Hannah Freed “Test Shots”

A Los Angeles native, born in 1981, Hannah Freed began practicing art at a very young age. Freed’s greatest artistic influences come from the work of Warhol, Nan Goldin, Man Ray, Cindy Sherman, Weegi, and Salvador Dali as well as the words of Jim Carroll, Allen Ginsberg, and Lou Reed. Though once a self-proclaimed oil painter, Freed soon found that her vision of the world could best be translated through the lens of a camera. Freed received her Bachelor of the Arts in photography from Mills college, and the prestigious ”Creative Excellence Award.” She is currently working in Los Angeles as a freelance photographer and high school photography teacher.

When discussing her artwork, Freed has been quoted as saying, ”I try to be candid, vulnerable, raw, and violently blunt with my art; like a drunk spilling out all her dirty little secrets. Inspiration for my art comes from the late-night life, the grit, the winos, the sweat, the neon lights, the asphalt beneath my feet, inhaling and exhaling a cigarette. My images are brought to life by the sensory world around me. I wait for the triggers and I capture on film real life, real people, and real emotion with a splash of grotesque humor.”