Gene Kiegel Photography - Fashion, Advertising, Beauty, Fine Art, Journalistic, Still Life - London , New York, Paris, Milan, Los Angeles, Frankfurt, Berlin

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Fashion & Beauty Editorials

Moonlight Walk

Models:
Johanna (ICM)
Simona (Nevs)

MUA: Lena Hrncarova
Hair: Sara Aziz
Styling: Peter Breen

Colour Me Wicked

Models: Carly & Caroline (M&P), Krystal (Karmody Ice)
MUA: Lena Hrnkarova
Hair: Claudio Contrasti using Revlon
Styling: Gene K. & Amanda B.

Got the Blues

Model: Erika S (Profile)
MUA: Lena Hrnkarova
Hair: Jack Tan
Styling: Ian Brown

The Hair Heir

Models: Natasha & Holly (ICM)
Hair: Tom Kemberly (Balcony Jump)
MUA: Sara Aziz
Styling: Lydia Jane Sanders

Masquarade at Versailles

Models: Juliet Johns (Nevs), Mayumi (Ford), Amie (Photogenics)
Styling: Elwira Miezal
Hair: Daphne Valentina
MUA: Francesca Giaimo
Location: Versailles, Paris

Affair to Remember

I AM Art

Model: Dune (Elite)
MUA: Mauricio Lemus
Styling: Caryl Eagle

Client:
Sacks Fifth Avenue
PSL, PD

Drape me in Black

Model: Betsie (MOT)
MUA: Sara Aziz
Hair: Jack Tan
Designer: Style Indigo

Brazil Dreams

Model: Cherie & Juliet (Nevs)
MUA: Claire Portman
Styling: Gene K.
Designer: Nadine Coke

Ray of Light

Model: Laura (Premiere)
MUA: Rebecca
Hair: Claudio Contrasti
Styling: Michael Dye

80s Rebels

Unleashed (music band)
Sian, Danni & Kate

Hair: Jack Tan
MUA: Sara Aziz
Styling: Dee Momi

Red Leaf Forest

Models: Tess & Juliet (Nevs)
MUA: Jaimee Thomas
Hair: Antonio
Styling: Janne Groen

Urban Playground

Models: Steve Vanda (LA Models)
and Olev Aleksander
MUA: Kiyomi
Styling: Derek Lee
Designer: Division E

D-Squared - Adrenaline

Models: River (Nevs) &
Daniel (Cape London)
Grooming: Renata
Styling: Ian Brown
Shot at Silverstone Racetrack

Jets, Cribs and Rides

Models: Sean B (Nevs) , Dynamite Hosts, Lauren R & Josephine (M&P)
Hair: Jack Tan
Styling: Ian Brown
Make-up: Sara Aziz
Special thanks to Von Essen Media
Blackbushe Airport
Cliveden House

Light My Fire

Model: Ana and Elena (Elite)
MUA: Autumn Moultrey
Hair: Christina George
Styling: Bernard Martinez

Celebrities & Ad Campaigns

Paris Hilton

Bai Ling

Bai Ling (Red Corner, Taxi, Lost)
Hair: James Lemke
MUA: Juliet Silva
Styling: Mark Williams-Washington

Swatch

Toshiba

Personal work

BW Portraits & Snaps

Color Portraits & Snaps

Kids

Thailand in B&W

Thailand in Color

Flashback

Quirky Stills

About

Biography & Clients

Gene Kiegel

(a.k.a. Yevgenii Vladimirovich) was born in Odessa, Ukraine. He came to US about the same time as the Berlin Wall crashed down in 1989.

Receiving his education in architecture and fine arts from UC Berkeley in 1998, Gene ended up living in San Francisco. Following his childhood passion for photography, he soon discovered his life's true calling for creating one of a kind images that tickle your senses, stimulate your imagination, evoke emotions and capture your heart.

In 2002, Gene opened a studio in Los Angeles, where he worked for numerous fashion magazines, record companies and shot A-List celebrities. His work was also recognized in the fine art world and has been displayed at SOHO gallery.

Wanting to grow more as a person and as an artist, Gene left Los Angeles and spent time working / living in Brazil, France, and England to absorb some of the cultural esthetics and art history.

Currently he is working in London - truly the birthplace of new trends of fashion and art. His work is often described as cinematic.

