The Interstory

Oggy has been in the photography business for over thirty years now, which means he has some amazing stories! In the last six months, Diana and I have heard about Oggy’s background in furniture, in jewelry, in art, in fashion, in portraits, and in just about anything else you could imagine! The man just isn’t happy unless there’s a camera in his hands.

So where did this remarkable man get started?

Well, back in Bulgaria, Oggy was the Head of the Department of Photography at the National Art Gallery in Sofia. There, he had the honor of photographing every collection, every exhibition, and also providing photography for museum publications. And, since he held that post for ten years, you can imagine the sheer quantity of rare and valuable art that has passed before his lens.

Then, when he had to leave Bulgaria for America, he started shooting whatever he could over here. He got his stateside start at “Exacta,” a commercial photography studio for furniture and other small products. But Oggy was only there for a couple years before he left to start Interfoto!

This was in 1989. Interfoto was designed to be a specialized creative and technological service that could meet the full range of commercial photography, digital, and publication needs for any type of client. Specifically, Oggy targeted interior design companies, publishers, museums, galleries, and private collectors. And here’s where it gets really incredible.

Since that time, Oggy has shot for everybody. EVERYBODY. His client list (at a glance!) includes Sharp Electronics, Phyllis Morris, CBS, the LA County Museum of Art, the Long Beach Museum of Art, the Gamble House Museum, Kneedler-Fauchere, Houles, Piazza Italia, Architectural Digest Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, and Elle Décor Magazine. He was also the photography director of Interior Expressions Magazine at Pacific Design Center for 7 years.

Then, in the early 2000s, Oggy moved Interfoto out of the city and settled us down here in the San Gabriel Valley. And, well, you know the rest.

But it’s one thing to read his resume. You’ve got to hear about his adventures from Oggy’s own mouth. The time he guest lectured at a photography convention in Bulgaria and wound up speaking for 24 hours straight? The rare coin he photographed hours before the CIA reclaimed it? How he met Steve McQueen’s widow?

If you want to hear about that, you can either a) take him to dinner, or b) keep reading!