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Fashion does it Better
30 août 2009

Gilbert François: Do What You Want, Be What You Are

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Merel Zoet @ SPS (Amsterdam) and Dana Korstenbroek @ SPS (Amsterdam)

"Fashion is emotion" were the first words of photographer Gilbert François when he started talking about his work. Our goal was to dedicate the whole post to him and thought we needed to unveil the philosphy behind the pictures. "Never pose, never act. It's fake, it looks fake and a model must be her true self" in front of the camera. Do what you want, be what you are. There might be the secret of his unique touch and the reason why we love his work that much. Yes, he's another of our beloved photographers who consider the model as a character, her own character. The ones that truly captivate people like us who are mostly interested in the process of building careers, the ones that can reveal the raw potential and allow the models to explore it a little further.

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Erica Krauter @ Elite (Paris) and Lia Serge @ Elite (Paris)

"In the photo, everything has to be in balance, the clothes, hair, make-up, the light. But the heart of the image starts in the mood of the model, which comes from the state of mind and dwelling in the face and eyes of the model. " The mood. A word we write so often we are sometimes afraid of a misuse or an overuse, afraid to make it lose its own sense. But when you hear it from the mouth of the person behind the lens, you might forget your fears towards this famous mood: it makes sense by itself. So, the mood is the heart of the story, where it all begins. First for the model, trying to set her marks in this cruel, crazy and beautiful fashion world. Then, for the creatives that care about the final result but heavily need the process to be carefully respected. Behind the mood is the state of mind, the personality and what comes out of this mood is what will stay forever in our minds. The attitude, the expressions of the eyes, the body language.

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Irma Weij @ Paparazzi (Amsterdam)

"If I just press the button of my camera, the photo doesn't hold any magic, it is just a picture. I catch the energy which emerges from the eyes of the model." Pictures are easy and gets easier to produce each day. Technically speaking. The magic will remain a sort of mystery, the best kept secret forever. Not that it's really hard to explain, Gilbert's words seem clear enough - catching the energy that emerges. Only the way to make this happen doesn't show up that easily. "To be able to catch this energy, I have to give a lot of energy as well to the model. And into the camera." Fifty-fifty or whatever percent it is, the model-photographer combo is a true team where each part has his own role to play but one can not go without the other. Again, once it's written down it sounds so clear, so easy. When you try to experience it by yourself, you'll get to learn how to bring this energy into the camera and where to find it in your own. And, then, to know how to capture the same from the model to carry it into the picture. If all goes well, this energy will be released everytime the viewer watches the photo. We are the viewers right now, all went well.

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Agnes Buzala @ Next (Paris) and Johanna Ovelius @ Next (Paris)

"When all elements are there, like beautiful clothes / hair / make-up, nice light, but the photo lacks an emotion, it's like unpacking an empty box with nice wrapping, but no present inside. A picture must have a surprise. When the picture releases the energy, which has been captured at the shoot, then it won't tell the whole story to the beholder at one blink of an eye. The picture unravels the true story bit by bit, piece by piece. It invites the viewer to look again, to discover more. " Sometimes, the magic of a picture comes from the most prosaic aspects of the process behind. That's why we loved Gilbert's metaphoric words on it, the empty box story. Once again it's a complicated way that doesn't say its name, hiding itself behind simple things. That's the odd mix that makes it magical, the contradiction between all the aspects of creation. Gilbert talks about some contradictions himself and the balance between several elements that actually make a picture but doesn't seem to go hand in hand very easily. Easy, uneasy. The usual dilemma strikes back. "Recognition. Illusion. Natural beauty. Powerful softness. Fears natural dynamics."

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Romy
@ Storm (London)

When you put all the elements together and have a look at the pictures he chose to illustrate it, you almost have a list of "girls to watch". Not a combination of winning numbers but an inspiring line-up that reminds us on how modeling and then casting are human and highly emotional with the beautiful flaws that makes it worth to watch. And for some of us, to live. There is no written recipe, maybe a magical formula but, for sure, the ingredients that counts in a model's career are as hard to handle as they are precious. You expect this girl to walk that show and, if by chance she walks it, you expect her to be in this magazine working with that photographer. You get disappointed and dive into all the usual misunderstanding that takes some paths for granted, speculation for flawless truth and fashion for science. But who can predict crushes and prevent souls to get out of control ? When you have a look at the models on Gilbert's pictures here, you'll notice how different could be one's career from the other's at almost every level: where and when they started, where they are now and the overall pattern of their agencies' strategies. Though, if you just put them side by side and look them as a whole, the casting makes sense.

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Sascha @ Next (Paris) and Edythe Hughes @ Ford (Paris)

Last but not least, Gilbert François' miscellaneous thoughts and words about inspiration and the little sentences that tells so much. Getting "a lot of inspiration from music" finds its echo here as we've been playing a lot with words, sounds a colors ourselves, not only when we write for this page but also as painters. "I think music is the closest way to express an emotion or a feeling. From there, music can be translated back to colours, shadings, contrast, and state of mind." And back to a more technical note, Gilbert shoots "both analogue and digital, but the end result is the same, I don't treat one or the other different" highlighting with other words the importance of the model and the inspiration over the rest or at least their prominent place in the process. The corollary sounds right too: "My best pictures are the ones that look so easy to make."

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This is so deeply true , i love this post very much
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