Last month when I went to Melissa Rodwell’s Fashion Photography workshop in L.A., I had a chance to meet her the day before the workshop. Not only did I want to hang out with her one-on-one, but also to interview her. One of the reasons I wanted to interview her, was to share some of her insight with the students in my fashion classes. This interview is for you guys!
Photography by Melissa Rodwell
Do you remember taking your first image?
I do. I was about nine years old when I dressed my dolls up and shot a little fashion editorial using a Kodak Instamatic with the cartridge film.
When did you learn the basics of photography?
I learned at Art Center College of Design when I was twenty-one.
What first attracted you (specifically) to becoming a photographer?
Fashion. I originally wanted to be a fashion designer. I was putting my thoughts and energy into going to FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology). I was a pretty rotten kid, and when I was seventeen, my parents sent me to Europe to get away from some kids I was hanging around. I was with a group in Europe; I left them and accidentally went into a Parisian art gallery. It had these huge photographs by Helmut Newton and I fell in love. That was it. It was a transformative moment in my history. I bought every book I could on all of those photographers. I went home and begged my father to borrow his Canon AE1. I started shooting photographs all the time of my friends, who would dress up and go out on locations.
Photography by Melissa Rodwell
Do you feel like your lighting came together while you were at Art Center, or after?
I learned a lot at Art Center, but I feel like lighting is something you intuitively know. I think you’re born with an eye for lighting and it develops as you shoot. So I can’t say that Art Center taught me everything I know and that I kept those same principles the last 23 years, but I did learn a lot. I at least learned how to expose, develop and print film. Printing is a really important part of the process because it’s your final image that matters. As a photographer you need to have the final image in mind before you even take your camera out of the bag. You go after what you want, and printing helps you understand that by getting through that final image. You start to go backwards in how you exposed the film, how you framed it and how you lit it in the first place.
You said that you’ve grown up a lot in the last few years; is that because of your marriage?
No, it’s my fourth marriage. I think my father dying changed me a lot. My mother died, but I was never really close to her. I wasn’t really there physically to see it all go down, but I did take care of my father in the last 6 months of his life. I think when you see that both your parents are gone, you realize that you’re not going to live forever, you’re not invincible and you’ve got to make the most of things.
Who is your mentor in photography?
I don’t really have one, no one ever took me under their wing. I had a really tough time getting assistant work because I was too skinny or I was a girl, and no one wanted to ask me to carry heavy equipment. I got jobs being a studio manager. I did work as a studio manager in New York for a fashion photographer, and I quit after a couple months because she was so mean to me. She criticized everything I did, even down to the shoes I wore. I remember her taking me to lunch, sitting me down and telling me, “You know, you’re never going to make it. You have to put your work ahead of everything and everybody else.” As it turns out, she is right. I go back and I can remember she wanted me to find some marble flooring for a shoot. I spent all day (and this was before the Internet and before cell phones) on the phone going through the yellow pages trying to locate marble. I said to her at one point, “I can’t find it,” and she said, “There’s no such word as can’t.” At the time, I thought, “Ugh”…but now I find myself repeating that. There’s got to be a way. I’ve seen it, I know it exists, it’s got to be out there. Find it.
Photography by Melissa Rodwell
Which is easier for you: the technical or the creative?
Creative. I hire good assistants, we walk into the shoot together, I tell them what I want technically and I go deal with the model, I figure out the psychology of how I’m going to get the shot, I hang out with the client, I go drink my coffee and smoke cigarettes and I figure out the layouts; when I come back, my assistants show me the lighting set-ups from a test shot, and I say yes or no. I let them take care of lights that are too bright or too dark. I tell them to move a light to the side more or higher, add a backlight, throw a hair light in, and they take care of it. I tell them about what f/stop I want to shoot and they balance out the ratio. If they can’t get it, I’ll go back in there with them together, and we talk about how to get what I am asking for.
Where are you in your development as a photographer?
I’m always happy with where I am in the process. I don’t ever question it. I never do that I wish I had more trip. I find that self-defeating. I think I’m on my way up; I don’t think I’m there yet. I love the journey I’m more in love with the process than the destination. I just spoke in Orlando, and someone asked me, “Do you think you’re successful?” I said, “No, not really.” They said, “What would define you as being successful?” and I said, “You know, when this week I’m shooting for Vogue, and last week I just shot for Gucci.” I think that if I were doing that right now at 47, what would I have to look forward to? Retiring? Who cares about that? I want to keep progressing. That’s one of the things I have to say I love about photography is that I never feel like I nailed it. It’s always making me feel challenged to improve. Every time I do a shoot I look at it afterward and ask myself, “What can I do better next time? What did I learn from this? What do I love about it? What do I not love so much about it? What would I do differently next time?” That keeps me motivated to keep wanting to reinvent. To me, creativity is an organic process. It’s always evolving, changing, and taking shape and form. I love that process. First of all, having a heavy schedule like that is a big responsibility, and like I said, I sort of grew up in the last couple of years. I think I’m fighting in that direction, but I don’t think I’m there yet. I’m getting there though. I think if I stay focused like I have been, I have a good chance. I may never get to {Steven} Meisel’s level, but that’s ok.
