By Rebecca Klein
here does inspiration come from? For every photographer, the source is different.
For some, the effort of achieving technical mastery becomes the motor of creativity.
Others depend upon a sure sense of timing and taste. And there are those who
operate by instinct.
Ellen Von Unwerth is a master of instinct. Her work in Vogue and other magazines such as Interview, The Face, and i-D--playful and naughty, but most of all sexy--has earned her a reputation as one of the leading fashion photographers on the world. Her photo books, starting with 1994's Snaps, have become collector's items. Her imagery is consistent and surprising--even shocking. That is true of her most recent book, Revenge (Twin Palms Publishers, $40), a riotous visual tale of sadomasochism; in keeping with her signature style, it is at once timeless, funny, and erotic. Whatever else her pictures may be, they are always based on her particular understanding of what mean want what most women know. "I think a man likes to be a little bit mistreated by the woman, she says. "I think they enjoy it--if the woman is beautiful."
Von Unwerth brings a unique perspective to fashion--a woman who works in what has been a male-dominated profession. She is noted for her ability to bring out a genuine sense of fun in her models; in her images, women express their own sexuality on their own terms. Her work has made her one of the most influential photographers of her generation, a celebrity in her own right. It is interesting to note that Von Unwerth, who grew up in Bavaria, Germany, and began her career in front of the camera as a model, once worked in a circus in her youth. That's probably not bad training for a fashion photographer, whose job, after all, is to dazzle the senses in a world of fantasy.
Von Unwerth brings a unique perspective to fashion--a woman who works in what has been a male-dominated profession.
As part of American Photo's yearlong 25th-anniversary celebration, the magazine has been spotlighting photographers whose work has changed the state of the art over the past quarter century, and there is no doubt that Von Unwerth has done just that. Her photographs, including the ones she selected for this special portfolio, are infused with a sense of spontaneity and glamour, as well as a distinctive visual style. As the photographer herself confesses, however, that signature style--out of focus, with blurred movement--is often the result of accident or techincal ineptness rather than artistic intent. "I actually try more to do sharp pictures, really," says Von Unwerth with a charming laugh. "But I like spontaneity, and spontaneous moments come and go too quickly. So, no, the look of the pictures is not always intentional."
ecently, AP writer Rebecca Klein caught up with the photographer in a
Manhattan studio, where Von Unwerth--wearing a black velvet jacket with red
lining, jeans, and little makeup, her platinum hair pulled back, and calmly
sipping coffee--was waiting to shoot model Kate Moss and rock icon David Bowie.
In the exclusive interview that begins on the following pages, Von Unwerth talks
about her own brand of photographic mastery, the sources of her ideas, and her
unique visual style.
On spontaneity, circus life, eroticism, and the art of fantasy.
An interview with Ellen Von Unwerth
ot many people know that once you worked in a circus as a young girl.It's true. I was 17 or 18 and had just finished school when I went to see this circus in Munich. It's wasn't like these big spectacles with animal acts. It was a very poetic and charming little circus with beautiful lights and music. I went to the director, who looked at me and said, "Ah, you look like a circus girl. Okay." I got to dress up in a top hat and fishnet stockings, put perfume on people, and blow bubbles. It was a great experience.
Is that where your love of leather, masks, and fishnet stockings came from?
Oh, no, I think I always loved those. I lived in a little dream world as a child, dressing up in feathers and all that stuff. I've always loved fantasy, which is why I loved the circus so much.
In many of your photos, especially in your book Revenge, you seem to play out another kind of fantasy. What is it about a woman taking control of a man that appeals to you?
I think it's nice to feel your able to do it. But not all the time. I like to treat the men a little bit bad. I just love it. In pictures, I mean. I think it's funnier somehow because you don't see it so often.
Revenge is your first book with a story line. And it unfolds almost frame by frame, like a film. How long did it take you to shoot?
Only three days. I knew what I wanted and I booked the right people, had the right location, and the weather was beautiful. I had a storyboard to follow, but then the models started playing and it because quite spontaneous. It was really fun because it was such a new thing for me. It's naughtier and wilder than anything I've done.
Were any of your models intimidated by the sadomasochistic subject matter?
Not at all. All the girls on the shoot loved this kind of picture. They were totally into it, saying, "Yeah, hit me for real. Harder! Harder!"
The girls don't look uncomfortable in Revenge. And it's easy to tell when a girl is inhibited or being pushed by the photographer...
I can't do that. I never push a girl to do things. You have to feel that she is ready for it or not.
You once said that you believe people behave differently in front of your camera than for other photographers. Why?
I think the difference is that I'm a female photographer and not behind the camera wanting anything from the girl, so she feels more relaxed and opens up. But I also book people I like, so my photo sessions are friendly things, more like playing than work.
When you were a model, who were your favorite photographers to work with?
I loved to work with Guy Bourdin and Oliviero Toscani. Bourdin because he was so exciting. He made really artistic and outrageous pictures, and there was excitement in the air. He turned his crappy little studio into this glamorous, perverted set. Toscani was really good energy and just a lot of fun.
What did you learn from them?
