Photoshoot + Interview: 'Wild is the Wind' by Camille Richez
We love this colourful shoot by Paris-based photographer Camille Richez.
“It’s the friendship story of a classy girl and her horse,” says Camille, who, as the only one on set with experience with horses, had her work cut out for her.
Her efforts paid off in the end though – this beautifully lit shoot deftly showcases the model’s features and her elegantly styled wardrobe, a mix of H&M pieces and work by French designer Coralie Marabelle.
We’ve been seeing more and more shoots featuring animals on Whim lately, and we couldn’t be happier about this!
We had a chat to Camille below about her work, the value of creative internships, and the designer she’d like to work with most.
Q: Why do you think it's important for photographers to tell stories through their work?
A: I believe it's inherent to each photograph to tell a story. Whether it's a scenery or a portrait, you can always guess and project a story into the picture. But I do love when photographers take extra time and create a whole story, with a common thread within the series. It's just personal, but I believe fashion photography is also an art on its own, and creating stories is the common point to every artist.
Q: Where did the inspiration to add a horse into the mix for this shoot come from? Was it a challenge?
A: It came first from an opportunity, a friend of a friend had a horse and was willing to let me shoot with him, so I jumped on the occasion and started to think about a story and an idea for an editorial. It was a challenge since I was the only one in the team who had a background with horses, and the owner wasn't on the shoot. I had to manage a huge horse by myself and take the pictures at the same time, it wasn't a piece of cake.
Q: What's the most valuable thing you learnt on your photography internships?
A: I mostly learnt how the fashion industry works. Because in my internships I went through every aspect of a life of a fashion photographer, so I learnt how to manage everything, from exhibitions to retouching, deadlines, clients etc. It really helped a lot for me to dive into the business afterward.
Q: You've branched out into creating video content - is this an important skill for photographers, directing images in motion as well as capturing stills?
A: Yes I believe it is. I think the future of photography, advertising and also fashion editorials, is to pair video and photography. We usually see little video teasers or behind the scenes videos accompanying the editorials, and I think it helps a lot getting into the story. You can show a lot more of narrative through a video, and technically it's also interesting to work with moving images. I'd really to shoot more videos.
Q: What designer would you like to photograph for the most?
A: It's a really tough choice because there are so many that I love, but my crush at the moment is Erdem, an English couture style brand, with a sense of femininity that I particularly enjoy. And of course my dream designer to shoot would be Valentino!
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Camille has recently been branching out into video editorials – check them out on her site, as well as more of her work and style on her Tumblr..Full credits: Photographer: Camille Richez | Model: Zhuzhu | Stylist: Armelle Semat | MUA: Anais FerragutiCecile Blackmore is a writer from Brisbane, Australia. She writes and edits at The Creative Issue and hoards vintage clothing – follow her adventures on Instagram at @saintcecile.