Soft gazes, warm atmospheres and plenty of light, this is Guen Fiore.

There is a magic that happens when you see a photograph by Guen Fiore, something that touches you deeply and remains in your memory. Let yourself scroll through her works while you read how she makes this moment possible!

Interview by Francisca Ceballos

Photography : @guenfiore

There is so much fragility in your pictures. Your characters, seem to be showing a deeper part of themselves… What moves you to showcase the human being from this point of view?

I am just very inspired by people and the reality that surrounds them. I believe that through gestures and gazes, people reveal their humanity and personality. Nowadays, –apart from reportage or social photography– people tend to judge the subject of a photograph only on an aesthetic basis, especially if it’s a young woman.

The reason why I think this is happening, is that the mainstream for a long time has impoverished the concept of women's beauty. I like to think that I can bring back a hint of honesty in my work, proposing photographies empowered just by the person and the atmosphere that they depict.

What is the report with your models, how do you conduct a shooting?

It depends because with everyone is different. With some models, we really support each other, and this kind of relationship exists also when the shooting ends. Those are the kind of subjects that I tend to photograph more often, especially for personal projects. With other models, we just work together without never staying in touch after the shooting.

I don’t usually like to direct them too much. I like to create the right situation and then just see what happens. If I see something interesting I tend to give some directions. I like the idea of finding the right way to photograph the subject together with him.

What is the difference you put between personal portraits and magazine editorials, how do you approach each of them?

I think that the only big difference between these two is that when you have a commission you shoot for someone else. The approach is probably always the same but of course, if you are working for a client you have to keep his needs in mind. When I work on a commissioned project I have much less freedom. Most of the time I don’t get to decide anything before and I just do my best with what I have at that moment. Sometimes you can plan something in advance but quite often you just have to improvise.

 When I work on a personal project I feel the full responsibility of the success of the shooting, but at the same time, I don’t have to please anyone else.

Where do your aesthetic references come from?

I am inspired by other photographers. Big masters of the past like Vivian Maier, Alfred Wertheimer, and Robert Frank. Annie Leibovitz is one of my favorites, especially her earlier work. I’m also very influenced by younger photographers like Jamie Hawkesworth or Colin Dodgson, there are many of them!

Also, movies are a big reference of mine, especially for colors and atmospheres. I really like Sofia Coppola and Woody Allen.

You are Italian but you live in the UK, how do these countries have influenced your work?

I’m not able to say from my point of view how London influenced my work, but I can say that living in London gave me the motivation I needed for a “rebirth”.

In Italy, I was living in Rome where I was studying engineering, and where the photographic panorama has never excited me that much. I knew that if I wanted to give photography a chance I needed to move somewhere else. There was not a specific reason that brought me to London instead of Milan or Paris, I just felt that the photographic community here was closer to what I wanted to be.

London was the best place for me to start, there are so many talented people willing to collaborate and so many interesting faces to photograph. Everything was new for me, I founded every subject so beautiful and exotic. It was just the right place to be, I feel very inspired by this city.

How do you prepare the Mis-en-Scene for your shootings?

I usually try to develop a general idea or storyline and put everything together on a mood board. Then I show it at first to the stylist, who usually contributes and do some adjustments and proposals. We then, pick together the model and the rest of the team. It’s a very standard procedure.

 The topic of fraternity is also very constant in your images, do you intend to convey a message?

Not really, I just like the interaction between subjects. That’s why I tend to prefer to photograph subjects together, I feel I have much more freedom in terms of posing and storytelling. 

Tell me about your relation to the global climate strike... Have you done any projects related to this issue?

I have not and I am not planning to work on any project related to the global climate at the moment. It is, of course, a matter that concerns all of us and it is definitely a good thing bringing attention to the problem. I am sure any of us can do a lot in their private and everyday life to contribute. I am trying to adopt small little changes as well.

Future collaborations or projects that make you excited?

I would really like to work on my very first documentary project in the near future in Romania. I have had it in mind for a very long time and I should start to figure out how to do it. I am also working on two fashion stories with two different stylists that I admire a lot, and I am also joining an agency soon! So I hope next year will be full of new experiences!