Rose,
where were you born and raised and what kind of things inspired you as a young
woman?
I was born in San Francisco, and
when I was 8yrs old my family moved to a small rural town in Northern
California. This was a “boring” place to be as young person, but
looking back it was a wonderfully scenic place filled with Victorian houses,
mossy forests, lots of places to explore. From very early on I loved
history, vintage clothing, and classic movies. I craved the glamour
and drama of another time (and the city), which was definitely not
what daily life was like!
I returned to the SF Bay Area to study photography at the California College of
the Arts in Oakland. In 1999 I moved to Brooklyn on a whim. New York
is so much fun and filled with opportunity.
What brought out your passion for
photography?
I
got a taste for photography very early, around 10yrs old, thanks to my mother
who was starting to learn it herself. From the beginning I made portraits,
and that has always been what I have been most passionate about. I was
inspired by the work of Man Ray, Steichen, Avedon, Mary Ellen Mark, Diane
Arbus, and especially the Hollywood glamour portraits. I would
spend hours looking at photo books trying to figure out how they did the
lighting. For me portraiture is the most fascinating and challenging type
of photography - It is about character and emotion which are not easily
defined.
What attracted you to Dandyism as a
subject matter and what was the genesis for the The Dandy Portraits? Did you
envisage the kind of success it would have?
I
love it when men wear suits - it is inspiring to be around very well dressed
people! The first portrait in the project was Lord Whimsy, who my
boyfriend Kelly told me about because he saw him on Lord Willy’s (NYC store)
site when he was searching for a bespoke suit. I thought, I have to meet
his guy he is a wonderful character! When I started to do more research
and photograph more men I was surprised to find that dandyism had never been
documented in this way – investigating “the lives of exquisite gentlemen today”
through photographs of famous and infamous men of our day.
Dandyism is a philosophy of dressing
but each subscriber has their own unique style, in your opinion, are there any
common threads amongst the men you have made portraits of?
Each man that I’ve photographed has
certainly been very unique – defying classification by subculture, ethnicity,
age, sexual orientation, geography, and even class. Besides the obvious
common thread of the suit in it’s infinite variety, there is a commitment to
masculine elegance that is unexpected in our day and age. And it is
elegance not just in dressing, but in living – in being a gentleman.
Of all your portraits, which is your
favourite?
I could not pick a favorite subject,
but one of my favorite images so far is of Massimiliano Mocchia Di Coggiola in
his white linen suit sitting by the window in his Parisian apartment.
Who was the hardest person to
convince to be a part of the Dandy Portraits?
I am very discreet, and would never
tell :)
How important is light in your
photographs when you are trying to capture changes in texture and colour of
cloth?
First and foremost my fascination is
with bringing out the personality of each man, then their clothes and
environment. The lighting is so incredibly important to create a mood,
but it does not have to be complex. My lighting is very minimal and
mobile, because I don’t want to miss the right moment. I like deeper
shadows – they help bring out details and textures (especially of the clothes),
and add drama.
Are you a gun for hire or is this a
labour of love?
As
a professional photographer for the last seven years I have shot portraiture
and fashion assignments for adverts, books, print & online magazines, etc.
The Dandy Portraits is a personal project that allows me to make images
without too many restrictions, and get more in depth with one subject.
I started the blog to focus my interest and to share the work, but
I am not in the business of blogging. I have gotten assignment work from
people seeing The Dandy Portraits, though, which is quite gratifying. I am
happy to do that!
How
do you see your work progressing over time and do you try to steer the Dandy
Portraits?
For The Dandy Portraits I still have
names on my list that I have to photograph before the project is “done”.
Miraculously, just when I think I have found or heard about every man, a new
one is on the radar! So I want to continue making the portraits until it
comes to it’s natural completion. From the beginning I envisioned the
project as a photo book, and that is in the works currently. I am
collaborating with journalist Nathaniel Adams, who will write the profiles for
the book.