Gene has a directorial approach to the projects, where the concept, style and all the details are carefully thought out prior to the shoot and the models act out their roles within the given scene. Being an expert in lighting and creating the "mood", he concentrates on getting the right energy from the model, as though he is capturing her in a real-life scenario.

Gene's client list includes celebrities like Paris Hilton, Bai Ling, Idris Elba, Cliff Curtis, chef Wolfgang Puck; musicians like Ice Cube, Queens of the Stone Age, Lil John; advertising campaigns for Swatch, Toshiba; and ongoing fashion editorials in publications throughout the world.

Central St Martins Course

If you are interested in private lessons or master lighting seminars, please contact me direct.

href="http://courses.csm.arts.ac.uk/shortcourse.asp?CI=5830&CT=1&MA=5&CAT=43&CSM=yes" target="_blank"> ------> LINK TO CSM SITE

href="http://courses.csm.arts.ac.uk/shortcourse.asp?CI=5830&CT=1&MA=5&CAT=43&CSM=yes" target="_blank">

Pro:file by Bowens

Under the 'My heroes' column on the MySpace.com social networking site, London-based fashion photographer Gene Kiegel writes: "Anyone who does what they love without having a backup plan or doing something just for the money".

Gene Kiegel (Yevgenii, born in Odessa, Ukraine) has been faithful to those values all his life.

He acquired his first camera - a model that he assembled himself from a kit - when he was ten years old.

He pestered his grandfather to teach him rudimentary exposure calculation skills as he began experimenting with black and white film.

After a family move to LA in 1989, Kiegel studied computer science and architecture in UC Berkeley - but gave it all up for photography.

While "hanging out" at his local camera shop he ran into Melvin Sokolsky, a leading fashion photographer of the Sixties and Seventies. He managed to talk to him into browsing the decidedly slender and still embryonic 'Kiegel portfolio' - and then asked for an assistant job. Sokolsky, a little bemused, said: "Why would you want to do that? Assisting is only going to teach you to shoot like other people - and photography should be all about self-expression." From that point Kiegel knew he was going to have to do it the hard way.

He recalls: "I realised that I was in love with photography. It had become a passion and so I made a commitment to pursue a career in this profession no matter what it took."

He turned professional in 2002, opened a studio, started shooting LA celebrities and followed up with commissions for magazine and CD covers. "The problem was that the fashion market was quite small in LA so I knew I had to move" he says. "I worked in Paris for a while and then two years ago I relocated to London - truly the birthplace for new trends and fashions. Now I am working with some of my favourite magazine like 10, Tank, Big and Dansk".

Kiegel's preferred capture medium is still film and polaroids - he's convinced that the digital revolution has led to a decline in photographic standards. He notes: "The dpendency on post production is rising exponentially and it's becoming a crutch for many."

Inflenced by Bourdin, Newton, Penn, Lindberg, and more lattely, Testino, Ellen Von Unwerth and Paolo Roversi, Kiegel identifies his own style as "cinemanic". "I create concepts and scenarios, feelings and moods" he enthuses. "And frequently I'll take a voyeuristic approach. When I was shooting the heiress Paris Hilton recently, the best pictures came when I walked away and led her to believe I wasn't shooting at all. I want to catch a moment, I want to feel it and I want you to feel it as well."

Photo icon Rankin's 'flawless' studio lighting has also had a significant effect on the Kiegel shooting style. "I aim to create 'one of a kind' images and when I'm looking for mood or emotion I prefer to use continuous lighting. Bowens has a superb range of studio lights, which I use most of the time. They come in different sizes and much more compact that competitor units I've tried."

Kiegel first 'bumped into Bowens' eighteen months ago. He says: "I was doing a shoot for GT magazine and the budget was very small. Bowens stepped in and sponsored it. There were just brilliant. They shipped a whole kit to me the next day - and that was the first time I used their ringflash and strobe lighting. When I shoot more cinematic style and whereever I need that extra 'pop' and energy, I use strobe packs.

Bowens equipment is just more user friendly that other equipment I've tried. There is a stunning range of attachments, filters and gels and everything is easy to change and is flexible. Plus I just love their beauty dish attachment. You can use it with the diffuser on top - it's easier to setup and use instead of a softbox."

