Angelo Kritikos Has Captured A Lot of Famous Mugs, and Hearts
The world's first photograph made in a camera was taken in 1826 by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. Imagine if he could time travel a couple centuries later and sit down with one of today’s top industry photographers. Specifically, Angelo Kritikos. How quickly do you think his head would explode? In awe, of course. Although some of Angelo’s photos are pretty provocative…
A champion in this field, Angelo has captured a lot of famous mugs, including Billie Eilish, Demi Lovato, Normani, to name a few, and the hearts of many like a Cupid firing off arrows with each click of his camera. As a long time admirer of his work and ethos, we thought What do you say we fire up the ring light and activate Angelo’s front-facing camera? Meaning let’s put the focus on him with a cute Q&A, shall we?
What is your favorite song or album of all time (or right now)? Whats the story for you behind it?
I really connected with Lorde’s Pure Heroine album. Her lyrics, melodies and production was such a vibe and really encompassed what it felt like growing up in a melancholy suburb. I listened to this album on repeat for a full year. I would play the song Ribs on repeat for days. I find myself coming back to this album every Fall and Winter.
Another album I had a huge moment with is Lana Del Rey’s Born To Die. Her mystery at the time and visuals were unbelievable. Every live performance and every sighting of her was so cool to me. I could not get enough of her. I love everything Lana does and this album will never get old to me. This album comes back into rotation every summer.
How do you discover new music? What are a few of your go-to playlists, stations, sources…?
Being a music photographer, I am always looking out for cool new artists to collaborate with. There is an amazing music scene in LA and I usually discover artists from just going out to shows. A lot of my friends have great music taste so I discover new music from their instagram stories, or sharing music with each other. Finally, asking Siri ‘what song is playing’ when I’m out and about is low key an easy way to discover new music.
Imagine you're a career coach. What do you wish you knew when you first started?
The only thing I wish I had when I first started out was more self worth. I was conditioned to think artists can’t make good money, have to work for free all the time, my ideas weren’t ever good enough etc. It looks years to develop my value/worth as an artist because of how much untrue shit I believed.
What were some defining moments or breaks in your career that helped get you to where you are today?
I truly feel that every project I’ve taken on has been a stepping stone for me. Each photo shoot, experience, and opportunity has played a role in my growth as an artist in some way. My earliest defining moment in my career was when I was fresh out of art school. I won a major photo contest by W Magazine and was named “Top Upcoming Photographer” by W. That shit was crazy.
A huge defining moment has been working closely with Demi Lovato and her team. Being able to travel the world and collaborate with her has been the opportunity of a lifetime. I am so inspired by Demi and I’ve created some of my best work to date with her.
Finally, being MTV’s Creator To Watch this year was such a cool career moment for me. I grew up on MTV, so being featured across all their platforms as their Creator To Watch was so dope. MTV is the reason why I got into what I do today.
What artist has your favorite social media game and why?
I’m really into the artists that come off authentically themselves on socials. As much as I’m a sucker for a good aesthetic and cohesive grid, I’m also super into authentic and real-time posts. I think Billie has a really great online presence. Her socials are so cool, effortless and fresh.
What advice would you give new artists hoping to connect with fans and make a true impact on the industry?
To any artist, I would ask, ‘What is your story and perspective?’ Hone in on that. I feel with the fastness of streaming, artists are out here trying to put out song after song hoping one will ‘hit.’ Don’t buy into what you ‘think’ you should be doing. Just go create some dope shit. Connecting with fans is super important. Take time to engage with them over socials. Reply back. Get the fans involved in the creative process as well.
