Q&A Fashion photographer

MILES ALDRIDGE

Last Saturday, all of art loving and fashion loving Holland gathered at the galerie Alex Daniels’ Reflex Amsterdam on the Weteringsschans for the new exhbition Vanitas from British fashion photographer Miles Aldridge (W, Vogue, Numéro).

How did your career as a fashion photographer begin? 

‘It was really the only work that was available. And I started in the 90s when there was a lot of competition. It was an exciting time for fashion, everything seemed to change. I wanted to situate myself in all that tension.’

so you were mostly triggered by the industry, less by the clothes?

‘The clothing was exciting too. Versace was an enormous success: decadent, incredibly expensive, almost vulgar. Though on the other hand you also had Helmut Lang or Jil Sander with refined, European, almost intellectual fashion. I loved the fact that those two different brands were able to exist alongside each other.”

Was this contrast also noticeable in photography?

‘Incredibly. In those days they still invested a lot in magazines. It just had to be more interesting and innovating than what was already out there. Which is an amazing experience as a photographer. I wanted to create something beautiful, but also slightly troubling. Which is perhaps the best way to describe my style: beautiful but troubling.

Do you get a lot of artistic freedom at big magazines? 

‘Yes, magazines book you because they like your style. I’ve worked for Vogue Italia which often works with big photographers like Meisel, Peter Lindbergh, Demarchelier. These photographers all have strong opinions which are respected.’

 You work a lot with high-end designer labels. could you also do your kind of work with cheaper mass items? 

‘Whether you’re working with exclusive brands or mass brands adds little to the success of the photo. The difference between high brow and low brow has got smaller over the years, it’s fading. For example: Karl Lagerfeld also designed for H&M.
Especially the internet seems to cross this distance. Which was different when I just started out, but I don’t mind this development. ‘

What’s your personal favourite photograph in the exhibition?

‘That’s the photo of the girl with the hair dryer. I don’t know what it is, but that photo touches me greatly.’

You can still see the exhbition until 10 May 2014 on the Weteringsschans 79a.