Although not a lover of digital capture, Kiegel is hooked on internet technology applications. "Now it is possible to market yourself globally from virtually anywhere in the world. Websites like Myspace are really helpful when it comes fo finding jobs and connecting with other people. And it's so much easier to update slides on Myspace than to completely rework your entire website.

He calculates that shooting sessions account for less than 10% of his overall time input as a fashion photographer. "The business side of things takes far more time", he says. "You can shoot as much as you want but if you don't get out and knock on some doors, noone is going to know about you, much less commission you. In the main, networking and consistently displaying your new work are the keys to success."

A friend, Kaine Fini, says on MySpace: "Kiegel is an artist with a camera'> And Gene Kiegel will be happy enough with that.

Interview by: Trevor Lansdown

Interview in NOOVO

GENE KIEGEL - INTERVIEW with NOOVO magazine

NOOVO: Could you please tell us a little about yourself ?

GK: I was born in Odessa, Ukraine back when when it was a part of USSR. My grandfather introduced me to photography at an early age. He always walked around with his camera taking pictures of family and friends. Every now and then he turned their little kitchen into a dark room where he was printing pictures for his photo albums. When I was about 10 I got my first "do it yourself" camera that I had to put together from a kit. My grandpa gave me a quick cheat sheet on exposure calculation and a few black and white rolls. Well, that's were it all started, however I didn't even realize I can make it my career until much later.

At the age of 15, I and my parents moved to Los Angeles. Although, photography and art were still a large interest in my life, my scholar studies took me from computer science to architecture. After graduating from UC Berkeley in architecture I spent a few years working in architecture and project management. Until one fine day I realized I'm absolutely in love with photography and there is a lot more to it than I ever imagined. In April of 2002 I've made a commitment to myself to pursue photography full time and under any circumstances.

While I was spending most of my time at the camera store trying to absorb as much information as possible from the sales guys, I ran into Melvyn Sokolsky. I showed him some of my work and asked if I could ever assist him. He said something along the lines of "Sure, but why would you want to ? Assisting is just going to help you learn how to shoot like other people, and photography is about self expression" Well, that stuck with me and I had to learn everything the "hard way" – on my own.

The fashion market was very small in LA so I knew I had to relocate. I've worked in Paris for a bit and moved to London in 2006.

NOOVO: As a fashion photographer, how do you see today's fashion photography?

GK: Having to relocate and experience different fashion markets I really feel that fashion and understanding of fashion is very regional. What maybe acceptable and looked towards to in one city maybe completely looked down at the other. When working in fashion, you are not only using your artistic skills to create an image but also creating a fashion statement that is current with the fashion season, geographical location, relevant to the age group you are targeting, and fashion label that is considered "hot" at the moment. Not to mention make-up / hair trends, that also vary geographically.

Also, with the technology going to digital, I feel that there are more and more people shooting and the general level of photography is going down. The dependency on post production is rising exponentially as it's becoming a crutch for many.

NOOVO: What kind of influence did you have or which photographers or artists influenced you?

GK: Well.. I'm constantly influenced by seeing new / old techniques. When I just started photography I was a huge fan of Guy Bourdin's work as well as Helmet Newton, Irwin Penn, Peter Lindberg and many photographers who often shot for Vogue back in the 80's. As my taste buds continue to grow I started looking at the snapshot work of Mario Testino, Ellen Von Unwerth and some of raw flash photography by Terry Richardson. Rankin was an influence as well – his flawless studio lighting, conceptual work and artistic post production is very impressive. More recently, I've fallen in love with old techniques and alternative processes and photographers like Paolo Roversi, Aldo Fallai, and even Lady Hawarden (1857-1864) – now that was a true beginning of fashion photography .

NOOVO: How would you define your work?

GK: I would say my work is very cinematic. I create scenarios, concepts, feelings and moods with my photographs. I often take the voyeuristic point of view. I want to catch a moment. I want to feel it. I want you to feel it as well.

NOOVO: What would you say is the characteristic of your work?

GK: Well, I'm definitely experimental. It'd be hard to accuse me for using same techniques and cameras for all my projects. It's the projects and concepts themselves that dictate the tools that I chose to use.

However, I could narrow it down to a few, not necessarily used at the same time:

*** The main subject of the photo looks unattainable, gorgeous, strong, classic, and noble.

*** You can "feel" the person's emotion / mood / state. It may be voyeuristic or intrusive. The photo technique would also be different based on the mood of the story.

