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EZ Does It

ezequiel de la rosa

Text by Alice B. Miller • Images by Ezequiel De La Rosa

Ezequiel De La Rosa makes it all look so easy. His high-voltage images grace the pages of some of the world’s leading magazines in the U.S. and Europe. His clientele includes some of the biggest names in entertainment and the fashion/beauty arena.

Since his early fashion days, in which he began as a hair and makeup artist—but we’ll get to that in a moment—his images have illuminated Harper Bazaar, Italian Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue Italia, Vogue Belzia, Madame Figeuro, L’Officiel, Grazia, Amica, Cosmo Girl, German Cosmopolitan, Teen People, People En Espanol, Latina, YM, and Gotham magazines.

EZ’s "A" list of corporate clients includes Yves Saint Laurent, Bill Blass, Marc Jacobs, Oscar De La Renta, Valentino, Versace, Christian LaCroix, Revlon, L’Oreal, Clairol, Neiman-Marcus, and Orient Express Hotels. And lighting up his celebrity roster are Uma Thurman, Naomi Campbell, Marc Antony, Julio and Enrique Iglasius, Deborah Harry, Diane Von Furstenberg, Brooke Shields, Mike Meyers, and Spike Lee.

You may recall that this Cuban-born creative was, until six years ago, busy developing his identity as a hair and makeup artist for such notables as Francesco Scavullo, Guy Bordin, Terrence Donovan, and James Moore.

"My photography business came about as a logical extension of my hair and makeup business," says EZ. "When on location, I became fascinated with the artistry of the photographers and thought to myself, ‘I’d be good at photography.’" By 1999, EZ had opened a photography and event studio complex in New York City, EZ Studios (www.EZStudios.com), establishing himself as a celebrity and fashion shooter, adding travel and advertising specialties later.

The De La Rosa Difference
Known for his skill at interacting gracefully with a variety of personalities and putting those around him at ease, De La Rosa has become a valued partner to his clients.
"My clients have come to expect me to handle all aspects of the shoot and take a lot of the details on myself, to give them a complete product without complications or much involvement on their part." This sits well with him, since he prides himself on offering complete service. "I listen to what the client wants and the overall concept," he explains. "Then I create, putting the client’s concept into my photos by drawing on my experience and knowledge."

Part of his service package is the ability to have the picture speak to the viewer and capture his or her imagination. "Here, again, I draw on my past for inspiration. In Cuba, my family exposed me to the natural sensual perception of the individual. My mother and two sisters have always dressed and made themselves up to enhance their natural beauty. This has influenced my art and creativity throughout my life."

Steeped in mood and tone, his images reveal the ease and comfort he has created for his subjects. Let’s take a look at some of EZ’s images . . .

Our stunning cover image was one of the very first images EZ created with his new Imazon Ixpress C. "I immediately fell in love with the C. . . the detail, the way it captures color, how close you can get. You can see every hair follicle, every eyelash, perfectly clearly. I love shooting with a macro lens to get really close. In this photo, I took out the color and added it back to the lips for a really shimmering effect."

The beauty shot with flowers (p. 17), was done for New York’s Broadway Spa as part of their new marketing program.

"The client wanted something beautiful and natural. I went to see what the spa was about and came up with the idea of having a girl surrounded by flowers. After selecting the right model for the shoot, I gave her time to get comfortable, especially since some shots, like those for body treatments, had to be done in the nude.
The image of a man lying on the sand (left) was shot in St. Martin for Passport magazine’s swimwear issue. "Knowing when the light is just right gave this shot a glowing quality. I asked this model to come on the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship with us [I combined the Passport Spring collection shoot with the cruiseship assignment] because he’s a natural. He knows exactly the look we’re after."