Matthias Vriens-McGrath... the VULKAN interview

"The man is exactly what I thought he might be and so much more; he is protagonist, antagonist, story teller, evocateur, provocateur, in your face, passionate, mischievous, portraitist and that’s just for starters. What impressed me most about him is the man has this self-effacing sense of humor which is pervasive and sometimes quite evident in his work and in his words. He is a stand-alone when it comes to creatives and especially when it comes to the inhabitants of the fashion world."

FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW CLICK THE LINK BELOW


www.vulkanmagazine.com/qa-with-matthias-vriens-mcgrath

James Moore retrospective.. a book review

"James Moore, the book, is a dazzling and yes, astonishingly and sensationally assembled chronicle of one of the greatest fashion photographers of the last half of the 20th century. The book is the quintessential photographic catalog of a single artist whose work is far more visually ubiquitous than the recognition of his name. This was a man who had passion, talent, vision, and a spirit that was practically unmatched in the world of fashion."

FOR FULL REVIEW... click the link...  www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/james-moore

The Politics of Fashion or Politics in Fashion

Last evening a friend from  Facebook posed a rather thought provoking (to me at least)  question about the future situation involving one Anna Wintour and our immigrant de facto first lady being featured in a coming issue of VOGUE magazine. When Billy asked me “how do you think Vreeland would have handled this situation; what would she have done?” …the wheels of my brains started spinning out of control.

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With that in mind, one has to ask themselves a simple question, given the pervasive nature of our not very well liked, more like loathed and detested, present president and the question is … WHY? How does a woman, in such a seat of power,   who so publicly supported our last president and vigorously supported a past candidate (who regretfully lost) suddenly decide to include one Melania Trump as a featured subject in the once omnipotent and once fashionable VOGUE magazine. Is this to curry personal favor  (like an ambassadorship) with the current administration? Do you find this to be a betrayal or hypocrisy of her and her ”brand’s” past endorsements? “Staying relevant” which is a phrase Wintour seems to hide behind might have stood in front of it this time and taken a stand!

So back to the beginning … I ask you ... How do you think Diana Vreeland would handle this situation? Or … WWVD which is shorthand for What Would Vreeland Do? …  No, this is not an earth shattering question for the ages but rather a somewhat diversionary yet relevant question concerning politics in fashion or the politics of fashion.

My personal take is that  my guess would have been that Vreeland would have sidestepped it and surely would not have so vigorously and publicly  supported Obama  meaning her political opinions had no place in VOGUE. It is true that Vreeland was very friendly with Jackie but remember it was Jackie who called and courted her and not the reverse. Vreeland was crazy like a fox.

When I asked a dear friend (who was a colleague of Vreeland) about this she replied with: Hmmm... First she would pour herself a finger of scotch…  Down it… then book a ticket to a faraway spa in Europe.... stay way away from the fray ...for a while.. Let Babs Simpson or Nicky de Gunsberg deal with it... It wouldn't have been a real issue. (Fashion magazines were not political in those days  ... they were more about society names...) But I do think she would have found Melania quite vulgar. If Liberman insisted, she might have had Newton do a racy photo or two... A kitsch take off in the golden tower... or Lord Snowden - a portrait taken in the hills of Slovenia for a “personalities" portrait. Definitely not fashion. DV was the fashion editor. She did not wield the power that AW Does. Patcevitch and Liberman ran the Magazine... There were no political or "star" Fashion pages... That started with Anna. .. It was society and fashion... WE did the odd “personality " story. Jackie was society and fashion … but never appeared on fashion pages neither modeling clothes nor Princess Grace either.

And so here we are.  .. this is an “READER participation”  post… this is NOT about the hubris of our current commander in chief and his demented behavior but whether or not one Diana Vreeland would have placed our absentee de facto first lady on the pages of VOGUE as if to say “isn’t she fabulous?”  Or is it in the words of Mrs. Vreeland … “A little bad taste is like a nice splash of paprika. We all need a splash of bad taste—it’s hearty, it’s healthy, it’s physical. I think we could use more of it. No taste is what I’m against.”

http://nymag.com/thecut/2017/02/anna-wintour-melania-trump-vogue-coverage.html

Alexi Lubomirski .. THE INTERVIEW

Doing what I do affords me many intangible assets; some of them being self- gratification, access to authors, designers, genuine influencers and some of the greatest fashion and fashion related books that ever come to print.