Photography by Melissa Rodwell
What is your favorite part of photography? Least favorite?
Favorite: Working for myself. I like the freedom.
Least Favorite: Chasing after money.
Where do you get your inspiration? What do you do when you get in a rut?
It depends on what is going on with me. I definitely have ruts. I had one when my dad was dying. I didn’t shoot for a while. I didn’t shoot for almost a year. My dad and I had had a really impetuous relationship my whole life, and I saw it as a real growing experience for me to have closure with him. I just put down the camera. I didn’t really think about photography for about 6-9 months. I did shoot a few jobs and did get really busy immediately after he died. Also during that time, I was turned off by the digital thing that came in. I saw it as the end of the art form. I used to fight against being in a rut when I was younger, but now I just ride the storm out. I just let myself be. I think the more you fight it or push it down, the longer it takes to get past it. It’s like a wave. It’s going to crash and it’s going to be okay and you’re going to get back up again. They don’t last long—they last less and less these days.
Who influences your photography the most?
I love Helmut Newton. Helmut Newton’s work to me is flawless. He didn’t care about technique. He had one camera, one lens, and he knew how to use it.
Photography by Melissa Rodwell
What is your strength as a photographer? What do you bring to the table as a photographer?
I think my lighting is good, and I also think that I’m able to capture a moment pretty well. That’s what I strive for. I’m finally getting to that place. I’m also good at reading people, for instance with models (the psychology of it). If there’s a girl that’s not emoting, I can pretty much figure out how to get her to do what I need her to do in that 8 or 9 hours I have her and get it out of her. I move around a lot because a lot of the girls don’t move. It’s really hard to find a girl that can emote and move really well. So I just go around them, find it and capture it.
What area do you want to work on as a photographer?
I think overall my work could look more polished.
Do you shoot for yourself? When and what?
I go in waves with that. Like The Boys Show was for myself. I’m doing another project. I haven’t shot for it in a while. It’s really personal and I’m not sharing about it yet.
Photography by Melissa Rodwell
What tip or trick did you learn that was the biggest help to you as a new photographer?
I don’t know where I learned it, but learned early on that the glass was the most important part. It’s not really the camera body but the lens. And I learned about using longer lenses for less distortion in the face and how wider lenses create more of an impact in your photograph. I guess I learned about lenses early on. I use an 85mm and 24mm a lot. I’ve been experimenting a lot with the 50mm. I go in phases. There was a 3-4 year period in my life where I shot with a 180mm and 300mm when I was shooting a lot of Playboy stuff. I owned a 300mm lens that was $3000 at the time in ’93 when bought it. I sold it. I never shoot with that length anymore. I just rent now too.
As far as a tip when you are shooting, have your model wear high heels even if it’s a beauty shot because she will carry herself more elegantly.
What is one mistake you’ve learned from that you can share to help new photographers?
I’ve made so many mistakes that have helped me. This business is about team effort. If the make up is horrible, but the model was amazing and everything else was amazing, it’s going to be a half-ass shoot. You just surround yourself with really good people, have a lot of confidence and it will be ok.
Why did you choose this particular image of yourself vs. another one for this interview?
Because you can’t really see it’s me. I’m very much a behind-the-scenes person. I don’t like being filmed; I think that’s obvious. I don’t like being photographed, and I don’t really like public speaking. Every time I get up on stage in front of people I think, “I hate this.” I’m not shy, I’m just not showy. I’m also very honest. If someone asks me a question, I’m going to answer it to the best of my ability. I don’t think I’m a huge success. I do think that all of my life experiences produce how I see. It’s not all about the camera and the gear.
Photography by Melissa Rodwell
If you weren’t a photographer, what would you do?
I would have probably become a profiler on serial murder cases. But now I just enjoy reading about it.
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
I’d love to have a house in Florida and a loft in New York. You know, I’ve been shooting for 30 years. Sometimes I think I’m lucky I’ve been able to do it for this long. Sometimes I think it’s just because I’m crazy enough to stay in the game this long. I mean it’s been really hard. I’m not going to lie. I was on the phone with my friend this morning, who’s another fashion photographer, and we were talking about me speaking in Orlando and my friend asked me, “How do you talk about yourself for an hour and a half?” I just talk about how I was broke, and then I got a big check in, then I was broke, then I got a big check in, then I was broke. That’s been my career.
Be sure to check out more more of Melissa’s work at:
www.melissarodwell.com
www.fashionphotographyblog.com
I want to thank my good friend Joanna for driving us all around and helping me carry a few things! I also want to thank Sheila and Dave for being so flexible! I look forward to your wedding in October!
