An Interview with Fashion Photographer Rory Lewis: Why I became a photographer.

What drew you to become a photographer?

As a photographer I get asked what drew you to become a photographer? Where do you get your visual inspiration from? What influences your work?

History and art always interested me and I never even contemplated becoming photographer. My main ambition during my formative years was to become a Lecturer of History. Social change, conflict and political ideology fascinated me from an early age and still do today.

Most teenage boys were rebelling and chasing girls while I was reading Das Kapital and the Memoires de Napoleon, making trips to medieval castles and cathedrals. I must admit I had a very geeky childhood. I knew more about Napoleon and Lenin than I did Aperture Priority or the opposite sex.

                                                      Napoleon Bonaparte on the Bridge at Arcole

During my final years in school & college I dedicated my studies to attending medical school; working hard to finish my A-Levels to gain a place at Cambridge University.

At 18 I didn’t have much life experience and after 6 months at medical school I decided medicine wasn’t the career I wanted to pursue. Still in love with history I spent every spare minute reading about the Crusades and the Norman Conquest.

Leaving Cambridge I gained a place the following year at Kings College London; and began at last my History Degree. Feeling that I was now pursuing my passions, spending countless hours in the British Library and Public Record Office.

I only started to play about with photography in my late teenage years, at 18 and 19 I used to carry a digital camera around with me snapping anything I found interesting buildings, artwork and landscapes. Cinema became a great passion for me and I decided to take a supplementary course in film history at Kings.

Seeing Metropolis, Nosferatu and the Cabinet of Dr Caligari for the first time; I became a lover of German Expressionism the beginnings of film noir.

Metropolis features special effects and set designs that still impress modern audiences today with their visual impact. The Maschinenmensch, the robot character played by Brigitte Helm was iconic. I was amazed by the visual effects cinematography and set design, along with with films themes of class division and poverty. I started to explore my interest in photography even further as the influences of German Expressionism were fresh in my mind. I had a huger to become more creative.

During this time I was holding down a weekend job at an electrical store and was becoming a bit of a gadget freak. Being able to play around with the latest computer and camera equipment during slow days I began to look at photography more seriously. Being able to borrow cameras and practice techniques.

Portraiture is an area of photography I started to fall in love with, at work in April 2004 I spotted the cover of Digital Photographer magazine the cover image was striking and it drew me to start creating some breathtaking portraits and beauty portraits of my own. The Photographer Italian photographer Eolo Perfido took the photograph and shared my love of portraiture.

                                       Copyright Eolo Perfido Digital Photographer Magazine April 2004

Studying the works of other portrait photographers Yousuf Karsh, Eve Arnold and Cecil Beaton I started to assist professional photographers. Learning lighting techniques and direction I began to set up shoots of my own. At first with friends and then I approached a model agency. Nervously with my amateur photography I was surprised to hear they liked what they saw, allowing me to set up test shoots with their new faces.

Photography became my foremost passion. I finished University with a good degree and returned home to continue developing my work. To my surprise I began to gain commissions, at first individuals needing portraits, then models requiring model portfolios and eventually businesses requiring advertising and campaign photography. My success allowed me in 2007 to started my own photography studio, developing my skills and working with clients both locally and nationally.

I don’t really follow many photography blogs cinema still continues to influence my work and lighting techniques. Magazines like Dazed and Confused, POP, ID and Vogue inspire me to start new projects. I still carry a small camera with me, if I find a location, inspiration, or even a new face to photograph its a handy tool.

                                                             Twiggy Copyright Cecil Beaton 2011

I hope I’ve covered those three questions and don’t want to waffle on too much, but for those looking to start out as a photographer my advice is to search for inspiration, assist professionals and find for your photographic niche whether it be portraiture fashion, landscapes or fine art. In a few weeks ill try and post some more info on the cinema and photographers that have influenced my work so stay tuned.