This interview was posted almost 2 years ago upon release of Alexi Lubomirski's book Diverse Beauty but since then, Alexi has most recently been enjoying some extraordinary new attention caused by being named photographer of the year by The Daily Front Row  and of course his appointment as the official photographer for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. In case you were wondering what else and who else Aexi works with then you need to know he has become an established name within the fashion industry with an impressive client list like Harpers Bazaar US, Harpers Bazaar UK, Vogue Mexico, Vogue Germany, Vogue Russia, Vogue Spain, Vogue Korea, Vogue China, Vogue Nippon, Men’s Vogue China, Numero Tokyo, W Korea, GQ USA and Allure.
He has also become a favorite with celebrities such as Beyoncé, Charlize Theron, Gwyneth Paltrow, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lopez, Selma Hayek, Katy Perry, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman and Scarlett Johansson

As far as access, let's speak of the books that are offered to me for review and in turn the access that is can happen when an author actually finds me to thank me for said review. Furthering the point or possibly increasing my gratification is that these moments offer me the chance of forging a new friendship so many people who i might never have come inn contact with.

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So, with all this in mind, today is to honor a new friend whose name is Alexi Lubomirski. Not only is he a celebrated photographer but he is also an accomplished author, father, and husband, humanitarian and now a newly found friend. It is a rare find to meet people who are as gracious and forthcoming as he, let alone one who has achieved notoriety but has not lost sight of being a human being who walks among us; in other words he is humble, self-deprecating and genuinely generous on all levels.

So, it was my great honor that he consented to speak to me on this occasion which serves as a celebration of his oeuvre which now includes his latest book DIVERSE BEAUTY which was released in October 2016. 

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Jeffrey Felner: Will you share one of most memorable assignments, projects or collaborators and tell us what and why?

Alexi Lubomirski:  I love the challenges of shooting different characters every day. One day you get to shoot a model and you can create any character you want.  The next day you shoot an actress who has more boundaries involved with the shoot, whether it is because they don’t want to be shown in a certain way, or they have insecurities, or they have zero time to give you.  Sometimes though, they give you something that you could not plan for and this is when it gets fun.  Shooting Lupita Nyong’o was one such subject.  We had set the lights and the props.  We had each shot planned out and we had a certain time limit.  Then she comes on set and rather than just “slotting in” to the pre prepared shot, she came on set and blasted all that was planned out of the water with her presence.  She has such a radiance that you almost don’t need anything to “help” her in the shot.  She dances, she has an incredible smile, there is a natural ease to her.  Those are the shoots where it is just 100% pleasure and not work. 

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JF: If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would they be and why?

AL: Firstly I can’t do a dinner with more than 4 people, so someone would have to drop!  Anymore than 4 people and it becomes a larger group of small talk rather than in smaller group of in depth conversation. In truth, I always prefer a one on one! I am terribly antisocial outside of work hours and always prefer to be with my wife and sons, but if I am forced to go out, then I try to get as in depth as possible in to that new person’s life and what they do and why… I try to learn as much as possible about that person.

So in order to learn something, and be as nosy as possible into each of their lives, my choices would be: 1-My paternal grandfather.  I never met him and he was the last link to the polish part of my ancestry and everything the title stood for.  Every description about him, from various people, always describes him as an elegant, charming, patriotic, gentleman and someone who was the very definition of what a prince should be. 2-An “in the field” representative of the charity Concern Worldwide.  I am an ambassador for Concern and when I have talked to people who have been in the field, you are massively inspired to do more.  It puts your entire existence into perspective. The job we do the life we live, the things we worry about. 3- Dr. Shefali Tsabary who is the author of The Conscious Parent. I am a spiritual self-help junkie, and this plus the impossible task of trying to be a good parent, would make for an interesting chat with her. 4-Nelson Mandela as when I was growing up in Botswana during apartheid and Nelson Mandela was always spoken about.  Having survived such hardship and hatred, and then be able to come out on the other side with love and understanding is something that I would love to delve into.

