So what’s your favourite shot?
I have to say this portrait of Diego Maradona, no doubt known to most English fans of a certain age for his ‘hand of god’ goal.
I was nervous beforehand as I only got a call to say the shoot was on at 1am the night before and it was happening a couple of hours before my flight back from Buenos Aires. I managed to get some black cloth to take to the location and I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted. I’d been warned that he may just walk out after one photo, but after I had a asked him in my pigeon Spanish to show me the hand of god I think he relaxed and thought the whole thing quite funny coming from an English guy. I ended up shooting about five films and getting about 10 minutes, which was far more than I expected.
How do you get ready for a shoot?
When I’m preparing for a portrait I like to look at loads of previous shoots the subject has done. For a number of reasons – not wanting to repeat a pose or a look, and looking to see what the benchmark is. My aim is always to try and get the end shot to be as good as, if not better, than what has gone before.
I think this approach worked with Maradona. That and the fact I got to stop shooting when I was done rather than him just getting up and strolling off!
The important thing for me is that when you start shooting you are in control of as many aspects as possible while at the same time developing a personal connection so the subject is happy with what is going on. If someone is not comfortable it can really show in portraiture and I think a rapport is vital for a better picture.
What do you like about being freelance?
I think one of the most rewarding, yet sometimes daunting, things about being a freelance photographer is that I never really know what I could be doing from one month to the next. I like the variety of people, scenes and the non day-to-day aspect of it all. It’s always a real experience meeting a subject – the pre-shoot nerves about how will the shoot go, what will they be like etc.
On a personal level I love walking around a city, and with a camera I think you tend to notice much more. Over the last three to four years I have prioritised projects that I really want to do and have been able to work on a number of books and magazines as both a photo editor and photographer.
Which photographers do you admire?
Photography is such a wide medium: so many differing styles, genres and approaches. It’s hard to pinpoint favourites but there are three whose work really shines out for me.
First, the photographer who really opened my eyes is Alex Webb. His book, Under a Grudging Sun: Photographs from Haiti Libere, was one of the most shocking yet beautiful collections of photographs I had seen. I remember being about 15 when I got the book and although I have never followed in this path, subject wise, I do try and improve the way I use the frame because of his work. Webb’s way of shooting in half light is incredibly effective in street photography and the way he shoots colour means the images burst off the page, visually and emotionally.
In terms of contemporary portrait photography, I really admire Mathias Braschler and Monika Fischer whose 2003 book About Americans is one of the finest collections you’ll find. They work as a team and treat each subject as a new project – for me their use of lighting, composition and the given location make them among the very best.
What projects do you have on the horizon?
I am really keen to push my portrait work to higher levels and approach a wider range of subjects. I’ve shot a lot of sport and music portraits, so I’m trying to work outside of these fields.
I’m also working on a personal project right now – a book celebrating the street art of London. It’s also a good reason to walk the dog and see the city. The transient nature of the art being there one day, gone the next really interests me and I hope to do more books on other cities.
To see more of Andy Cantillon’s work, visit his website.
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