I learned a lot about movement and about light. But I also learned what I don't like from other photographers. I hated not being allowed to move. I always wanted to do silly things, and some photographers were like, "No, no, don't move!" I love it when the girls do spontaneous things. My boyfriend at the time, Bruno Juminer, was also a photographer, and loved to work with him. He taught me how to print. I don't print my own pictures so much anymore, but loved doing it. It's really magic.
Which photographers do you consider inspirations?
My two favorites are Helmut Newton and Jacques-Henri Lartique. His work was incredible, so full of movement and joie de vivre.
You seem to like a grainier look in many of your photographs.
For my personal projects, yes, I love the grainy film. For magazines and advertising I usually have to make sharper images. Clients don't really like the grainy film. They're always asking me not to use my grainy stock.
Do you use special film?
I change films all the time. There used to be a film I loved, Kodak Ektachrome P800/1600 [an early push-process slide film], but they stopped making it. That's the problem: There are always great films, and then they stop them. There's not really a film I've found that I love as much as that one, so now I change films constantly. It's difficult because films are becoming more and more standardized. For black-and-white film I use Tri-X.
Do you prefer black and white or color?
I like both, but in the end I always like black and white better. I think it's more timeless, more emotional, and graphic.
Do commercial clients demand color?
Yes, most of the time. And not just the advertising clients but also the magazines. Some like black and white. And some people just book you for what you do best.
Do you feel you do black and white best?
Yeah, I do. I love color when there is color. I don't like to shoot color when the girl has a black dress and stands in front of a beige wall. When I do color I really love it to be bright: a purple car and pink lipstick!
What cameras do you use? Always 35mm or also medium format?
I use mostly 35mm because I like to shoot quickly, almost like a film. That's the format that corresponds the most with what I do. I shoot medium format sometimes because lots of clients demand better quality for big advertising billboards and things like that. I also shoot snapshots with point-and-shoot cameras. The thing I don't like is digital, because the camera doesn't shoot at the moment you press. It's always a little bit delayed. I try to grab the moment and it always misses the moment, so I have the feeling it doesn't look like my picture, and that drives me crazy. Also with digital you have to view it on the computer and do so much to it to make it look good because it's too sharp and there's too much information. I like to have a beautiful print in my hand.
"Men like being mistreated by beautiful women."
What point-and-shoot camera do you use?Right now, a Contax T3. But I go through them--one almost every month--because I shoot really fast and they can't keep up with me! Then there are the ones I lose in the nightclubs. I have a big consumption of cameras.
You first picked up a camera as a model, when a boyfriend bought you one as a present. Since you didn't have any formal training, how much have you grown technically over the years?
To be honest, not that much. I just play with different lighting setups and films. But I have my assistants and basically don't pay an awful lot of attention to the technical side. I'm looking for the picture and what's happening in front of the camera. Sometimes I grab the camera and there's not even film in it and my assistants are running after me screaming, "No! No! You can't shoot!" And sometimes even the mistakes don't matter. Even if I'm shooting with the wrong exposure, maybe it's a great picture anyway. That's the way I see it.
And your pictures are very cimematic.
I love silent movies. They're so beautiful and intense and tell such daring stories.
Have you worked in film?
I've done quite a lot of movie work, but afterwards I always say I never want to do it again. I don't like how so many people are involved. It's complicated and there's the huge crew. Then there's the editing process, which takes so many days. I like to do things really low-key. But sometimes I also find the work of editing still photos to be frustrating, because you have so many images you like can can only pick one. With Revenge, I had a slide show of 500 pictures and it was almost like a movie.
You're shooting David Bowie and Kate Moss today. Are you ever intimidated by the big names you shoot?
Not so much. I try not to be intimidated. It's best not to be. But sometimes it happens. I've already worked with David a couple of times, and he's very nice.
Do you direct actors differently than models?
Yes, some people like to play roles, while others like to be themselves and very directed. I don't go in with an idea. I prefer to discover the person.
Is there anyone you haven't shot that you would like to work with?
Yes: Marilyn Monroe! I think she would be my favorite model. Other than her, no one really.
What's next for you?
Actually, I'm working on a new book. I've been thinking about it for a long time, but I always have jobs, and it's hard to take the time off to do a project for myself. Finally I kind of just did it. I don't want to talk much about it yet, but it's very exciting and fun. It's nice to go out of the fashio world and meet different people. I like doing more private work like this and maybe getting in movies.
As someone who didn't plan to be a photographer and never formally trained to be one, could you have imagined yourself in the position you're in now?
I know--it looks a little bit like a fairy tale. But really the most important thing to me is to be excited about my work.
Photos/Captions (click to enlarge)
Von Unwerth's shot of Drew Barrymore for Talk, 1999. 
Model Eva Herzigova as glamour queen Bettie Page for Interview. 
Von Unwerth shot actress Elizabeth Hurley betting big for Arena magazine in 2001. Though she prefers to shoot her personal work in black and white--"it's more timeless, emotional, and graphic," she says--her commercial clients often want color. "And when do I color, I love it to be bright!" 
Model Nadja Auermann, statuesque in leather, shot for The Face, 1994. 
A shot for Vogue Nippon. 
A shot from Von Unwerth's most recent book, Revenge. 
A photo for Vogue Germany. |
Transcribed from November/December 2003 American Photo.