PHOTOGRAPHER
KATHRIN LEISCH
Can you remember when you first held a camera?
I think I was 14 and startet playing around with my moms old Canon AE1 - still have it.
What is a childhood image burnt into your mind?
A haflinger stepping onto my right tooth, only wearing sandals.
Can you tell me an iconic photographer whose work you got very fascinated by? — What did you feel when looking at their images?
Olivia Bee - I love the freedom in her images
Saul Leiter - his very well observed and precious everyday life scenes, you usually see for a second and then forget about them.
Do you think the “male gaze" is a myth?
No. I think there exists a difference. But what I believe is stronger than a female or a male gaze is our personality.
What was your first fashion shoot?
For a young fashion designer. But - well - there’s always a first time.
What do you love most about the Fashion Industry?
I love that it reinvents itself again and again, but also that theres always something coming up from the past. And! It reflects very well what is changing in our society.
What do you most hate about Fashion Industry?
The way it makes us women fell like about our body.
But it’s nice to see that it is changing, slowly but it does. Hopefully it won’t just be a short ray of hope.
If you would start out now what would you be doing, how would you go about // who would you work with and where would you be aiming?
I’d really thought about this a lot of times: That I should have done something earlier, that I should have found the right studies earlier, done a better internship and taking photos more consciously earlier. But today, as esoteric as it might sound, I think that everything was good for something and I’ m exactly where I have to be right now. Thinking anything else just makes you sad.
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?
No.
The industry still has to change. I also believe that the whole view on womenswear etc. would change, if there would be more women ( and female clients) shooting those campaigns.
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?
Still in progress. haha. But at least 4 years.
Who is your female fashion image maker icon and who is your the one to watch?
Who is your female fashion designer icon and who is your the one to watch?
Jil Sander - classic.
What makes you feel comfortable on set?
A harmonic atmosphere and a good structure of what we want to shoot. If this is all set, there is heaps of space to play around.
How important is your team?
Very important. It needs each single person and their talent to take great pictures.
What do you say about the charge that all fashion photography is predominantly sexist?
Big campaigns still use the female body too often as an eye-catcher for no real reason for their product. But the opposite is already happening, which is good to see.
There is a big surge of feminism at the moment - do you think that will affect Fashion Photography?
Ja, I think it already does.
When I look at your work, I really love your “Ella” editorial. What is your favorite shoot?
No choice but future - a really spontaneous, summer morning at the lake, with a tiny team.
What was your relation to fashion prior to working in this industry? Has it changed?
hm. no. think it has always been the same. I love fashion but I also need a break from it from time to time.
What qualities do you value in an agent or booker?
You have to get along really well.
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?
Only be happy about a job, when you really got it. ( advice given)
Don’t panic if there are two weeks without a single job!
What is your next big project or goal for your career?
Really would love to shot a travel / fashion campaign.
Is there anything in particular you'd like to accomplish?
Be patient. Be openminded and never stop searching.