*** Conceptual – I would create a storyboard of the entire event and shoot it in a very "cinematic" format as though I'm actually capturing the moments that happen, even though they are very meticulously defined.

NOOVO: Do you use photography as a tool to say something or just to compose a nice advertising campaign?

GK: Well, I use it as a tool to combine the concept given to me with what makes sense to me in my visual world. I have to understand and believe in concept prior to me shooting it. I often work with clients and art directors on refining the concept to make it as strong and believable as possible. In short, I have to make it my own.

NOOVO: How do you balance the business side of photography?

GK: The business side of photography actually takes 95% of the time or more. You can shoot all you want and be an amazing photographer, however, if you don't get out there and don't show your work then no one will even know you exist. I think it's a challenge for most photographers to keep shooting and keep showing your work. Many think that their book is not up to par and it will be later, but what we all have to remember is that an ever-evolving process and other people want to see the progress. For the most part, networking and displaying your work consistently is the key to success.

NOOVO: How was it like working with Paris Hilton?

GK: Well, contrary to her character in "Simple Life", Paris is very sweet and quite humble. She was extremely sweet and receptive to everyone. However, since she is "such a doll" it took a little innovation from my part to capture her in her element. After shooting a few shots with her, I told her that I'll be right back, while I snuck out and positioned myself as a voyer so she didn't see that I was still there. Waiting for the right moment was easy as she almost instantly decided to chat on the phone and "be herself". I actually did that a few times during the shoot changing the lighting variations, etc.

NOOVO: What would you say it is your best advertising campaign?

GK: Well, I think one of my bigger advertising clients was Swatch. They've picked up on the concept of "flash-mobbing" and wanted to adapt it to their campaigns. I was responsible for a few of them. The first one I shot for them was for the Year of the Dog watch. The "flash-mobbing" consisted of people coming out during the new years celebration with their dogs. There were a few intricacies to consider like the owners had to resemble their dogs (clothing and features). Furthermore, to minimize post production and make it look realistic, I was shooting the entire group with animals all in one shot. Since I had to make it look like a night time and also light the entire staircase I had to use quite a bit of electric power. It was a large production, starting from choosing location, casting models, animals, setting up lighting, dressing up the set, to working with all of the crew and animals at once. However, we pulled through just fine and got a great response from the ad.

NOOVO: How do you feel about internet technology? Do you use it?

GK: Internet technology is great. I use it constantly and have to figure out new ways all the time. Unfortunately, some of the marketing methods are very short lived as your competition picks up on them as well. However, internet technology makes it possible to market yourself globally sitting virtually anywhere in the world.

NOOVO: What is next for you?

GK: Well, my plans in London are to work with some of my favourite magazines like 10,Tank, Wonderland and Wig, to name a few. After that I'll probably be targeting some of the French and Italian publications.

Article in ePhotoZine

TAKING PICTURES IS AN ART FORM

Art through a camera - When someone describes a hero as anyone who does what they love without having a back-up plan, you know they must believe-in and be passionate about what they do and Gene Kiegel most certainly does that. Here's his story of how a wanna be inventor turned into a professional and passionate photographer.

His first rangefinder was a put-it-together SMENA camera and all he knew of photography as a profession was people taking school photographs or out on the streets, so it's really no surprise that a young Gene Kiegel didn't want to become a photographer he actually wanted to be an inventor. Unfortunately there isn't much career advice for people wanting to be inventors and Gene had to focus his attentions elsewhere.

"I've always been creative and have done all sorts of extra curriculum activities like painting, boat building and airplane building. On one of the courses I even ended up designing computer games. That's what actually led me to the career in Computer Science/Electrical engineering and that's how I ended up at the University of California, Berkeley."

During the first summer he spent at Berkeley, Gene took a short course in photography where he bought his first SLR and began to enjoy going out and taking photographs. Many of his fellow students took up modeling and he offered to do free photo shoots for them, he also took photographs on a daily basis covering everything from architecture to reflections and light.

"The summer course pushed me towards experimenting with shutter speeds, but I don't think I really fully comprehended the importance of aperture until much later. Not to mention equipment, film choice and formats."

Gene has always been a creative person and this is why he ended up leaving his course at Berkeley.

