Seeing eye to eye through the camera lens
If you don’t know Danish photography, you should. Although Denmark is probably most known for its furniture designers, filmmakers and architects, it’s the birthplace of a new breed of photographers who are making a name for themselves as the new must-have in fashion, and as the preferred choice in VIP celebrity circles. Copenhagen Exclusive caught up with one such photographer en route to London Fashion Week. Looking through the lens of Marc Hom, a Danish photographer living in New York, he is someone who breaks down the barriers between beauty and celebrity. The person and the persona. Defining what’s real versus fake. What’s Danish and what’s not.
As I ascend the escalator up to the plush lobby at Sankt Petri, a five-star designer hotel in the heart of Copenhagen, I find myself suddenly wondering if I’m wearing the right thing. Due to arrive in a matter of minutes is Marc Hom, a New York-based Danish photographer who is known for the sensuality he brings to fashion photos, and the reality he brings to portraits of celebrities.
In walks Marc, handsome, masculine and with an air of understated elegance. I instantly feel at ease, soon to discover that his ability to quickly connect with people is what defies the lens that divides them. It’s also a real reason why the likes of Lauren Bacall, Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Pink, Johnny Depp, Adrien Brody, Iggy Pop, Joaquin Phoenix and Christopher Walken love working with him. They are just a few examples of a long list of celebrities who are featured in Marc’s new coffee table book just recently released in New York, London, Copenhagen and soon in Japan in January.
Search online for references to Marc Hom and you’ll find 2,720,000 listings.
Instead of sitting upstairs at the hotel’s Bar Rouge, a very in vogue place to see and be seen, Marc prefers to do the interview downstairs in the café. In preparation for our meeting, it wasn’t difficult to find out about his many accomplishments. Search online for references to Marc Hom and you’ll find 2,720,000 listings. So we began the interview by taking a quick click back in time to 1989. Marc moved to New York after completing his photography apprenticeship in Denmark. There he assisted other photographers for a year and a half, and then flew to Vienna to do a book of images commissioned by the Vienna Ballet. His introduction to the world of fashion photography came in 1992 from Harper’s Bazaar, known for being among the most avant-garde, must-read magazines on the fashion scene. “This was when they had a very graphic approach, very clean aesthetics,” notes Marc, who prefers the purity of photography. In a business based on future trends, and where a fashion collection can quickly be cast off as “that’s so last week”, Marc’s photos are simple, striking and strong enough to be timeless in their appeal as modern classics.
What’s important for Marc is to bring realness, not retouching.
In addition to Harper’s Bazaar, Marc’s fashion photos and portraits have appeared in Vanity Fair, British Vogue, German Vogue, The New Yorker, French, Arena, Esquire, W Magazine, and The New York Times Magazine, as well as Danish fashion magazines DANSK and Cover. His images have a sublime graphic simplicity and a seductive sexual tension. From high-contrast color snaps of shiny, liquid red leather stilettos to sultry black and white stills. When photographing women, I ask him how he manages to bring out the sensuality in each model. “It’s very important that you meet people before the shoot to try to build up trust really quickly. Break down barriers between you and your subject. Find something that they didn’t know they had. They often call me later and say ‘I never saw myself look like that.’” What’s important for Marc is to bring realness, not retouching. “To do something just for the sake of an effect isn’t honest. I don’t like anything fake.”
“The Danish models who’ve made it don’t look typically Danish.”
As someone who has worked with Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and other infamous million-dollar-a-day models, Marc considers Danes to be quite good looking in general. But as he points out, “The Danish models who’ve made it don’t look typically Danish.” He’s known Helena Christensen since she was 10 years hold. And cites Louise Pedersen from 2pm and the new Prada guy, Eddie Klint from Unique, as models making it big for high profile brands on glam mags around the globe.
Freja is a Danish beauty who Marc finds amazing. She’s been the main model for a Danish fashion brand called NOIR. Involved since its inception, Marc is on their Board of Directors and shoots all of their campaigns, often in collaboration with consulting stylist Anastasia Barbieri from French Vogue. The driver behind NOIR is Peter Ingwersen, who wanted a luxury line that crosses the line between naughty and nice. The concept is clothing with a conscience, using unique fabrics produced in parts of Africa, where the workers also receive part of the profits.
Other fashion designers enjoying success oversees include Peter Jensen and Camilla Stærk, who have a lot of exposure in London and New York. When asked what’s Danish about Danish fashion, Marc alludes to the clean lines, the slim fit and the strict tailoring. “Strict like our bridges and food. It’s clean, it’s water, rocks and stones. An aesthetic akin to the Japanese.” He likes Baum und Pferdgarten “because their designs have something that’s a bit off, a bit askew.”
“The beauty of Danish women is their easy way of being.”
In terms of Danish women, Marc sees them as much more natural and pure. “The beauty of Danish women is their easy way of being. Except when they try to get too dressed up, then it’s not real. Normally they’re down to earth, and now they’re dressed beyond recognition.“ Marc’s not keen on people who follow fashion blindly, or people who are afraid of being different. In fact, he likes when fashion is not the main focus. The epitome of purity, he points out that “Either you have style or you don’t. Let your personality come through versus trying to dress your personality.”
Marc has had more 15 minutes of fame than most.
