Australian photographer Michael Cook shot a lot of fantasy pictures, he won the 2008 Australian ‘Deadly’ visual artist of the year. This time he bring us the new photo collection shot in the Brisbane tram museum, just like retro style in 1960s, the girl start her gorgeous journey.
Shall Zou (SZ) : Please tell us about yourself.
Michael Cook (MC) : I grew up in a small coastal town in Queensland at a bird sanctuary that was owned by my family. I started taking photos after my brother gave me my first camera at age fourteen. I was raised in quite a creative family with most of the family working in creative fields, and am sure this influenced me from an early age. In my early twenties I opened my first photographic studio and later continued into fashion and commercial photography. I now work as an artist.
SZ: What made you choose photography?
MC: I have always worked within the photographic field, starting in professional film labs when I was young and then moving into fashion. It’s an industry that has a lot of different roads I can take, so whenever I have wanted a change, I tend to take a different path but still within photography. Now working as an artist, I realise just how much all of these areas have influenced where I am now at with my work.
SZ: Creation is a process of transformation, converting the abstract ideas in mind, into something for you to see, to touch and to experience. It starts from nothing, through unceasing practice to realize them all. In your creative process, what is the most concerned about?
MC: I want to get depth in my images – to tell a story, but prefer the viewer to make their own judgement of what the story means to them – this is the power of photography. I tend not to follow trends, so the images have their own look and will not age like last season’s fashion spread. I love how the power of an image can have such an effect that it can change people’s perspectives.
SZ: Some people said that the most important thing in taking a good fashion photography is to forget about shooting the model, how do you think of it?
MC: I think that there are a couple of areas that are most important. First is to have a strong idea, something with depth that tells a story. Next is to have a great team of people around you, shooting fashion is so reliant on a team effort and the strength of that team. The photographer’s job is to pick the correct team for the shoot and to make sure that they are briefed enough so they can connect with the concept. Model selection is critical to a successful shoot. For editorial projects I usually look for confident models who are not too commercial-looking. I prefer models who are outgoing and are self directors, but also listen for the photographer’s direction.
SZ: Could you tell me more story behind the scenes about this collection?
MC: It’s actually at the Brisbane Tramway Museum, trams were taken off the streets of Brisbane in the late sixties.
We had one of these old trams at our bird sanctuary that I used to play in as a kid, this is how I came up with the idea. My original idea was to put movement behind the trams in all of the scenes, but I had just come back from traveling in the U.S and had all of the backgrounds that perfectly suited this shoot. To put it together, it was a matter of getting the backgrounds, lighting and reflections to work for each image. The end result is a soft romantic shoot from the forties.
SZ: Could you describe your photo style?
MC: I am currently working on art projects for exhibition. Some of these relate to Indigenous Australian themes and history, I try to show this work in a positive view. My fashion and commercial background has a strong influence in the production of these projects – towards how they are planned and finished.
SZ: What are your biggest sources of inspiration?
MC: I find inspiration from all sources of life. It can be over a conversation, or watching an old movie. For my current projects it’s learning about my Indigenous history in Australia, this is helping me piece together great stories I can tell through photography.
SZ: What does photography mean to you?
MC: Photography allows me to create a story within an image. This can be so strong that it changes a person’s perception about a subject. A single image can touch a viewer in ways that can’t be achieved with other formats. I love to create these stories and have some type of impact on society through photography.
SZ: What is the next?
MC: I am currently working on exhibition projects and have two exhibitions starting early in 2011. I am currently represented by a gallery in Australia and am planning at showing overseas in 2012.
Photography: Michael Cook / www.michaelcook.net.au
Stylist: Shilo
Makeup & Hair: Sarah Laidlaw
Model: Megan Hausler @ Dallys Models
Special thanks to Brisbane Tram Museum
