Meet an Intern: Deirdre Galvin

Say hello to 21-year-old Deirdre Galvin, a photography major at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, who, naturally, is interning in our photo department this summer.

Don’t you look nice I’ve always been told to dress for the job you want, not the job you have. So in the office, I tend to wear dresses, color, and cute shoes.

From there to here I’m from a place not far from here [Rockaway Beach, Queens], so I never dreamed of going to The Big City, I just dreamed of being successful in the city. My high school art teacher has always been a great inspiration. On the last day of class, he told us not come back and visit until we’ve done something big. My first internship was at Seventeen; now with this experience at W, I can walk through those doors with my head high.

In a day’s work I assist with photo research, castings, and pre-production. I’m also giving the archive room a bit of a facelift, which is a dream for anyone who admires photography and fashion. Searching the back issues of W is euphoric. My favorite is the May 1995 issue, with Kate Moss and Craig McDean’s “Midnight Cowgirl” story.

Working girl I have a second photography internship this summer with Fitness magazine, plus two part-time jobs. I work a lot, but sometimes that’s what you need to do to reach your goals.

Current inspirations Patrick Demarchelier, Steven Meisel, Christian Louboutin, nail art, neon colors, Bruce Davidson, Nick Knight, Joel Sternfeld, Michael Kors, Chris Hemsworth, allrecipes.com, watercolors, Robert Frank, Irving Penn, Mumford & Sons.

All that drive and somewhere to go I would love to be a Photo Director, like Caroline Wolff. She gets to travel to Europe for photo shoots and is a huge part of making these great images. It would be a dream to be part of that process.

Photo: Jeanine Celeste Pang