Chiiz Volume 7 :Fashion Photography

Thom Kerr and the Talk of the Town
Jordan
NIKON D3 66mm F/4.5 1/100s ISO100
Thom Kerr is known for his bold
experimentation and vivid use of
color. His work acts as a bridge
between the realms of fashion and fine art.
DIMPLE from Chiiz gets chatty with him
around his career and fashion. Here is an
excerpt.
Being an artist, where do you draw most of
your inspiration from?
Probably music and cinema. I’m a storyteller
at heart. Sometimes, there is a message I want
to communicate politically or spiritually so
I’ll think of a visual way to tell the story or
make a point. I also identify ideas in other
artist’s work that I think, can be explored or
reinvented. I’m a big fan of curating different
elements together - it’s often how you land
with something brand new. You develop
your own formulas for pictures then break
away from them again.
When did you first decide to turn to
photography? Were you facing difficulties in
directing the photographers?
I did a fine arts degree specializing in
writing and directing. As I was finishing my
final year I made a lot of friends who were
designers, models and creatives. I started an
artist collective called Rufio Creative where
we would all collaborate together. I would
conceptualise the shoots and build the sets
but other photographers would capture
the ideas. I started toying with the idea of
taking the photos myself as I wanted to take
the images further, but was hesitant to take
the leap of faith. However, after a psychic
told me I was meant to be a photographer
it validated those desires and I bought a
camera that week. I think I already had a
point of view before I was taking pictures,
so my photos stood out. It was lots of hard
work, self belief and asking strangers how
things worked to get to where I am now.
To what level, do you retouch your photos?
Anything that you would like to do in
particular with your photos?
I retouch most of my personal and editorial
work. Some of my advertising is with
retouching teams but my clients usually
want my involvement in the direction of the
final look. In terms of what I do, it’s a lot of
trial and error - I like finding unusual ways
to accomplish things in Post-production.
What is the greatest lesson you’ve learnt
so far, in regard to reaching success and
maintain it?
I think you have to remind yourself to be
grateful for what you have and constantly
remember that you are not defined by your
work - even though the world wants to
define you that way. I’ve had lots of fabulous
and horrendous moments - so I feel pretty
level headed about my approach to all my
opportunities these days. I’m appreciative to
have made it this far and I’m curious to see
how far I will go. I would say that longevity
in my career is about constant evolution and
following what interests you and takes you
out of your comfort zone. Working with
people who have different ideas will always
push you to new heights with your art. That
translates into people staying interested in
you.
You’ve worked with wide range of models,
any tips that you have for models who want
to expand their portfolio?
Study up on all the successful photographers,
not just the models. Develop a stronger
understanding of what you think will work
for your look and seek out the creatives
that can make that happen. Figure out your
strengths and use them to your advantage
- that’s something I consistently see in the
most successful models.
What advice would you have for aspiring
fashion photographers?
It’s a constant dance between art and
commerce. Doing things for strategic
reasons verses doing things for artistic
purposes. Both voices are important - I think
you have to have a balance and keep faith in
what you’re about and what you represent.
In the beginning, you need to think equally
as much about what someone needs from
you rather than it being all about what you
want. Being a professional photographer is
a service industry - so if you deliver what
people want, more opportunities will be
presented to you.
Dimple Chaudhary
dimple@chiiz.com
A journalism graduate from Delhi
University, Dimple loves to act in plays
and is a part of Nirantar Theatre group.
She believes that ambition is the first
step to success, action is secondary.
24 Vol 7