 years to find something new to occupy my time!
Hard work outdoors is soul cleansing, what a lovely interview! I have struggled my whole life with the opposing pull of loving the outdoors and loving fashion. I’m still trying to find the balance. Nature feeds my creativity and fashion is a constant force I cannot hide from. Joining them is my life’s work. Thank you for sharing such real insight and worth.
wow….very inspiring…really makes you think…..
Oui, merci pour cette interview ! Comme quoi il est possible pour chacun de se modeler une vie sur-mesure. Ca fait du bien de lire ça !
Very inspiring indeed! I wonder if eventually he will just stay on the farm and not miss the fashion world….
Love love love love love love love love love….
One of my favourite interviews so far! Why can’t you have it all, the excitement of the city and the beauty of nature! A great read!
Garance. Thank-you, thank-you for the wonderful story and photo’s. I also have large organic gardens, fruit trees, a dog and design silk scarves and have a love for the fashion industry. The story put a smile on my face and a tear in my eye. Farming, color, weaving, fabric, design, production, all begin with nature, are crafted and expressed by the human in it’s complexity, and ultimately returns to nature in it’s simplicity. All, beautifully crafted. Well done!
Merci pour cette interview… Moi qui songe de plus en plus à quitter Paris pour je ne sais pas où… Pas une grande ville de province mais plutôt la campagne. Genre la Corse ! je vais réfléchir à son conseil de sauter le pas. Après tout c’est vrai que rien n’est irréversible.
Very intriguing fellow, would be interested to know what his zodiac sign is…. ? Is he a Gemini?
J’ai beaucoup aime cette interview. Un peu mon reve de vivre a la campagne mais pas trop loin d’une ville ou il se passe des choses interessantes.
Loved this piece! It’s so down to earth and yet simultaneously so romantic. This idea of balance in one’s life and routine is key. Seeing it shared here in a “real world” way is inspiring and a good reminder that a breath of fresh air (literally) is so necessary to happiness and health, as in finding what works for you. Beautiful story – thanks for sharing!
It shows that life can be multiple we can be many different things at the same time and one nourish the other ….
love the parallels of the pictures.
Il en faudrait encore plein !
Very inspiring! For me nature and the city life in a balanced form is the perfect recipe of living. Thank you, Garance. Beautiful interview.
Interview passionnante d’une personne passionnée !
Il est très inspirant et j’aime beaucoup sa simplicité !
One of the best Career interview so far on your blog Garance! His story is so inspiring.. Is it possible to know the list of the chefs / restaurants he is working with in New York?
Farming, when your financial livelihood depends on it, can be backbreaking and very unpredictable work. I enjoy reading these types of articles on the city slicker who goes back to the earth. But I also view them as a kind of a romanticized fantasy that is probably far from most farmers’ reality.
I do agree with Sanaz !
These are beautiful contrasts. I too subscribe to a life of balance and it would be completely normal to see me at the fanciest event or to see me enjoying a weekend at a farm or even going on a picnic out in the middle of nowhere. Creativity and life thrive on these varied experiences and interests and they can influence and affect one another in the most unusual and surprising ways.