SEDUCTION MOVES THE WORLD
A particular loving relationship between portrayed and portraitist is what awakens the creative spark of John Rankin Waddell, photographer of celebrities, who will exhibit his work in Mexico and will portray 100 people
Photography is a shared act of seduction: behind the lens is a seducer, seduced by their model. The Photographer is John Rankin Waddell and between those who have posed in front of his camera are Prince William of England, David Bowie and Kate Moss.
But in 2009 initiated the project Rankin Live! That swells his album with photos of a thousand of London’s strangers. Now comes to Mexico through 212 Productions with the intention of making 100 portraits with ordinary people.
The result is shown on Centro Cultural Estación Indianilla , along with over 150 photographs of his career in more than two decades.
From London, the photographer of the campaign launched in 2004 by a line of personal care products in which advertisements portrayed women -not models- size greater than five, talks about his wedlock with photography.
* Are yours photos sexy?
I like the people a lot. I find the persons very sensual. Male or female, I fall in love. The picture involves an act of seduction, but it is very different from any relationship, especially since this is a collaboration to create something
From a family of accountants, Rankin became interested in photography at age 17 when the barber cut his hair a bit bizarre and he liked his new look.
* You made Queen Elizabeth II of England and Mikhail Gorbachev laugh, how did you convinced them?
I'm funny, I have grace. If you see me, you love me. I have a funny face. I'm like Laurel and Hardy.
Jumps to the public sphere by become the co-founder with Jefferson Hack, of magazine Dazed & Confused, a key element in the rise of Britpop in the nineties. Neither had a job, they wanted to party and take pictures of those they admired, such as Blur and Pulp to name a few.
* What is the body part you like most?
Eyes. Through them we see landscapes. Eyes become planets. My favorites are the blues eyes.
The transition to the circuit of fashion was natural. Soon, Rankin became the portrait of German Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and Arena. And in one of those fashionista sessions, with actress Elle MacPherson, he met his wife, the model Tuuli.
* Who is your muse?
I have had many muses. But the most constant is my wife.
The legendary fashion photographers and glamour are his influence -Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Annie Leibovitz.
* You had worked with models, politicians and artists? What is it that attracts you of the common people?
There are no ordinary people, just people, whether famous or not. What I value is honesty. I hate the illusion or fabrication of an artificial personality.
* Are you a mix of Mario Testino and Spencer Tunick?
I consider myself better than them. The problem with Tunik is that he only have one idea and played over and over again. And Testino, I think it is very superficial.
Not satisfied with the pleasures of the still picture, he looked towards the movement. Its portfolio includes many commercials, videos and short films Perfect (2002) and his first film The Lives of Saints "(2005) co-directed with Chris Cottom.
* Relationships are complicated; in these years of commitment with photography there is something you regret?
We shouldn’t spend our lives thinking about regrets and although, of course, I lament some things, always prefer to live the present and forget the past.
* What makes a great photographer?
Capture what you see in a way that it has never been seen.
Diana Gutiérrez
