A magazine commissions a portrait. One name on the brief: Alice Morgaine.
the résumé
I read through her background before we met, and something tightened. A veteran of L'Express in Françoise Giroud's day, where she ran the « Madame Express » pages. Then editor-in-chief of Jardin des Modes. A master's in philosophy from Montreal. And today, curator of La Verrière, the Hermès exhibition space, which is to say the sharpest corner of the most artistic house in the whole luxury galaxy. She is the one who brings in the giants, from Claude Lévêque to Claude Viallat. And it goes on from there: she would become Art and Design advisor to the artistic director of Hermès. Heavyweight, in short.
What surprises me is my own reaction. Normally this sort of thing leaves me cold. I have photographed celebrities, genuinely famous faces, and I am always at ease; it is my job. But here it is not the fame that impresses me, it is the résumé. And for once, I show up not quite sure of myself.
The « art » label plus « Hermès », probably. And then, if I am honest, what scares me most is what she will make of her own portrait. Because photographing someone is never simple: nobody likes seeing themselves in a picture. That is what makes the exercise delicate for the photographer. But here, on top of that, I was about to photograph someone whose opinion carries weight, and probably real influence in this field, or so I tell myself. And I am still young, in 2006. So the detachment I usually have about whether people will like their photo is gone completely. If anything, it is the opposite.
a few frames
So I decide to move fast. A few frames, quickly, no elaborate setup. Catch the moment. The portrait, yes, but above all the person behind the title.
I stick to that plan. And the little contact sheet turns out, in the end, rather lovely. It goes through without a hitch.
Phew.
Julien Claessens
