Farrah Dessejour is using her skills behind the camera to document life at its happiest.
Farrah Dessejour, 21, has always been in awe of photography. Growing up, her prized possessions were family photo albums filled with memorable events. Constantly admiring the pictures transformed them from fun memories to beautiful art pieces.
When she realized the power of capturing life at a specific moment in time, she knew photography was the right career path for her.
"I'd realized life is a living story, not just reflecting on history, so my main goal is to document it. I started primarily with writing and then translated the parts of my life that transpired into photos and film."
With a clear direction for her career, Farrah chose an alias for her work, L☮ve [The Director].
"Love is a representation of a past persona, my true character, and the life I choose to live. [The Director] because life can feel like a movie."
Although famous photographers inspire Farrah, she is most inspired by her own work.
"It's interesting to be able to look at moments I've documented and remember what I may have been thinking, or the feeling I was experiencing at the time, and the results of the work, then incorporate it into my next piece."
Evaluating and reflecting on her past experiences help Farrah achieve her definition of a good photo, something that "feels true, and inspires."
All her hard work paid off when she recieved her first opportunity to showcase her work as a videographer on a documentary produced by Kurt Donavon. Being so accustomed to recording and taking photos on phones and tablets, "adding a physical camera to the equation changed the viewing scope of everything." Farrah adjusted her perspective and worked behind the scenes of a fantastic documentary.
Working with Kurt Donavon allowed Farrah to expand her network and work on great projects and at exceptional events.
She does work with the New Jersey Underground Scene.
"I wouldn't really describe it as work; I've just made a connection with what we've been doing as youth and as artists that I've felt a need to upkeep the community."
Farrah also helped document the Deviare event, Come As You Are, a networking event featuring artists and vendors of many mediums.
"Following and interacting with the hosts and the artists made the experience really fun and makes re-watching the show feel like experiencing those nights all over again."
With so much experience under her belt, Farrah has decided to build a community of women creatives named Photogrl Republic. It's an inclusive production community focusing on visual arts, music, modeling, and education. The group name was inspired by a title gifted to Sophie HighRoller by XXXTentacion, "Photogrl."
"We are determined to ensure a safe, open environment for all beautiful women to thrive."
They aim to spread awareness, empowerment, and joy to help conquer systematic adversity against women.
"This space is to be a junction of understanding. We not only touch on the arts, but we focus on mental health and women's health."
Inspired by her experiences trying to enter the arts scene, Farrah wanted to create a space where women can influence and collaborate in a way that everyone shines.
Photogrl Republic has missions in the works that will soon become available for viewing on Youtube.
Since starting Photogrl Republic, Farrah has worked on events like the Underground Developmental Shows presented by Kurt Donavon.
"It's cool seeing new faces and discovering artists that travel significantly to be there, and the crowds are engaging and supportive."
Despite having found so many avenues for creativity, Farrah has had to overcome many obstacles to get where she is. As a black woman in the arts, she quickly learned the importance of being physically and mentally healthy.
"I didn't have the smoothest sailing becoming who I am, and still, I choose to overcome adversity every day."
Having achieved her childhood dream of becoming a photographer at such an early age, Farrah has the fortune of creating new dreams. She hopes to one day see her work in theatres and turn her humble start with Photogrl Republic into a highly recognizable art empire.
Farrah wants to use her career to positively impact others in a way that makes them strive for better, bigger goals they may not have previously thought they could achieve.
"Life may not be perfect, but it is still beautiful and worth cherishing every given moment. You can always create your own story."
Keep up with all of Farrah's work here.