PHOTO CONFESSIONAL: Cig Harvey
AUgust sunset (Emily) 2024 ©Cig Harvey
IF YOU WEREN’T A PHOTOGRAPHER, WHAT OTHER PROFESSION WOULD YOU PICK?
Probably a designer. I love clothes and textiles and am actually incorporating that passion into the work I’m making now.
HOW IMPORTANT IS RESEARCH IN YOUR WORK?
Very important. All five of my monographs are a combination of text and image. I love doing the research to inform both my writing and image making. For my latest book, Emerald Drifters, I did an incredible amount of research on color, sight, light, and beauty.
The Banquet 2023 ©Cig Harvey
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST CRUCIAL DECISION YOU HAVE MADE IN YOUR CAREER’s DEVELOPMENT?
Even though I loved it, giving up full time teaching was an important and positive shift in my career. It provided me more time and creative energy to devote to my practice.
IS THERE A PHOTOGRAPHER/ARTIST WHO IS A CONSTANT REFERENCE FOR YOU?
Sophia Calle has consistently been an inspiration over the years.
WHAT WOULD YOU NOT WANT TO PHOTOGRAPH?
Cigarette campaigns! Photography has only ever brought good things into my life so I’m careful how I use it. I would never use the medium for something I don’t morally agree with.
WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE, AND WHAT IMPORTANCE DO YOU GIVE TO TECHNIQUE?
I use a Fuji camera. I’m not a big gearhead, but excellent glass and optics are essential.I also love a large metapixel count, because I print my work as big as 42 x 56 inches.
Lunar Eclipse & Wild Phlox 2021 ©Cig Harvey
WHAT IS THE STARTING POINT OF YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?
Intuitively making work. I have to go out into the world and just photograph. Everything else will come.
HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY WITH a #tag
I don’t really use hashtags.
The Midnight Feast 2023 ©Cig Harvey
at what point did you feel you were a photographer, and what made you think that way?
On my first assignment for my local newspaper. Something about the language of having a 6am call time felt very official to me. I love getting up early to make pictures.
HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH REJECTION?
I just move forward and keep making work. It’s just not worth it for me to get caught up in it. If I got passed over for something, it wasn’t meant to be. The best thing for my creative practice is to move on.
Apple Tree (Last Light) 2021 ©Cig Harvey
HOW DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SUCH SUCCESS?
I think of myself as a very driven person. I am constantly making work. I love all the outside accolades, but for me, the true reward is making the work itself. I know it sounds cringey, but I really believe that.
Gold Road 2023 ©Cig Harvey
HOW DO YOU APPROACH STRANGERS IN YOUR PROJECTS OR TO INCLUDE IN YOUR PROJECTS?
I always go up to them and give them a genuine compliment. I think that’s the best way to start a conversation and establish the first inklings of trust and comfortability.
Five Koi 2023 ©Cig Harvey
IS IT COMMON FOR YOU TO QUESTION YOURSELF OR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY?
No, it’s not. I can have self doubts about other things, but the creative process and photography is something I feel is so true to who I am it’s a place of sureness.
how is your approach to the art world/ photo-book world?
N.A.
Common Frog 2021 ©Cig Harvey
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A NEW PHOTOGRAPHER WHO IS JUST STARTING OUT?
Make an enormous amount of work. Nurture it and try to understand it before you share it publicly.
ABOUT Cig Harvey
Cig Harvey is a British-born artist and writer who lives in Maine. She's known for her work in photography, which is represented by several galleries including Robert Mann Gallery in New York and Peter Fetterman Gallery in Los Angeles.
Harvey has published five books, with her most recent, Emerald Drifters, released in spring 2025. Her work has received numerous accolades, including the Prix Virginia Laureate in 2018 and the J.P. Morgan Laureate at Paris Photo in 2022. She was also honored with the Maine in America Award by the Farnsworth Art Museum in 2021 and the Visionary Award from Maine Media in 2023.
Her solo exhibitions have been featured at major institutions, including a mid-career show at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art in 2019 and an exhibition that traveled from the Fotografiska Museum in Sweden to New York and Estonia between 2023 and 2024. Her work is held in permanent museum collections globally.
portrait by alissa hessler
