Working With Models And Subjects

What kind of person makes a good subject?

Someone with a lot of patience, someone who is able to respond to the camera, someone who isn't too stiff and someone that can take direction.

Are certain types of people difficult to work with?

It totally depends on the personality of the person. You find, if you're photographing celebrities or people in significant roles, that they're often either bored to be photographed or they haven't got enough time. So the difficulty is in making an interesting shot and getting them to respond in a way that isn't obvious. And for that, you really need to be quite good at relating with the person and understanding what they're about. So sometimes it's difficult if they're not responsive but if they are then it will be okay.

What's your view on size zero models?

I think it is critical that the fashion industry responds to the plight of girls that are suffering from anorexia or rather eating disorders. And I think this undoubted pressure on girls to lose weight. We all know this and the industry needs to be responsible for a lot of the suffering. So I think it is absolutely right that they put a ban on it, on girls who are too thin.

Is it difficult photographing children?

It's totally down to the personality of the child. I mean because I'm photographing children it also matters quite a lot what the parents are like. If the parents are kind of very demanding or don't look after their kids very well then often the kids are quite hard to control. If the kids are better behaved, it's often because the parents are. So it entirely depends.

Why do you like working with children?

I like working with kids mainly because I'm good at it and I spent a number of years working children's TV where I got to spend a lot of time doing research with kids. Maybe I'm just a big kid myself and I like the playfulness of it but, where other people find that they're difficult, I find it quite interesting. And it's a challenge because they hardly every keep still. They have their tantrums, and it really needs a lot of skill to capture that moment.