Zoey Jacqueline is a third year Fashion Photography student at Leeds Arts University. On top of her studies, Zoey has successfully built her own modeling agency called ‘Agency 7’ which was created based on the idea of providing easy access to unknown models based on the campus of Leeds for young creatives to use for their own projects. Thanks to the agency, her scouting skills got noticed by more established agencies for which she now works for such as Contact Agency. All this and Zoey hasn’t even turned 21 yet! 

 

Zoey Jacqueline’s photography is a reflection of her own experience as a Jewish woman nowadays. With a fine art influence to it, her work is very political and offers space for reflection and discussion. Zoey has recently released a photography book called ‘A Guide To Being A Jewish Woman’ in which she has experimented with digital manipulation. She agreed to be interviewed by Lucie Di Serio. Here’s what’s been said: 

 

 

BEIGE: Tell us a bit about your work in general.

 

Zoey Jacqueline: I’m a twenty-year-old photographer studying Fashion Photography. I specialise in analogue and shooting on location. My style lends itself more to unorthodox fashion photography with fine art influences. I’m concept focused and I usually find myself drawing inspiration from the beauty in the mundane. Something new I’ve been experimenting with is digital manipulations and collage. I also like to explore my Jewish heritage within my work, documenting my experience. I often style, cast, and art direct my own shoots.

 

BEIGE: Can you tell me more about your book ‘A Guide To Being A Jewish Woman’?

 

Zoey Jacqueline: 'A Guide To Being A Jewish Woman', is a project exploring ideas of modesty and beauty within the orthodox Jewish community. The publication is also a visual representation of my experience being a Jewish woman, as well as other women's experiences. I wanted to show a surreal and almost humorous side to Judaism whilst including serious topics as well like anti-semitism. I conducted interviews from a variety of Jewish women to inform my statements of how to be a Jewish woman, and these interviews also informed some of the imagery I made. I was inspired to make this project because I never saw Jewish creatives being openly Jewish or making work about Judaism, and I wanted to change that.

 

BEIGE: What techniques and processes did you use? 

 

Zoey Jacqueline: I used digital manipulation, and collaged a lot during this project. I also used found imagery to fill in the gaps where I couldn’t because of Covid, as well as to draw on my own family history. Symbolism was a big part of this project too. 

 

BEIGE: What was your goal with it? 

 

Zoey Jacqueline: I wanted to show an insight into the lives of Jewish women in a new, more surreal way, whilst showing the negative realities of being a Jewish woman and a Jewish person in general. 

 

BEIGE: Where can we find the book? 

 

Zoey Jacqueline: A preview of the book can be seen on my Instagram @7oeyjacqueline. If you wish to purchase the book you can message me directly or purchase it from Village, the book shop in Leeds located at LS1 6LQ.

 

BEIGE: What are you planning on working on next?

 

Zoey Jacqueline: I would like to continue exploring both the concept of Judaism and the technique of digital manipulations within my work. However, I’m currently working on a new publication documenting every time I see the number seven, called “Eight”.