(Credit: Scott T. Sterling)
L.A.'s billboards have gotten a little foxier lately, and we have Rankin to thank.
The huger-than-life shots are the product of a camera-toting Brit who is apparently cool enough to have only one name. With a resume including shots for Dove, British Airways, Heidi Klum, Naomi Watts, and Daniel Craig, it’s safe to say a few dog-eared issues of Vogue in your boudoir are rocking some Rankin. We stole the photographer (and co-founder of "Dazed and Confused" magazine) away for a hot second as he readies his show at Fahey/Klein to find out what, exactly, is “going down” with his playful, controversial nudes.
Why did you devote a whole show to women? And is the title "Eye Candy" a tie-in to the piece with the sprinkled crotch?
As this was my first big LA show, it was difficult to decide what theme to work on. My work is so diverse, so it’s been difficult to actually choose one subject. However I’ve always been a big devotee of women, as a photographer and a heterosexual male. In fact a lot of the images are actually my girlfriend (including the sprinkled crotch), so I felt this more personal work was the best to introduce myself to the U.S.
Let's talk billboards. Was the idea to bring in the fearful or bored-with-art crowd? Or were you simply trying to instigate minor traffic incidents?
My photos have always been aimed at the wider public rather than an elite [crowd] and I believe in advertising, as this is basically my business. Hopefully I haven’t damaged any motor vehicles in that process and the billboards attract a wider crowd to see the show. Incidentally, the seductive [billboard] model is my girlfriend again—oops!
Are the settings for these shots planned or contrived? How much of the woman herself goes into the work?
That’s a very perceptive question as all of my photos are incredibly collaborative. I think this is because I’m fundamentally a portrait photographer and as such, I work with my subjects to create the final image. You really have to fall in love with your subjects a little to really get the best out of them.
Okay, so the trite question...describe the first shot you took that motivated you to keep shooting.
Wow, that’s a tough one. Probably a photo of me nude with all of my family and friends standing behind me.
Sounds like a bad dream. So if you were stripped of your camera for a week, would you go batshit crazy? When I go on holiday I never take my camera, as it makes me feel like a tourist. To be honest with you, being camera-less is always refreshing and helps recharge my imagination.
These models are putty to your lens. If I were walking onto a set for a shoot, how would we get started?
I would just chat to you; talking is the best photographic aphrodisiac.
Hop by the opening reception at Fahey Klein on September 6, 7p.m.-9 p.m. We're not sure how long those foxy billboards will grace the L.A. skies, but the gallery show runs through October 20.
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