Cig Harvey's deceptively simple photographs tap into the universal elements of the human experience: love, loss, longing and belonging. She's in demand for editorial and commercial work—as well as her for her fine art prints and books.
Two of Cig Harvey's most iconic photographs have one thing in common—they depict a young girl staring back at the photographer with an enigmatic expression.
In Emie in the Truck (2008), a little girl gazes expectantly out the rear window of an old red pickup truck idling in the snow. In Devin and the Fireflies (2011), a different girl in a white dress stands atop a hill at twilight holding a birdhouse as the grass sparks with yellow flashes. The former image, not staged, conjures a sparse, rural life. The latter, carefully planned by Harvey, speaks of innocence in a magical landscape.
Harvey has used Devin in several of her photographs over the years. "She responds to my stare in a way that is confusing," she says. "I am always searching for the look I don't understand. I photograph people I know, but I'm interested in the moment when they respond with a look I don't know."
Harvey works in the space between scripted drama and pure improvisation, taking a conceptual rather than a documentary approach to the people around her. She uses herself, her family and her friends to embody her own ideas and concerns.
Read an excerpt of the article here.