Heather Elder Represents

Zachary Scott

STILLS + MOTION

Zachary Scott

I’ve always loved the idea of balance, and I believe that harmony can come from combining imagination with a discerning perspective. Knowing there is always a sweet spot between divergent and convergent thinking, achieving balance in the work I create first requires freedom through experimentation and play.


I’ve always loved the idea of balance, and I believe that harmony can come from combining imagination with a discerning perspective. Knowing there is always a sweet spot between divergent and convergent thinking, achieving balance in the work I create first requires freedom through experimentation and play. Guidelines are welcome — project constraints can focus my energy like the narrowing of a stream, where water, like ideas, increase in speed and power. The results are communicative stories that reveal a harmony between the different influences in my life; art, humor, and nature.

I can thank my mother for instilling in me the value of focus. As a college art professor, she often shared her discerning views on aesthetics, design, and fashion, helping lay the foundation for my own art appreciation. I’ve found that focus and clarity go hand in hand, and because of that, I can start a project without placing any restraints on the possibilities. It is a place where I can play, collaborate and create freely.

From my father, also a professor and former superintendent of schools, I realized the importance of sharing knowledge and the leadership qualities that came from it. Education was a top priority, a means to success, and a form of self-fulfillment. So, it was not surprising that I also chose to teach. To me, teaching is a special kind of harmony; one where I seek to find and push my students to explore their own growth edge. I lean into the idea of differentiated learning — every student needs a unique balance of inspiration, instruction, and accountability so that they are able to take risks and feel empowered along their own artistic path. 

I view creative briefs as a gift that provides a starting point, giving an opportunity to think differently and create without restraint. This state of mind requires resourcefulness that I rely on without fail. For me, an image is like a puzzle, where each piece is important and has a purpose, understanding that one decision will inform the next. With every detail considered, the puzzle becomes whole through a balance of collaboration, creative styling, lighting, and expression captured in camera. 

Just as I push my students to the edge, I push myself. And I like when the work I create pushes the audience too. I want to keep a balance between creativity and participation, so I give just enough clues to make people think. Did you notice the nod to the Dutch Masters in the Kiva Confections campaign? Or the subtle “fails” like lipstick on Julia Louis Dreyfus’s teeth as she reenacts famous Audrey Hepburn moments for the New York Times Magazine? How about my conceptual project on retirement featuring two elderly monkeys “instead of people” enjoying a TV dinner together? 

I am inspired by the quirks of culture and clever observations about the world around us. When relevant, I make sure to infuse both in every creative pitch, treatment, casting, styling decision, and of course, every story I create.  Nature also fuels me, and the more connected I am to it, the more switched-on I feel and the clearer I think. From the wild energy of the waves I surf to the calm and stillness of the giant old-growth redwoods I walk through; nature is the magical ingredient to my creative process. Whether in the form of minimalistic, narrative-driven storytelling or backdrops populated with natural elements; nature is always a part of my creative process one way or another. And, it is those colors and textures of nature that influence my painterly look.  

Ultimately for me, achieving harmony in storytelling means recognizing and embracing how art, humor and nature have influenced my work. I look to my clients for collaboration and together we balance creativity and strategy to artfully communicate a desired narrative. Together we complete the puzzle.

Zachary's Projects

PROJECTS

Zachary Scott: Blending Portraiture with AI

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PROJECTS

Zachary Scott; Inviting Interpretation and Creating Strong Visual Narratives With Animals

Nature always serves as a crucial ingredient in Zachary's creative process and animals intertwine each project's humor, art and narratives.

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PROJECTS

How Zachary Scott Created Key Art for TikTok's Favorite Baseball Team

Through exaggerated expressions, set design, image composition and color, Zachary’s personal humor is subtle enough to let subjects like the Savannah Bananas own style be the hero of the shot.

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PROJECTS

Zachary Scott On Working With High Profile Subjects

As a seasoned editorial photographer, Zachary Scott has worked with over 50 celebrities from all types of industries. Leaning into his humorous nature, Zachary comes up with ideas for scenes that take the celebrity out of their normal trope and into something distinct.

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PROJECTS

Embark on a Mystical Adventure Curated by Zachary Scott, Kiva and Stout

Zachary Scott's work for Kiva is creative and unique. Creating bespoke scenes for the individual flavors of the product, sends the viewer on a mystical adventure to worlds undiscovered. 

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PROJECTS

Zachary Scott, The New York Times Magazine, and a Traveling Cactus

Zachary Scott has been shooting editorial the majority of his career. In fact, his oldest client is The New York Times Magazine, who began hiring him in 2005. He has always loved working with the magazine as it has introduced him to incredible creatives, allowed him to work with a-list celebrities and has given him opportunities to travel around the world. His most recent cover for the magazine is with comedian and actor Bob Odenkirk.

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Zachary's News

NEWS

Zachary Scott's Image is an American Photography 38 WInner

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NEWS

Zachary Scott Selected for Lürzer's Archive's 200Best Book

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NEWS

Zachary Scott's 'Bananaland' Project is a Finalist in PROMAX Awards

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NEWS

Zachary Scott Selected for Applied Arts Photography Annual

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NEWS

Zachary Scott's Two Images Selected for the American Photography AP39

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NEWS

Zachary Scott's Image Selected to Appear in the AI-AP 38 American Photography Print Annual

Zachary Scott has been photographing local animals for SLO Life Magazine's “Pet Collective” Magazine. One image, of Zachary's own dog Rudy, was selected to appear in the AI-AP 38 American Photography Print Annual

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