June 29, 2017 |
Barcelona-born, London-based photographer and filmmaker Alex Franco’s first subject was his grandfather – “He was a person that I always looked up to for inspiration,” he says. “To photograph him, it was always the same – that challenge to capture a moment that you’ll never get back.” As well as said grandfather, Franco has trained his lens on a variety of other subjects, including his wife, a good number of professional models (this is fashion, darling) and the people of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley – his photos of which he’s currently making into a book. Watch this space.
Ted Stansfield: How would you define yourself?
Alex Franco: “Someone who is hard to get to know.”
TS: When did you realise you wanted to be a photographer?
AF: “After I left school I started working for a photographer back in Barcelona.”
TS: What has been the highlight of your career so far?
AF: “I have been lucky enough to work with some incredible people and fashion brands. But I don’t think it was until I went to Ethiopia and lived there for four months that I felt completely enlightened. I think Ethiopia gave me my first chance to express myself properly as an artist – I was able to capture the different communities and their unique styles.”
TS: What accomplishment are you most proud of?
AF: “Finishing my Omo project, which I am currently in the process of editing into a book. Even when looking back through the images now, I get the same excitement that I did when I first captured them.”
TS: Do you have a muse or favourite subject?
AF: “My wife, Gill, has been a continual muse to me and I feel I am able to capture her beauty honestly.”
TS: What do you think makes a great fashion image?
AF: “For me, the subject is the most important thing. But adding a piece of fashion that elevates that subject – that is the magic of a fashion image.”
TS: In your opinion, what does Louis Vuitton represent?
AF: “Contemporary heritage around the world.”
TS: Who’s your ultimate style icon and why?
AF: “Jim Morrison, because of the way he carried himself, regardless of anyone else.”
TS: Beauty is…
AF: “In the mundane and appreciation in the everyday.”
TS: New York, London, Milan or Paris?
AF: “London, because of the incredible diversity of people and its unique underground scene. And also because it’s so big that you can disappear and have some time for yourself.”
TS: What’s your favourite Instagram account?
AF:“@jerrysaltz.”
TS: What’s one thing that’s underrated and one thing that’s overrated?
AF: “Poetry is underrated – it is an eternal language. A poem can touch people’s hearts for many generations. I find the capitalism that comes with public holidays, where you are made to think you have to consume to be happy, extremely frustrating and overrated.”
TS: What’s your “going out on a date” look?
AF: “I wear a lot of black and dress quite classically, so probably just a good pair of leather boots and black leather jacket, with some jeans and a relaxed shirt.”
Stay tuned for the rest of the 10…
Text by Ted Stansfield
Photographer Alex Franco
Taken from 10 People To Meet in the latest issue of 10 Men FLUID UNIQUE BRAVE, on newsstands now…