"I was a bit disappointed with the Computer Science course at Berkeley, it lacked creativity. For me the whole fun of the course was to do it the shortest, smartest way possible. For the teacher it was more important we followed pre-defined chunks of formulas and well known methods."

After taking a job with an internet company, going back to Berkeley and then sampling a selection of different classes for a semester. Gene eventually realised he didn't like computer science and he didn't really know a thing about his second career choice architecture so he took a summer internship with the Pasadena Art Center.

"They didn't offer product design at Berkeley and I had a meeting with the Pasadena Art Centre, a highly acclaimed school. I did a summer internship with one of the professors there, working with him in his product design firm. I enjoyed it and was considering it. However I decided to finish my education in Berkeley and get my degree in Architecture, as staying at Pasadena would mean starting from scratch again."

His knowledge of photography became quite useful in his degree as Gene took pictures of his own models and often other students commissioned him to take pictures of their projects as they liked the dramatic style and originality he brought to their work. This was his first introduction into studio work and his first experience at using Tungsten lighting and his Minolta maxxum.

As with all graduates, Gene left University with a credit card packed of expenses and having a background in IT left him with the option to go into jobs both in the tech field and architecture. However the costs of living in the city and growing credit card bills pushed Gene to take a job in the IT market.

"I figured, with the money I'd be able to make in IT I could soon open my own architecture firm and skip a few steps."

Gene jumped from one position to another, each step supplying him with another title and a higher salary. He eventually landed at a company which when it went public meant he would be worth around 2 million on paper. But at this point, Gene left San Francisco and moved to LA. He still made a decent wage, but the city seemed to be decades behind Silicon Valley so he gave it up, went traveling and wrote a movie, as everyone does when in LA.

His travels took him to Brazil where he discovered money isn't everything: " I don't need that fancy car or house or job or whatever else to be happy. I don't need to be part of that chase," said Gene.

He eventually returned to LA where he took a job as a model scout, an easy job for a young man who had to go to parties and seek out beautiful girls. One of the model application requirements was to submit a head shot, so Gene soon started taking head shots as well as hunting the models out. This soon lead him to handing out his own card even though he didn't know anything about the industry or how a photograph should be taken, as Gene said he did it his way.

"I rented out one of the bedrooms from my friends and converted it into a studio. It was a tiny room, I'd say 4x4 meters. My knowledge of studios and equipment was scarce and based purely on my shooting experience of some models in college and a few girlfriends."

At the time models were quite demanding and they all wanted a copy of the negatives. Gene's solution to this was to buy a camera that had a fast exposure time which would allow him to get two almost identical slides.

"My first professional SLR was a Nikon F5, it was quite a monster and it could do virtually everything. Shortly after I traded my F5 for the digital version that had just come out in Japan back then (2002) and that's when my learning had a shot of adrenaline."

Since Gene was working on his own and had no clue how other photographers were working he was creating work that was quite different to everyone else and soon he was doing commissions for the top modeling agencies in LA. However, money was short and Gene soon had to take another job in IT.

"I felt completely out of place and once again I was reminded money wasn't everything. I realised that my little hobby of taking pictures had so much more to offer. Editorial and advertising jobs were something that I wanted to aspire to. So, after finishing my work I had to do in the office I spent the rest of the time self-educating myself in everything related to photography."

Gene eventually had enough money to rent an empty warehouse. He converted it into a photographic studio and in between building it and working Gene researched photography on the internet.

"I looked at different types of equipment, formats and lighting. I purchased some books that had pictures in them with descriptions of how it was achieved. First I mimicked them and soon I started to understand how the light worked. I soon didn't need the books and I also decided to lease a brand new Hasselblad 503CW as well as some Speedotron studio lighting."

To cut a long story short Gene yet again found himself jobless, he had no choice but to turn to photography. His partying had lead him to some great contacts but once again he found he had hardly any money. So he downsized the studio and hoped his style and creativity would be enough to succeed, and luckily for him it was.

His drive to be creative and passion for learning meant Gene could often be found at the local camera store trying to squeeze every last drop of information out of the assistants. One day while waiting for more information to be fed to him he ran into Melvyn Sokolsky, a fashion photographer and he asked him if he could assist him.

"It was like pulling a ring to a grenade," said Gene.

