Also, communication skills . . . It is really important to express and communicate what you offer to clients and vice versa. I work in fashion, so interacting with different personalities and people, conveying your ideas and concepts is a key part in a successful shoot. Communicating a clear point of view to the team is crucial. HH Looking back at the time when you started photography: what changes have taken place that you consider to be the most significant? JL Education. These days, you don’t have to have a college degree to become a photographer. You can watch YouTube or sign up for seminars to learn photography. Now, the saturation in the market with photographers makes it really hard to stand out these days. But, that’s the evolution of photography, I guess . . . you can shoot with an iPhone these days and filter it and it’s just as good as a DSLR. It’s funny though . . . I guess there’s a counter to all these new fangled technologies . . . the trend these days is to revert to analog— or making your images look not so crisp and clean and more like film. I have no idea. I’m just happy to be working after all these years in the business. HH Which of those changes had a major effect on your own career? JL Clients and day rates. With the saturation of photographers in the market, clients take full advantage of that. They can have a rookie photographer with all the skills and pay them half 4 4 or even nothing. Being relevant in this day and age is what has changed. The attention span of clients and people have been scrubbed down to almost nothing. Even being technically good at what you do doesn’t give you an edge anymore. You have to have a gimmick for people to pay attention to you. Moreover, photography on its own doesn’t provide a main source of income anymore. You have to wear different hats and do different things to entice clients. Back in my day, it was ride or die to be a photographer. Nowadays, even amazing photographers have day jobs, and photography is just a weekend thing! Also, INDIVIDUALITY is what’s missing. I think photographers jump on the latest trends in filters and don’t really hone their own individual style. Or COPY CATS. I get a lot of requests from young photographers willing to pay me to teach them my technique. That for me is very offensive and degrading. I think a lot of young photographers just want the glitz and glamour and not want to work for it. Or even discover on their own what they’re capable of . . . they want it now! HH You decided to work as a photographer in the fashion industry—what was the main reason for that decision? JL The main reason: I love FASHION. I love the fantasy of fashion. Although I have evolved into the fashion portraiture side of things, I just love that you can create anything in your head and transform it into photography. Honestly, the main reason was when I moved to NYC from Los Angeles, I had no choice. I had to make money to pay rent. So, that summer in 1999, I was lucky enough to work with top modeling agencies like IMG and Elite in NY and I just tested models and worked on building my portfolio. Along the way, I started earning money and I guess that’s when I could start calling myself a fashion photographer—when I started getting paid! HH You are LA-based. In terms of fashion, Paris, Milan, London and New York claim to be the capital cities of the industry. Do you see a growing importance of and interest in fashion here in LA? JL LA is a different beast. Although, these days, LA is the place to be. A lot of A-list designers are based in LA now . . . while 5 or 6 years ago, LA was only known for Hollywood and commercials. High Fashion and Hollywood now goes hand in hand. Hollywood has the money to afford those clothes so designers are now catering to that. Though, it’s still not a Fashion Capital . . . there are pockets in LA where you see young creatives producing amazing work. That’s what I love about LA— it’s still a bit underground. It’s almost like you have to know someone in the “IN” to let you into their world. HH Having worked with models for so many years, do you see changes in terms of castings and new faces? JL Absolutely! There’s more diversity, not just ethnicity-wise, but in sizes and shapes. It’s long overdue. And I love that . . . because I want to see my color represented out there! HH Is the recent diversity on the runway a lasting game changer or just another (fashion) trend? JL It’s here to stay . . . with the political climate in the US and in Europe, I think designers and/or casting directors are very conscious of it. And consumers as well are demanding diversity. HH Do you think future casting will reflect the multi-spectrum of individuals of a global society rather than create or project the ideal beauty? JL Perhaps in the West, there’s a trend for diversity. However, I think in Asia, there’s still a homogeneous way of looking at beauty—WHITE. HH Looking at those images, you seem more interested in the individuals you were shooting and their nuances and personalities rather than just their pretty faces— has personality found increased value within the fashion industry too? JL I think these days, just being pretty isn’t enough for clients. You have to bring something else to the table to stand out. I think clients have such extensive variety of models going to castings that they are looking at everything now. No one wants a model who’s constantly on his/her phone whilst shooting and not interacting with the crew. They want a model who can interact with everyone on set, which reflects on the images produced as well. I think major brands want authenticity; they don’t want mannequins. HH Do you think that the norm of traditional physical attributes that make someone attractive still applies and how important are they? JL Of course it does. However, by showing a diverse range of people on advertisements, perhaps we can change people’s perception of beauty and not just be bombarded with the same Ken and Barbie dolls every season. HH We see parts of unpublished analog films you’ve taken throughout your career. Some of them are published on digital networks such as Instagram. Do you think there is a significant difference whether a photograph is being printed or just uploaded to be seen on the small screen of a smartphone? JL Honestly, I don’t know how to answer that question. I think for me, I just like going through my archives and reminiscing. Perhaps I am having a nostalgic moment in my career right now, or perhaps I am evolving my work to be a little bit more raw and unfiltered. I think we are so bombarded with highly curated and well polished work that I’m just bored of seeing the same thing over and over again. I respect a photograph more when I see a little bit of humanity in the face. Nonetheless, whichever platform whether digital or print—I think we live in a time where sharing content is the new normal. HH How do you think analog and digital can work together—for the benefits of the photographer and the viewer, if there is any future in analog photography at all? JL Of course there is a future in analog. I think these days, a lot more photographers are experimenting with analog. There’s a realness and texture to film that digital cannot mimic and produce. There’s also spontaneity to shooting film and that’s the beauty of it. Also, it really hones your skills as a photographer, because you really have to be technical to shoot film. When young photographers ask me how to do film photography, I say, GO TO SCHOOL! HH Since the main titles of printed fashion magazines are struggling to survive—where do you see your own future in photography? JL I see myself still grinding away like Sisyphus. Still rolling that rock to the top of the mountain. Although I have been in the business for a long time, I still have so many things to learn. But, I want to evolve into an Art Director in the near future. HH How did you match the quotes with those portraits—do they have a personal connection to the person, or are they chosen at random? JL Honestly, it’s all random. I pulled those quotes from my favorite musical artists like Tori Amos, Morrissey, New Order, Peter Murphy, The Cocteau Twins and the Smiths. These artists inspired me in my teenage years. Perhaps it’s my subconscious working when I choose a quote and place it with an image . . . it tells a story, but honestly, there’s no rhyme or reason to it. I just like the graphic nature of the font on top of the image and what it creates. Moreover, I am really inspired by Barbara Kruger with her graphics on her paintings. I AM NOT FROM YOUR TRIBE
I AM NOT FROM YOUR TRIBE