PHOTOGRAPHER
CHANTELLE DOSSER
Can you remember when you first held a camera?
I don’t remember the exact age but it was round about high school, probably about 14 or 15. At the time I was making paintings of my friends in the nude and one day my god father gave me an old manual Minolta camera, which I didn't know how to use, and I started making photographs for reference for the paintings. I didn’t know camera settings so a lot of the pictures came out blury or out of focus and that intruiged me alot.
What is a childhood image burnt into your mind? Nothing in particular other than I had a very exciting and adventurious child hood.
Can you tell me an iconic photographer whose work you got very fascinated by? — What did you feel when looking at their images?
Peter Lindbergh's iconic work. Helmut Newton, Ellen Von Unwerth and Guy Bourdin were also the first image makers who fascinated me since my adolescence.
What was your first fashion shoot?
Well my first fashion shoots were with my friends at photo school, we had so much fun experimenting. I think one of my first published shoots was Deutsh Magazine with Lara Stone actually. We were both young and starting out, we shot it at night at the Foire Du Trone carnival in Paris, it was an amusing and mischievous shoot ;))
What do you love most about the Fashion Industry?
The collaborations are something that I look forward to - the people, the locations, the designers and their work. Outside of the fashion industry I am inspired by everyday people and how they express themselves, this to me is the source of my inspiration.
What do you most hate about Fashion Industry?
Politics.
Statistics show that only 1 in 10 of the big money jobs i.e. womenswear- beauty and perfume campaigns are shot by women. Is there just no qualified female fashion photographers out there?
I dont know the exact statistics for this but we definitely have plenty of qualified and talented female photographers all around the world.
One says it takes 10’000 hours to become a master of a craft, how long in hours/days/years did it take you to make a living?
After graduating I did 3 years in art/photo school to get a diploma, then 3 years assisting, which was amazing for both the work and life experience. Learning the business and traveling the world, and learning a new language have been my solid base for this amazing and challenging profession. I then started developing my own career with these tools, and took it from there. I’m not sure if there are any rules, however I do believe that knowledge and experiences give us power.
Who is your female fashion image maker icon and who is your the one to watch?
Sally Mann, Diane Arbus, Nan Goldin, Ellen Von Unwerth work has always inspired me by their iconic imagery and their narrative. To watch I think Lea Colombo and Daniella Midenge’s work is great.
Who is your female fashion designer icon and who is your the one to watch?
Vivienne Westwood is a fashion icon ! Isabel Marant`s work is amazing.
What makes you feel comfortable on set?
My team.
How important is your team?
The most important.
There is a big surge of feminism at the moment - do you think that will affect Fashion Photography?
Fashion has been effected by changing circumstances throughout time, all that we expérience effects fashion and the way it is photographed.
When I look at your work, I really love your Chanel Shoot of Marine Goudin – its pure perfection!! What is your favorite shoot?
Firstly, thank you for your kind words :) The honest truth is the memorable shoots are the ones that challenge me creatively and also that are sometimes physically demanding, those are the ones that I look back fondly upon - like climbling dunes in South Africa or mountains in Switzerland in the freezing cold.
What was your relation to fashion prior to working in this industry? Has it changed?
I grew up around the skating, surfing and punk scène in cape town, south africa, and that had a major rôle on my personality. I feel that I’ve brought that into my fashion work as a photographer.
What qualities do you value in an agent or booker?
Someone with vision and being able to connect me with the right jobs and clients; It’s also about a feeling I get about people I work with.
What is the most valuable piece of advice you were ever given and what advice would you have wished for earlier on in your career?
Change is good, always be authentic! Find your voice and your own style. Learn accounting….:)
What is your next big project or goal for your career?
I want to make money doing what I love.
Is there anything in particular you'd like to accomplish?
Living to create
