Australian Penthouse

What attracted you to the worlds of glamour and celebrity photography?
As a young photographer, you learn quickly that owning a camera is always a good excuse to get girls undressed. So when I started taking pictures, some of my first shoots were nude pictures of my then-girlfriend. It was great fun and the results turned out quite well, so I decided to become a photographer and just hoped that people would pay me for that and, someday in the future, consider it art. Luckily, I pretty much succeeded in that goal. At its core, photography is voyeurism, and erotic photography is the most direct form of it.

Which photographers take photos that get your attention?
First of all: Helmut Newton. In my opinion, he is to photography what the Beatles are to pop music, and definitely one of the reasons I started taking pictures. There always seems to be a story behind his images and a great sense of humour, and that makes me smile every time I look at them. I also like the work of Ellen
von Unwerth, especially her book Revenge, which has inspired me a lot. She really has a special view of people and her models seem to have a lot of fun. Last but not least, Terry Richardson and Juergen Teller, both of whom I love for their punk attitude. I think it’s important to be authentic and genuine in your creative work—good art always comes from within.

What is it that you want your photographs to convey?
Among a lot of things, one of the most crucial to me is the expression of the face. This is true for both portrait and nude photography. It’s often a very subtle thing to deal with, but can make a big difference to whether a picture is good or not. The sexiness of a photograph doesn’t necessarily come from the amount of
skin you see, but from the tension of the body and the look in the eyes. To me, that is the true nature of all eroticism.

What levels and methods of planning are you referring to?
As a visual artist, you start work when you open your eyes in the morning. Inspiration is everywhere—in reading the newspaper, in watching television, in studying all the people around you. So the creative process is a constant state. When I’m working on a particular project, I channel those inspirations depending on the theme—for example, by looking at paintings from a certain artist or period or by watching related movies. The internet is obviously a great resource. Out of all of this, I build the backbone of a story or a style to be achieved. Good preparation is important to keep things going, but as I say, I always leave some room for improvisation.

What can you tell us about the sexy images we have published alongside this interview?
I often like to stage my productions as little stories, as if the pictures were still shots from a movie. Movies are, in general, a big source of inspiration for my work. For In the Country, I set up scenery on a horse ranch and gave the girls some basic directions. They began to act and move, then got into their roles
more and more. So the story developed live in front of the camera.

What makes a girl stand out to you as a model?
Well, it depends. For advertising and editorial jobs, I often work with model agencies and choose from their suggestions. For nude series and art projects, I often take dancers, actors or girls I’ve known for a long time. I’m not much interested in the kind of beauty that’s shown in fashion magazines—I’m looking for special characters and attitudes. Most of the girls I shoot with lead the kind of extraordinary life that influences the look of the pictures.

Tell us about the book you’re working on at the moment. What is its focus?
It’s a work-in-progress, meaning there’s still a lot of material to shoot. It will be called Zero and it will feature erotic and fashion photography mixed with some personal and private pictures.

What other projects are coming up for you?
I recently became very interested in moving images, experimenting with Super8 and 16mm film. I’m now planning to create my first music video, as well as to film a short movie, which is due out very soon!