True to a man whose idea of beauty is simplicity, the title of Marc’s new coffee table book of portraits is Portraits, and it’s a collection of his work outside of fashion over the last 12 years. His portraits include famous actors and actresses, film directors, authors, musicians, athletes and members of his own family. Danish film directors Lars Von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg appear on pages alongside members of the Danish royalty, such as Crown Prince Fredrik and Princess Alexandra. Members of Hollywood’s royalty includes Martin Scorsese, Tim Burton, Sofia Coppola, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jessica Lang, Faye Dunaway, Aretha Franklin and Cher. Not to be missed are British fashion designers Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith and Alexander McQueen, as well as football favorite David Beckham. The photos range from young to old, to those who are famous for different reasons, such as JFK Junior and General Schwarzkopf. What they all have in common is a certain authenticity, where Marc has captured the essence of the star in a moment that looks as personal as possible.
The person behind the persona.
When photographing celebrities, the challenge is two-fold. Usually it’s famous people who have been photographed before. So the task is to freeze-frame an off-moment that’s honest, revealing a side of the celebrity that the global public hasn’t been privy to. But the biggest challenge begins the minute Marc and his subject meet. “I try to quickly break the ice. To put things on the same level and build a common trust.” Looking at Marc’s long, impressive list of celebs, it’s clear that respect works both ways. “I don’t care if they’re famous. There’s a reason why I’ve been flown halfway around the world to create something together. It’s very important to make them feel comfortable and to get them to level with me.”
“He allows you the freedom to be yourself. He captures the person and their personality. That is Marc’s great gift…” Lauren Bacall
In the foreword to Marc’s new book, Hollywood actress Lauren Bacall writes about her favorite photographer and close friend. “Usually, I hate still pictures and I hate to pose. I told Marc that from the beginning – he picked up the ball and ran with it. He knew instinctively that was the only way to photograph me… From that day on, every opportunity I had, Marc has been there with his camera… As he clicks away, out comes wit, the subject and simplicity… He captures the person and their personality.”
Marc himself writes in the book’s introduction, “My photographs are about the honesty of the moment between the subject and myself.… I seek a reality in the image, a reflection of my fascination with the person and their innate beauty.” About his recent session with Pink, he says “I love her. She’s so cool. Someone who’s really going to survive. She’s smart and says what she means.” His impressions of Björk were “Like meeting a Martian from outer space. She’s a mysterious mix between an object and a creature. She’s incredible.”
“People start becoming interesting when they’re 40 to 60.”
He has been witness to young stars who quickly get over-exploited and over-exposed soon after their first claim to fame. For Marc, sudden stars who are 18 years old with a record or an Academy Award might have an exciting career, but they don’t have any interesting facets to their personality. “Leading actresses today are 20 years old and haven’t been through anything hard. What happened to people who go to London to study Shakespeare for six years? It’s important that you are balanced and have an education. There are people with amazing talent, but they need substance.” He adds, “I am much more a mind person. People start becoming interesting when they’re 40 to 60. It’s much more intriguing for me.”
“The beauty about America is that it gives everyone a chance.”
While his childhood friends are still in Denmark, Marc spends most of his time in New York. “I love that it doesn’t have a heritage. Everyone starts from scratch. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, you’re given a chance.” He enjoys the straightforwardness of the business. “You meet people, you talk, then a week later, you start the project.” Scandinavians are known for being quite forthright in their honesty, and are often quick to assume Americans are somewhat superficial. Marc sees American honesty in another way. There’s an openness in New Yorkers and a feel good factor that he appreciates. “People admire you and maybe go a bit overboard, but at least they make you feel food. And they invite you into their homes.” Perhaps the biggest appeal of New York is as a melting pot. “You meet the best people from all over the world. When I’m away I miss the energy, the diversity, the contrast and the kick.”
Unlike New York, “there’s a calmness and a peacefulness here.”
When Marc is back in Denmark, he sees it as a retreat and the opportunity to spend time with his son. He finds the nature and beauty amazing. In contrast to New York, “there’s a calmness and a peacefulness here. I’m glad my son is growing up here. Pure, normal things can be easily achieved, like going to the forest. There are so many healthy elements here, and people are well educated. In New York, there’s too much to absorb. Kids grow up too quickly, and they don’t have time to play.” It might take longer to form new friendships in Denmark, “but they might be your friends for 50 years.”
Portraits is a 260-page book in a lovely, large 11 x 14 inch format. With recent openings at Hamilton’s Gallery in London, Staley-Wise in New York, Galerie Asbæk in Copenhagen and plans for Japan in January, aficionados of Marc’s exquisite sense of aesthetics can look forward to finding his book in 24 countries. I haven’t seen the final print, but I’m convinced that he succeeded in creating a work of graphic clarity, purity and simplicity. Capturing a moment in time with a look that’s timeless. In the introduction to Portraits, Marc ends with “I have been fortunate to work with many fascinating people in the past decade. They are as much a part of this book as I am, and it’s to our collaboration that I dedicate this work.”
As I conclude my own portrait of this portrait photographer, just out of habit I reach for my lipstick - and then put it back. (After all, he’s not taking a photo of me.) But he did convince me that the only barrier in between the camera lens is the one you put there yourself.
November 2006