FLO NGALA
Name: Flo
Age you feel: 21
Occupation: Photographer/Creative
Hobby: Making things
Tell us about how you grew up. Where do you call home?
I was born and raised in Harlem, NY. My parents immigrated from West Africa in 1992 and blessed me with three siblings, home is wherever they are, to be honest! My parents were entrepreneurs and left their mark on our Harlem community during the early 2000s.
Your photos for Figure Skating in Harlem made the Times at the beginning of this year. You were in that program for a decade. In what ways did that experience shape your photography/art?
The drive and discipline that comes from being an athlete is so similar to the one that I gained with becoming a photographer. I was relentless, I went for my goals and that coupled with motivation is such a combo. Like if I love something I just go hard, can’t help it.
Your work is very honest. Your photos tell stories that feel very real. How would you describe your photography style? How did you get into photography?
I would definitely describe it as real as well. Straight forward, honest, authentic, all those words. I got into photography in middle school/high school-- we took art electives and as a student, I settled on photo as my favorite one. I did it for all four years of high school.
How have your life experiences shaped your work/art?
The way I see the world is informed by my life’s experiences. I think it’s the same with any photographer. The things we value and what we believe is worth being captured, how we frame what our eyes see has to do with how we see the world for sure.
How do you work with directors who might have a different vision than you for a photo shoot?
I haven’t dealt with this that much luckily, when I’m hired or brought on a project so far it’s remained pretty clear that there’s something in my style and vision as an artist that they want to see.
What was it like getting to work with people like Cardi B and on campaigns like Reebok? How do you prep for these shoots?
Working with Cardi is awesome, she and her whole team have a lot of personality it really is like family with them. As far as prep, it’s making sure I have proper equipment, get adequate rest. Big projects have so many moving parts and sometimes extend for hours especially on videos. Like I fell asleep in the trailer on set of Press which was a reminder to me that prepping in every aspect but especially with self care is important. But to be fair we went super late and my body was on East Coast time! 😂
What has been the piece of work you’re most proud of? Least proud of?
Definitely, nothing I’m least proud of, even bad experiences have taught me things and I’m grateful for those. I’m most proud of my New York Times work, that was a full-circle moment for me and a blessing to work on. I went back to the program’s gala this year and was able to make a large donation in part powered by some of the financial success I’ve had from being a photographer.
What’s your favorite thing about yourself? What’s your least favorite thing that you’re trying to make peace with about yourself?
I really like my personality, I inherited the gift of gab from my dad and know how to move and socialize well. It makes networking fun and as a photographer, I can help my subjects feel comfortable or build relationships quickly. Least favorite thing is how critical I am of myself, I’m working on being kinder and more patient with her, also understanding more of why I do things a certain way so I can heal those bad habits.
When is the last time you cried and why?
In a cab on my way to the VMAs, then again at the VMAs. I had little sleep because I’d shot Afropunk the day before and was up most of the night editing to make deadlines. I was asked last minute to head to the show, said yes and asked a friend to call an Uber since she had a 50% discount-- she called it to the wrong location so I broke down when I realized after I was already running late that I was still 40 minutes away. Then when I got there, one of the people who’d hit me up to come shoot reprimanded me in a way I didn’t think was very kind so I went into the bathroom and started crying.
If you could give advice to yourself at 15, what would you say?
Keep doing that.
Fill in the blank
My role model(s) is/are Melina Matsoukas, just came across the work of this photographer Ibrahem Hasan that like completely blew me away, those are what I think of first as far as career role models. And then in life sometimes it’s my mom, always my sister and in general, any person doing things on their terms, staying true to themselves.
I’m inspired by honestly same as above answer, and like life itself, beautiful things, good photography, vibe-inducing work.
At 79, I hope that I am a boss ass matriarch with hella grandkids, rich as hell, going to exhibitions of my life’s work and shit. Living my best life.
New York is everything, home.
My legacy will be the ways in which my photos, my words, and my actions inspire or affect others.
My future is here and now.