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JF: With the new book just out how will that affect your future work and do you have another book on the back burner?

AL: I am hoping that this book will be just one more “tap - tap” on people’s head to remember to push the diversity factor in fashion.  I believe that the more people see fashionable and aspirational images of a more diverse range of beauty, that it will just become the norm.  Rather than having to do a “Black Issue” or an “Asian issue”, hopefully we will start to see magazines representing what we see around us, which is a constant, glorious, textured tapestry of differing looks and colors.  So hopefully my future work will reflect this change.

I have about 3 projects going at one time, not necessarily to do with photography.  About 3 years ago, I came to the conclusion that if you are a “creative” then you should allow inspiration to manifest itself in any creative manner that fits.  You shouldn’t handcuff yourself to your “professional title”, be it photographer, writer or painter.  If I, as a photographer am inspired by something that I cannot translate to its full potential via photography, and then I try to allow it to come out in whatever way seems best.  That is how my first written book came about in 2014.  That being said, I have always written poetry and if I ever have the guts to share those poems, maybe that will be my next book!

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JF: Do you have a professional bucket list and will and you share and explain?

AL: People always ask me this question and I always bore them with the same answer.  There is no particular person that I have an aching desire to shoot.  The only thing I hope is that sustainability and responsible manufacturing continue to grow in the industry and that I am able to use my photography to help that grow.

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JF: Would you care to comment on the current state of the media or fashion in general when it comes to appeal; who is the intended audience? Agree or disagree and why?

AL: I think in the last year or two everything has changed. Budgets that were set aside for a campaign of 12 images for a whole season are now being ripped apart and sent into 10 different directions, be it for Instagram videos, YouTube channel, Facebook etc. and then the image tally also goes up 3 fold in order to have constant new content for all media channels.

The public’s appetite for content is insatiable and if you are not present in some manner on practically a daily basis, you are out of sight and out of mind.

 One has to move with the times and get on board with this changing landscape. I was dragged kicking and screaming 4 years ago into the social media world, but quickly realized how important a role it is for any aspect of the industry. I now have a YouTube channel which has tutorials, behind the scenes and other projects on there, along side all the other media channels.  In order to survive and thrive in this industry you have to have more of a brand mentality. 

As to whether I like it or not, I see it as an exciting new challenge, as well as adding more outlets for being creative. So yes J

 

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JF: Do you have any style mentors or mentors in general who influence your work on a daily basis and why them?

AL: When I assisted Testino, he said to me that as a photographer, one had to find one’s “woman”.  What is her style, her personality, her character? Who she is will determine your voice as a fashion photographer.  So in terms of my style mentor, my wife Giada is my “woman”.  She is Cuban Italian, grew up in Rome, speaks Italian, Spanish and English and has a very international outlook.  She has amazing taste and individual style, a fashion lover who is simultaneously an advocate for sustainability in fashion and environmental awareness. She has an understated elegance and grace to her that is effortless plus a romantic side and an easy, luminous smile.  If that wasn’t enough, she is gorgeous inside and out! So she really inspired me in terms of who my “woman” was to be in my work.  Added to this and as cheesy as it sounds, I think that when you marry, you want to be the best version of yourself for that person.  This in turn made me a better person at work and allowed me to find my voice in terms of what I wanted to shoot, how I wanted to shoot it and how I wanted to be perceived on set.

meet Frederic Aranda a legend in the making

Amazon.com offers this terse biography of Frederic Aranda:  “he is a native Swiss photographer based in London, who contributes to magazines such as Vogue and Vanity Fair, and collaborates with brands like Cartier and Cutler and Gross.” This is a minuscule catalog of this artist’s oeuvre and doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the man and his talents.

