"I've had the fortunate opportunity to work with Chad White, Jakob Wiechmann, Yulia Lobova, and Anastazja Niementowska. I think what I like most about them are their rather down-to-earth personalities and hearing about their stories around the world"

First of all, thanks for selecting me for an interview. I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. During high school, my mother encouraged to take up sketching at a studio and participate in national competitions. It was then that I knew I was destined to join a creative industry. Living in a multicultural hub allowed me to appreciate and learn from a variety of backgrounds. However the city didn't have the same level of art compared to larger international cities like New York. In the end, I turned my attention and attempted a more standard career path studying biology and then business admin. All the while I had kept up my sketching and started photography when my parents decided that I should focus more on my studies. They had thought that photography would be a quick way to express myself rather than spend hours upon hours sketching. In the end, I spent more time with photography and became my medium of choice.

Quickly I became a fine-art photographer and was fortunate to have won some University awards which then led to gallery exhibitions in Canada. As for fashion photography, during my experimental phase when I was shooting friends in a studio I built in my apartment, I was quickly scouted by local agencies and models. They wanted me to shoot their new faces copying the same minimalist style I did of my friends. Quickly from there, agencies referred me to other agencies, stylists, etc.
In my final year of school, I went on exchange to Paris to finish off my studies and was quickly introduced to the fashion world. Ever since then, I have been working with designers, magazines, and agencies abroad from New York to London and now based in Paris.

My main influences have been the work from Eugene Delacroix (a french romantic artist often featuring grande scenes which often ironically evoke a certain stillness to them), and the early works of Hedi Slimane. I'm inspired by both minimalist images and generally darker or comical themes. I'm not sure if I can define my style quite yet, but I have been told repeatedly my photos convey a particular deafening silence.

The digital era of the photography: the techniques without the high cost of film and chemicals

Most definitely. As a self-taught photographer, the digital era allowed me to experiment and quickly learn the techniques without the high cost of film and chemicals. That said, I best honed my abilities when I later moved from digital to film. I feel that the convenience of digital photography can often hamper quality as photographers can easily snap hundreds, if not thousands of photos without putting as much thought into each frame as they should.

Chad White, Jakob Wiechmann, Yulia Loboya: working with amazing models

Lately I've been shooting a lot of fashion stories/editorials for different magazines including Twill Magazine and several others from Paris to New York. I've had the fortunate opportunity to work with Chad White, Jakob Wiechmann, Yulia Lobova, and Anastazja Niementowska. I think what I like most about them are their rather down-to-earth personalities and hearing about their stories around the world. Perhaps it's the Canadian side of me that's always curious to learn about different cultures and often their stories inspire me. I believe that what goes around comes around and that it's mutual. I select my models very carefully and as such, I try and make sure that they can also help my career as well.

The special and funny backstage´s moments

Sometimes that special moment happens by accident, but often by design as I like to plan out my shoots very well with some sketches before or a complete storyboard. To be able to realize the image in my head and see that through the lens is simply magical. Sometimes funny, models step on set, look at me with the camera and ask, "So where's the photographer?". Often they assume I'm the assistant because of my relatively young age at 23.

Worldwide economic crisis on the fashion photography?

I think that many fashion photographers have to work more creatively without a large budget. Instead of traveling around the world to do a fashion story, more are being done locally or in studios. As with the digital era, I think the future for fashion photography is to incorporate more graphic arts into the mix. Not only is it cheaper, but it allows for a greater range of expression and creativity.

Top cool places for a shooting and why

#1 Rooftops of Paris - There's really nothing quite like it. Most cities are so industrialized with tall cement towers that seeing a sea of chimneys that stretch as far the eye can see with large historic monuments that pop out is just amazing
#2. Sevilla, Spain - The trees were so old, tall and unusual that it reminded me of the Ents from LOTR
#3. My studio. - There's nothing like a place where we can work blaring music we love and sculpting/painting a photo on a blank canvas

IMAGE worth a THOUSAND WORDS?

Definitely. And it's that goal to inspire and evoke different ideas that keeps the challenge alive

The Upcoming projects

Look out for the future issues of the following magazines I have an editorial in later this year:

TWILL MAGAZINE (JUNE 2010). Paris, Milan, London & New York

MYKROMAG COVER (JUNE 2010). Amsterdam

DRESS TO KILL MAGAZINE (JUNE 2010). Toronto, Montreal & New York

PALACE COSTES MAGAZINE (JULY 2010). Paris

7th MAN MAGAZINE (AUGUST 2010). London & Paris

Main motto: "The sky's the limit"

Contact info

Justin Wu photography