Douglas Friedman’s (douglasfriedman.net) boundless creativity and unwavering work ethic make him one of the design world’s most in-demand photographers. Here, the lensman opens up about his industry start, memorable shoots and more.
Photographer Douglas Friedman
How did you get into photography? Growing up on the Upper West Side of New York, there was an expectation that I would be a doctor or a lawyer. There was this disappointment that I studied anthropology and film and wanted to be a documentary filmmaker—but that didn’t quite work out. After a yearlong backpacking trip in India and Nepal, an ex of mine helped get me a job working for a photographer. I started working for different types of photographers—architecture, fashion, portrait and catalog. I decided that it was what I wanted to do.
And how did you transition into mainly shooting interiors? Glenda Bailey at Harper’s Bazaar gave me my first big break. They needed someone to shoot portraits of Diane Von Furstenberg at her new home office on 14th Street in New York. Glenda loved the work so much that she commissioned me every month for the next eight years to do these features called The Fashionable Life, where I would shoot these conceptually elevated portraits of the most fabulous women in their homes. Once I had that body of work, I convinced people like Margaret Russell at AD to give me a shot.
A SoHo loft by Studio MBM, styled by Anita Sarsidi
What are some of your most memorable shoots? One of the greatest experiences was with Cher at her home. She shared with us all day, talking about politics and her career and telling jokes. It was an incredible experience. Shooting a couple of Russian oligarch’s mega yachts off the coast of the South of France in the summer—those were incredible moments. Ken Fulk’s team is so much fun to work with; we’re like a family; we crisscross the globe with, you know, a truck full of flowers and get to make these incredible fantasy projects because Ken’s work is so not expected and never the same. We just spent two weeks living in Kona, Hawaii, shooting a new resort with Nicole Hollis. We were embedded on the site, so we lived there, ate, swam and shot there—how fun is that?
Tell us about your two recent book projects. Star Style is a collection of the work I’ve done with Martyn Lawrence Bullard over the last 10 years. It’s incredible projects of celebrity homes and has been such a huge success. I’m totally humbled by it. And Behind the Blue Door is a very different experience. I think it’s my favorite book I’ve done so far. John Dempsey called and asked me to do a book about his home and the art that’s in it. He gave me incredible freedom to create and was so generous to trust me with helping him come up with an idea. We had a week to shoot the whole book!
Nicole Hollis and Richard Beard Architects created this San Francisco stunner.
What do you think people are drawn to in your work? I think it’s how I see balance in the world. But they also see the team’s commitment to the smallest details. If we have to move a 700-pound sofa or split it apart, we will do it. We’re going to climb on roofs. It would haunt me if I walked away from a photograph and didn’t move that last thing. But we do—we always move the last thing. Maybe that’s what people see in the work, the commitment to that level of detail.
A Costa Palmas home by Jon Brent Design
What do you love most about what you do? Every day is a new experience: new faces, sights, sounds and smells. There’s never time to get bored or stagnant. I get to feed my senses with new information constantly. Martha Stewart taught me to live like this—to be curious about everything and to just say yes to things. Yes to dinners and experiences and different things and meals… you can sleep later.
