Woman Crush Wednesday: Cécile Smetana Baudier
Blue Hour 2015, Courtesy of Vogue Italia © Cécile Smetana Baudier
Interview by Diane Choi
What inspired “Blue Hour”?
Nothing specific. I worked on it for weeks, maybe even a couple of months before shooting. I was very concerned, because it was my first editorial and I didn't want it to look like I was trying to do a "fashion" story. I have the same approach to fashion as I have to documentary photography. I shoot on film and use medium format. It's what I know and feel most comfortable with. I prefer not using a makeup artist and I prefer to keep it simple. I need full control when I shoot so I only work with people I trust. I would never ask someone else to find the models for me. For Blue Hour, it was just Anna Klein (stylist) and I.
Blue Hour 2015, Courtesy of Vogue Italia © Cécile Smetana Baudier
Blue Hour 2015, Courtesy of Vogue Italia © Cécile Smetana Baudier
What is important to you when it comes to working with models for a fashion project?
I prefer shooting women who do not fit into the old fashioned western narrative of what a girl should look like. The girls are still very beautiful in a classical sense and that is something I am both attracted to but also concerned about. I am trying to be more conscious about what kind of female imagery my photographs are perpetuating.
Blue Hour 2015, Courtesy of Vogue Italia © Cécile Smetana Baudier
Blue Hour 2015, Courtesy of Vogue Italia © Cécile Smetana Baudier
Blue Hour 2015, Courtesy of Vogue Italia © Cécile Smetana Baudier
Blue Hour 2015, Courtesy of Vogue Italia © Cécile Smetana Baudier
WCW Questionnaire
Describe your creative process in one word.
Work-ethic.
If you could teach one, the one-hour class on anything what would it be?
Portraiture.
What is the last book you read or film you saw that inspired you?
Woman at War - It's a movie about resilience.
What is the most played song in your music library?
A Boy Is a Gun - Tyler, The Creator
How do you take your coffee?
Decaf.
Blue Hour 2015, Courtesy of Vogue Italia © Cécile Smetana Baudier
Blue Hour 2015, Courtesy of Vogue Italia © Cécile Smetana Baudier
Blue Hour 2015, Courtesy of Vogue Italia © Cécile Smetana Baudier
Blue Hour 2015, Courtesy of Vogue Italia © Cécile Smetana Baudier