Sokolsky looked at him and said if he was at all serious about becoming a photographer then he should just go out there and do it. You shouldn't assist someone else as you will only learn how they shoot and he didn't see the point in that. Gene soon began shooting daily, playing and experimenting. He was learning how to reflect light and to make everything work how he envisioned. He put everything into his photography and never asked to be an assistant ever again.

After practice and persistence Gene finally found himself at his first job shooting for the China post. They wanted some shots of Nina Zuo, a Chinese actress.

"I did a few colour and some black and white shots, and they seem to really like them. Especially the black and white ones."

Soon after they commissioned him again. This time to shoot Bai Ling, a Chinese Hollywood celebrity for a cover.

"I was so excited, It wasn't really about the money. In fact, I think I spent all the money they offered me on film and developing in the local lab. I wanted to do such a great job. I really went out of my way and asked her to shoot with me for two days straight. I did everything, her smoking a cigar in tweed , topless on top of a roof downtown and her riding on a Harley Davidson all in black as an assassin."

His creative work proved to be too out of the box for the mainstream reader but Bai Ling recommended Gene to her celebrity and agency friends, supplying him with plenty of work.

Even though Gene had plenty to photograph in LA, the city soon lost it's appeal. It had turned into a lollypop, Something bright, shiny and sweet and Gene wanted something more raw and original.

"My choices were New York, London, or Paris. I visited Paris and got representation there the same week, it was quite exciting but getting work seemed to be quite slow. I've also visited London where I was offered a campaign for Swatch. It seemed like a promising career opportunity, so London it was."

Even though he chose London for his career base, it wasn't the city he fell in love with.

"I must say, that I absolutely fell in love with Paris. The food, the derelict architecture, the romance and also the work ethics. Not to mention the city's quite defined taste for fashion photography and arts in general."

The UK does have it's gems too. Gene loves Wales and the outskirts of London, he likes derelict and untouched places as they seem to be more unique. He likes places with emotion and this can be seen in the work he produces.

"I would say that my style is somewhat cinematic and voyeuristic. Not sure if it's the right description, but my intention is often to capture a real emotion or a moment in time."

Gene believes in connecting with his subject, whether they are looking at the camera or not. He talks of feeling what he captures. If what he is shooting doesn't make sense he simply doesn't shoot it.

"The creation of the image is a living process. It starts when you first meet the client and get a visual flash of the idea in your head. Whether it's a particular garment, model, location or concept that inspires me, I come up with a brand. I create the look, the feel, the idea and concept behind it. Then it gets refined through further interaction with all the aspects involved in the shoot. The idea is brewing in your head and your mind may randomly suggest various techniques you can use and what the final image will look like. The influence comes from both outside and within, but it can literally come from anywhere. That gives growth to the further shaping of that idea. So, by the day of the shoot, I know exactly what I'm doing and how."

Of course Gene also believes luck, accidents and other peoples interpretations can also bring a unique style or air of creativity to a picture, as can post-production too.

Post-production is something Gene feels should be done by the photographer as he believes it is an important part of the creative process, it is the last chance the photographer gets to shape the final image.

"Through developing/scanning film, some post production techniques are sometimes necessary to bring out details of some parts, color balance the print and retouch any human imperfections. It also often gives room to further creative process as working with the image may often lead to discoveries of new post production techniques and feelings."

Gene works around emotion, he loves every minute of a shoot and puts his heart into everything. This also applies to his equipment. He doesn't use one specific set of equipment, he changes and differs depending on the mood he wishes to set or which is appropriate to the task in hand.

"I don't think what would make my job easier, I think of what will make it the best image possible,"said Gene.

This way of thinking is also apparent when he has to chose between digital or film photography, of which he choses film. His preferred medium is 10x8 Polaroid or Leica M7, "I don't think that any 35mm digital SLR can ever come close to the beauty of film."

Of course shooting on a 10x8 can be expensive unless you can get that perfect image in one or two shots. Gene can do this to a fine art, capturing the right shot on 10x8 or 5x4 often in one but when it comes to digital, he finds it much more difficult to get the mood or originality he loves.

This is one of the reasons why Gene has become almost convinced that digital photography has made society overlook the skills needed to take a photograph, as everything can be fixed now in post-production. He believes digital cameras make every shot you take look instantly like everyone elses. Yes you can use better lighting, a different energy or composition, but all you manage to achieve in that one shot, the less skilled can replicate through post-production.

