Mie Iwatsuki

MIE

IWATSUKI

HIGH FASHION & CELEBRITY PHOTOGRAPHER, FREDERIC AUERBACH

INTERVIEW BY MIE IWATSUKI

Born and raised in Zürich Switzerland, Frederic Auerbach is one of the most influential fashion and celebrity photographers of our times. After attending art school in Zürich,he lived and worked in Paris for 28 years and became among the most well-known and established fashion photographers in the Parisian fashion world. He moved to the U.S. in 2014 and is currently based in LA. His photographs have been published in Vogue (UK, France, America, Spain), Marie Claire , Elle, Vanity Fair, and GQ. He has contributed to the success of leading fashion houses, and has created sensual images for renowned brands including

Dior, Hermès, Cacharel, Sonja Rykiel to Mercedes. He has worked with celebrities including

Sharon Stone, Sophie Marceau and Natalie Portman.

Recently, I was lucky to be photographed by Frederic in LA. It was a truly memorable experience. In the set of photograph he gave me, Frederic not only adopted methods used in cinematic storytelling but also chose garments that seemed unrefined and very simple. He challenged the boundary of fashion photography as he cultivated a clear sense of artistic quality with his deliberate use of dim light, minimalistic interiors, and negative space. His work is nostalgic and sensational. They could invoke past memories of a vacation in the south of France or a secret love affair. While I worked with Fredric in LA, I had the good fortune to interview him to uncover the inspiration and philosophy behind his photography.

Mie: Frederic, thank you again this time for the amazing photoshoot opportunity with you, it was really a dream come true. I am curious when and how did you start photography? And why did you choose photography as the medium of expression?

Frederic: It was my pleasure. I started with a camera when I was about eight years old. My father gave it to me because we were making very long hikes, everybody is hiking in Switzerland all the time and I got bored, so he brought me a camera. And that’s why I started to take pictures of everything and anything, and I loved it more and more so I knew very soon that I wanted to be a photographer.

Mie: So, when did you start to take a photograph professionally, and how did you start?

ed myself, I made a portfolio. I did some test with models, and that work I showed around magazines, until I got my first job. And that’s how I started.

Mie: So, first you got into fashion photography, and that’s what you always wanted to do?

Frederic: Because I’m not very patient. I can’t do stilllife, because it’s too precise and I don’t like precise work and if it takes hours and little finicky work, that’s not me at all. I like things go fast, and also don’t like to be alone, with fashion photography you have a whole team, which is really nice, and I just always thought it’s the most creative professional photography where you actually can earn your living, and that’s why I went to fashion photography and kind of immediately after school.

Mie: You started fashion photography in Paris, and how many years were you in Paris? And can you tell me what was your breakthrough?

Frederic: I was in Paris for 28 years. I think my breakthrough was probably when I started to work for French Elle, which was at that time quite important, that was probably the breakthrough. After that, things started to work out, like, little snowball effect.

Mie: I think a lot of people are familiar with your picture of Natalie Portman for Dior images, can you tell us the story of making the images for them.

Frederic: I do pictures for Dior and for their faces, and they afterwards mostly give them out to press to French Elle to Australian Vogue to anybody who needs pictures then Natalie Portman, for instance, they use those pictures. When they do an article or something with five pages for instance, then they give them those pictures. So that’s how they keep and can control the image of their faces in the press. I did pictures for Natalie Portman and Sharon Stone for Dior, it’s mainly for the magazines.

Mie: So, those images were used for the brand and celebrities, because a lot of people have seen the images everywhere, they are so familiar.

Frederic: Yes, they were in Magazines and all over. Mie: So, you are also a Celebrity Photographer, who was the most memorable figure that you worked with as a subject? And what is your experience like shooting celebrities?

Frederic: I think for me the most memorable was probably Sharon Stone, I shot her several times but the most memorable one was the first one because it was also my first job with an important celebrity. So, the whole thing was really exciting and at the same time I was really nervous, of course. Yes, I shot her in Los Angeles, it was for French Figaro and that was the first time I had to shoot someone really famous. The shoots with celebrities, they’re so fast nowadays you don’t really get to know or have a relationship with them after. Everything has to be really, really fast, it has to be extremely efficient. And all these actresses and actors don’t like to take pictures but they have to do it because in 2000, you know, in our time, they have to do pictures. They’re not models and so it’s not their job but also all they want is to look really beautiful, but at the same time to go home as quickly as possible. When she comes out of the makeup and stuff, and you have to start immediately, and when the six pictures are done, she goes home. There’s nothing happening really, it’s just you have to be really fast. Mie: It was really wonderful to meet you and really fascinating to have this experience to do a photo shoot with you and then one thing this time’s surprise was that how you direct the subject in terms of pose for every single picture and able to have a vision of how it needs to look instantly. And do you do this with all the celebrity subjects?

Frederic: Very often they needed to because they don’t really know what to do in front of a camera. They know what to do in front of a movie motion camera but over stills camera they don’t know what to do. So they really want you to direct, because It’s not their job at all, and moving pictures and still the picture is very different. For them it’s a totally different world, so they need direction, they want direction.

Mie: How do you see the characteristics of your photography? I recall one of your interviews I listened to before, you said what you want to find is “Intensity” and you also said that you like the “Speed”. Can you explain what do you mean by that?