 

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As it turns out, Freddie as he is called by friends is one of those photographer/ artists that happens to be a legend in the making and much more than just the sum of his parts. He is one of the most gifted photographers of this era and who is undoubtedly an icon in the making. Oh, and he is charming and witty and carries an unmistakable mischief about him.

Lucky for me that Freddie is a friend to me along with his co-author and his longtime pal Christine Suppes. Together they gave the genre of fashion books a monograph that could have only been accomplished by 2 kindred spirits who have a single vision and a love for the visual as well as for fashion. (Electric Fashion, SKIRA)  In other words they wrote a love letter to fashion and style.

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“Suppes and Aranda describe this project as a journey, but this is an unbelievably intimate demonstration of one woman’s adoration of fashion with her “partner in crime.” Together, they have created one of the great fashion books to have come along in this millennium to date. “www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/electric-fashion#sthash.B2VRE39g.dpuf

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The accompanying images speak for themselves even though Freddie has become known for his stellar and distinctive group portraits; he is an artist at heart whose “eye” is that of a portrait painter possibly of the Renaissance era. The clarity of image, the laser sharp line, the contrasts, the colorations and the intensity all account for the startling and mesmerizing reactions one has when each image is viewed. He has been the subject of several one man shows including one at the V&A which featured his work for Electric Fashion and one to benefit the victims of the Fukushima debacle in Japan. Don’t let me forget to mention that his subjects have included Dame Vivienne Westwood, Prince Phillip, Margaret Thatcher, Farrell Williams, Tom Ford, Ben Stiller, just to name a few!

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At the end of the day, it is my opinion that Mr. Aranda will more than hold his own in the pantheon of great photographers since despite his relatively young years he has achieved a professional quality and level of perfection that will rival the greats of the 20^th century; in essence he is not some snap shot or fly by night flavor of the month photographer like so many who receive underserving praise.

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Now, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Freddie in his own words:

Jeffrey Felner: Can you give us a brief synopsis of how you arrived to where you are today professionally?

Frederic Aranda: I am a self-taught photographer. I did a degree in Japanese at Oxford, during which time my parent's divorce got me taking pictures of my mother to help her feel beautiful during a difficult time. It was a distraction (for both of us) at first. In order to improve technically, during term time I practiced on my Oxford classmates so that I could return home to Switzerland during the holidays to take better pictures of my mum. Yet, it’s what I did photographically at Oxford, not at home, which gained momentum and which got me launched as a portrait photographer in London after completing my degree. I've been working professionally as a photographer for about 10 years in London, and have done three solo exhibitions (the last one at the V&A), many editorials, and a book. The pictures of my mother have never been shown anywhere but they contain all the passion and naiveté of an aspiring photographer.

 

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JF: Let’s speak of Electric Fashion: how did it come about, any plans for a sequel and how did you and Christine meet and decide to do this?

FA: Electric Fashion (MAY 2015) is collaboration between myself, shooting all the pictures, and Christine Suppes writing all the texts. It's my first book. It came about organically after I started photographing Christine's clothes and realised that there was an incredible collection here which needed to be shared with the outside world. The question then became how to share it in a unique way, and that was where I had to convince her to pose for me in the clothes as opposed to shooting them just as still life. We are not planning a sequel to Electric Fashion but are working on something different which draws on my experience as a portrait photographer and on her life experience in California.

 

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JF: If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would they be and why them?

FA: My guests would be John Waters, Bette Midler, Gina Riley, Jane Turner and Princess Diana. All of them have/had a joie de vivre and a particular point of view that could only make for one hell of a dinner!

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JF: If you could choose any collaboration, who or what would it be and why?

FA: Anohni*, truly a remarkable inspired talent

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JF: What’s the best advice you ever received and from who and what’s your advice to up and coming photographers?

FA: My advice is to find your voice as a photographer. Ask yourself why you are taking pictures every single day. The answer to that question will give you your subject matter. Also, kindness.

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www.fredericaranda.com

* Anohni (stylized as ANOHNI), formerly known as Antony Hegarty or Antony, is an English-born American singer, composer, and visual artist. She is best known as the lead singer of the band Antony and the Johnsons.