"Even though digital photography may save you cost of film and processing, the time post production takes and the costs to make the image unique or your own is quite high. Finding your favourite lens, film, developing, scanning or printing technique is like swimming in the ocean of possibilities. But developing your own taste and having a solid knowledge through experience and experimentation, you can achieve your own unique style that you can produce with one snap. To me as a photographer, whose time is more valuable, I prefer doing that rather than working on digital image to make it look my own."

Influenced by Robert Maxwell, Irwin Penn, Ellen Von Unwerth, Rankin, Terry Richardson, Steven Klein, Helmut Newton, Peter Lindbergh, and Paolo Roversi Gene's cinematic style has grown from looking and learning from their styles, absorbing them and making it his own. He may be brilliant at what he does but like anyone, Gene still has his dreams.

"I would love to shoot for Italian Vogue, as I really admire many of the photographers who shoot for it. Also, magazines like 10 , Tank, Exit and Dansk have the most amazing fashion stories published and I would love to become a regular contributor to those."

Gene's success has come from a lot of hard work, patience and persistence, so are these the traits he would suggest people need to follow in his footsteps?

"My only advice is to strive to understand what you like and then try to achieve it. It's an ongoing process of shaping your taste thus defining your style. It is a combination of technical expertise and achieving your vision and combining these with the other quarks that define who you are."

written by Nikita Morris
ePhotoZine magazine
29 Aug 2008

Newton, Bailey, Kiegel

23 juillet 2007
Dom Pérignon Oenothèque 1993 par Karl Lagerfeld
Au risque de faire gloser, je reste relativement circonspecte au sujet de la dernière campagne « Dom Pérignon Oenothèque 1993 » photographiée par Karl Lagerfeld et exposée lors du lancement produit, qui a eu lieu pendant la semaine de la haute couture dans l'hôtel particulier du créateur, rue de l'Université à Paris.

Après Helena Christensen pour Dom Pérignon Vintage 1998 et Eva Herzigova pour Dom Pérignon Rosé 1996, c'est Claudia Schiffer que le créateur a choisie pour poser devant son objectif sur le thème d'une rêverie fantasmatique, dans un cocktail transgressif, où le mannequin s'empare des rôles de Bovary bourgeoise sage, de maîtresse SM ou de diva black à perruque afro.

Je ne suis pas dithyrambique sur cette nouvelle « imagerie publicitaire » signée KL et je ne comprends pas pourquoi il faudrait nécessairement encenser cette nouvelle campagne sous prétexte que le grand Karl a appuyé sur l'obturateur. J'avoue que j'ai du mal à comprendre qu'un Pedro Almodovar puisse succomber lui aussi à la flagornerie.

Si je reconnais avec exaltation son génie de créateur de mode, je suis beaucoup moins séduite par le résultat de ses talents de photographe… La direction artistique privilégiant la photo noir et blanc est certes soignée mais les photos sur le thème du libertinage ou de la luxure me laissent sur ma faim… C'est un peu plat, cela manque d'aspérités, il n'y a pas de tension ni cette force visuelle qui devrait pourtant se trouver exacerbée sur un pareil thème. C'est certes plastique mais ce n'est pas –pour moi- émotionnel : on est assez loin de la sensibilité d'un Helmut Newton, d'un David Bailey ou même d'un Gene Kiegel.

Pour le coup, on en oublierait presque les caractéristiques --nologiques de ce vin, (à déguster pour $550 chez Charlie Trotters - voir ma note) : le terme "Oenothèque" signifie que ce millésime 1993 a été adoubé par le chef de caves, après sept premières années en cave, débouchage, dégorgement et rebouchage, pour une nouvelle maturation.

En fait, le vrai mérite de cette nouvelle campagne est de secouer les codes publicitaires dans un univers souvent morne, très centré sur le produit et peu enclin à la créativité.

Renforçant son ancrage dans l'univers de la mode et privilégiant un positionnement über premium, Dom P phagocyte ainsi, en mode piggy-back, la notoriété des personnalités sélectionnées et des top models shootés par le grand maître dans une approche qui confine au name-dropping.

Mais, ça fait causer. La preuve…

Sylvain Dadé for SOWINE

"C'est certes plastique mais ce n'est pas – pour moi – émotionnel: on est assez loin de la sensibilité d'un Helmut Newton, d'un David Bailey ou même d'un Gene Kiegel."

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