Frederic: My aim is to show and to bring some emotions out of my subject, even if those emotions aren’t real, it doesn’t matter as long as the picture looks as if it has some kind of emotions, some kind of intimacy, and I think that’s what I like about my pictures and how I really would like to see my pictures today. I also work very intuitively, just see the light and ambience, and almost instantly the image comes to my mind. I love intensity in everything. I think intensity is just what we are looking for in lots of different areas in our life. I love intense pictures where the expression is really intense. And so, I tried to get that, If I can. And I mean that the fashion changes all the time, models change all the time, teams change all the time. And the photography itself is really fast, my photography is fast. I know quite quickly what I want and then I get into it. I try to have the model, getting into it as well. And then I get it very quickly. And I try to and I like to move on to the next one and so on. I don’t like to just sit around and wait around and think around, I just like to do it fast, and with fashion photography you can do that. And I like that aspect a lot.

Mie: From the photograph you took of me this time, I can definitely sense the artistic quality in your work, and the way you bring out the beauty of a Japanese

"I LOVE INTENSE PICTURES WHERE THE EXPRESSION IS REALLY INTENSE."

-FREDERIC AUERBACH

"MY AIM IS TO SHOW AND TO BRING SOME EMOTIONS OUT OF MY SUBJECT"

-FREDERIC AUERBACH

woman in a very simple setting. And this time you chose 2 wardrobes for me that were completely opposite in style, one was a nice but a vintage dress, but the other was a loose, lacy black swimsuit coverup which was what I just bought on the street in Mexico, a very simple item. You take pictures for high fashion houses like Dior with extreme elegance, but also be able to make interesting highly artistic and sophisticated works using such simple garments. I really like this opposite contrast in your works. Do you have any photographers or artists in history that inspired you?

Frederic: There wasn’t any mentor. I was always on my own, but I mean, during Art School, I used to get into looking at other photographers, all the magazines and all the books. My favorite photographer was Guy Bourdin, I also loved Helmut Newton and Steven Meisel. But at that time, what really fascinated me was Guy Bourdin, my favorite. I love the expressions of the girls, sometimes quite vulgar but without being vulgar he always made it. He got away even with wild vulgar photography, because it was so incredibly well done, it was so creative as well. Every picture tells a story, I mean it was incredible. But I get inspiration from absolutely everywhere, even from a drive, people I see on the street. And I love the challenge of a given work in a given environment, in the given time. So yes, that’s what I think I can express myself the best.

Mie: Guy Bourdin is one of my favorites also, because of the colors and compositions. In a way I can also sense the duality or contrast in your work in the use of very simple or rough components in high fashion. And do you have any favorite designers and artists from Japan?

Frederic: The Japanese fashion designer, Atsuro Tayama. He used to have his show in Paris. Think he does not do it anymore but he had a brand called OZOK and INDIVI. I’ve worked on quite a lot of his campaigns in Paris. And for architects, I like Ando Tadao. I think there’s no color for all of them, I love his concept, it’s just a great theory.

Mie: I absolutely love Tadao Ando also, for his form of space, the concept connected to nature, light, and its simplicity. It makes sense that you said you get inspiration from many aspects, I love the way you bring beauty from simplicity, the sense of esthetic in the use of space, light and tones in your photographs, it was quite fascinating to be able to see how you do from our collaboration this time, and that was done within just 2 hours. I am excited to know there is your exhibition coming up in Germany. Can you tell us your upcoming exhibition is when and where?

Frederic: I have an exhibition in Dusseldorf in Germany, and the gallery is called Sander and Son, my solo exhibition opens on November 25th this year and it will last about 3 weeks. And it will be part of my celebrity work, I am working on it now.

Mie: Thank you. And what is next for you?

Frederic: I’m working on NFT. Oh yes. I think I will try it. I have no idea what comes out of it though. Is it something that will stay or is it just a trend, but it definitely excites me, so I thought let me try. And, otherwise I just want to keep working. I mean I’m very quick, my work is very eclectic, I don’t want to work just for those certain people or magazines only, you know I can work as well for tequila brands as I can work for underground magazines, or mainstream magazines. I like everything, I just want to continue.

Mie: Great, Thank you so much for the interview this time and the wonderful photoshoot opportunity.

Frederic Auerbach

Frederic Auerbach was born and raised in Switzerland and after attending art school in Zürich. Frederic studied under premier photographers in Milan and Paris. For 28 years he lived and worked in Paris and is among the most well-known and established fashion photographers in the Parisian fashion world today. His photographs have been published internationally in magazines such as Vogue (UK, France, America, Spain), Marie Claire (Italy, France), Elle (Germany, France, Spain), Vanity Fair, and GQ. He has contributed to the success of leading fashion and beauty houses, creating sensual images for brands from Dior, Hermès, Cacharel, Sonja Rykiel, to Mercedes, Comma, Lancaster, Lacoste. His subjects include A-list stars, world class models and actors such as Sharon Stone, Sophie Marceau, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, Jude Law, Eva Green, Naomi Campbell, Mélanie Laurent and John Legend, to name a few. Frederic relocated to Los Angeles in Summer 2014, and continues to live and work in the international stage of high fashion and celebrity photography in the U.S. and Europe.

Model / Author: Mie Iwatsuki

Mie Iwatsuki is an artist muse, model, and curator based in New York. She built her career at Christie’s, an established auction house, and an art gallery in SOHO. She also does a wide range of art-related work, including curation and translation. From 2005 to 2010, she was a model for the iconic New York artist Alex Katz, starting her career as an artist’s muse, she was also photographed by the legendary photographer Robert Frank, and quickly became a rising figure in the art world. In her 2012 exhibition, “Mie: A Portrait by 35 Artists,” she collaborated with 35 contemporary artists. A portion of the proceeds from the exhibition was donated to the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund. She is currently writing her memoir. Instagram: mieiwatsuki