Interview with François Berthier

By Matthew John

It was Cannes Film Festival 2015, where me and some friends had the pleasure of meeting Francois, who was out at the film festival shooting for Getty and various magazines.

François Berthier started taking pictures at 17. At 28, he was named editor in chief of his rock magazine. In december of 2008, after 6 year interviewing famous rockstars, François decided that time has come to return to his first love, shooting women. He started a career as a fashion & celebrity photographer. 7 month later, where he was soon shooting names like Lady Gaga.

When he’s not shooting the most beautiful girls in the world, François captures the biggest celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Mads Mikkelsen, Steven Spielberg, Lady Gaga, Tom Hanks, Christy Turlington, Ben Stiller, Hugh Jackman, Taylor Momsen, Pharell Williams, James Blunt, Jared Leto…

François has been published in prestigious magazine including Variety, Vanity Fair Italy, Flare, Io Donna, Newsweek, Madame Figaro, Cosmopolitan, L’express Style, Grazia France, Marie-Claire, Biba, Glamour, Elle France, Elle Ukraine, Elle Russia, Rolling Stone Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Studio Cinélive, GQ France, Paris Match, Sunday Time, Marie-Claire…

His clients are : Dior, Dinh Van, Jaeger Lecoultre, Gaumont, Lagardère Média, Procter & Gamble, Groupe Radio France, Sixt, Polydor/Universal, Mercury/Universal, Roadrunner USA, Discograph, Sony Music.

It was a great honor to meet Francois and have the chance of interviewing him for ConsortPR.

What kind of gear do you use?
Canon 5D mark III and 24-105 mostly but i have a pentax 6×7, A fujica GL690, a polaroid 500 SE, a Canon AF45 and so many stuff i can’t remember !

Which is your favorite lens? Why?
It really depends on what I shoot. the one i use much is canon 24-105 cause it’s really polyvalent, sharp with a macro position. it’s perfect in studio. When I need light I use a 50 or 85 1.2

What Inspires you?
I Love people, I love meeting new person. I love beauty, but I like to find beauty, where people doesn’t see it. I define my work more as a psychologist than a light tech.

What makes the good picture stand out from the average?
Unfortunately we live a world where the subject is mostly more important than the photographer. a bad picture of Brad Pitt will be more “interesting” than an amazing picture of my grandfather.
but what make a good picture is simple :Light, emotion of the subject, it can be describe, a photographer is just here to capture it, maybe sometimes help a little the subject to give this emotion.

Among your works, which one is your favorite? Why?
Impossible to answer this question. My favorite is the one I didn’t shoot yet.

Whose work/ project has influenced you most?
The work of Anton Corbijn in Load & Reload Metallica booklet. that’s my first remember of me wanted to be a photographer. then i remember liking the way Antoine Verglas was capturing amazing top models. Later I liked the raw work of ridcharson even if I don’t appreciate what’s around him.

What is the one thing you wish you knew when you started taking photos?
I wish I knew nothing. I wish I could start to learn again. Who wouldn’t? Learning is the best things in the world, and that’s right for all kind of things. i remember times I was looking my pictures and I was like “wow who shot this ?” during one second before realizing I did. Or saying “wow looks like a magazine pictures” that was the best time of my life. Now, it’s harder to be impressed by your own work. not saying that i accomplished everything, but the technique is now acquired. Now it’s more about if I have an incredible location or model.
What would be your dream celebrity to shoot?
I would dream of shooting of a VF cover with a naked Marion Cotillard, Julianne Moore, Scarlett Johanson, Kirsten Dunst, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Stone and Jessica Chastain together.

Which photographer inspires you the most?
Helmut Newton, Leibovitz, Greg Kadel, Von Unwerth, Corbijn. so many.

What are the pros and cons of photographing celebrities?
Pro : meeting beautiful and interesting people, dealing with their egos
Cons : Kill you ego, meeting beautiful and ugly people

Any tips to give aspiring photographers?
keep your tips for you !
No just kidding
Well, don’t listen to others advice. Do what you like whatever it takes. Maybe it will work, maybe not. but doing shit doesn’t mean you going to make it, so it preferable to be poor doing stuff you like.

For more details on François Berthier check out

http://www.francoisberthier.com

https://www.facebook.com/francoisberthierphotographer

Interview by Matthew John

matthew john