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| Photo: Louise Parker on the metro heading home after the Saint Laurent show. [Source] |
She was ultra chic on the runways of Chanel, Saint Laurent and Dior as well as wonderful with a wink on the cover of i-D Magazine, but don't mistake her model-off-duty cool-ness or her ability to transform any runway look into literally the best thing ever for the same surface appeal of many famous ladies labeled "It girls". She's talented, remember? And really smart, too. The Bard graduate has documented her past two years in the industry on a point and shoot camera, giving us an authentic insight into the life of a model. "I'm one of the girls, I'm one of the models, I'm really telling our story. I can relate to the models; I can understand where they're coming from." Louise told Isabel Wilkinson for New York Magazine. Louise's photographs share private moments with unique sensitivity and unexpected beauty, because unlike many of her counterparts, she never forgets the object of the photograph: her friends! With her smarts for camera-clicking, Louise Parker has gained world wide recognition-- only this time as someone other than the girl on the runway.
Editor's Note: Sitting across from Louise on a Monday afternoon in an 18th street cafe in Chelsea, I decided two things were true: Louise is absolutely brilliant and I'm almost positive she's a fairy.
TAYLOR: Thanks for doing this, I know you're crazy busy. What does your schedule look like these days?
LOUISE: No problem! Well, luckily I get to go home on Sunday so I have quite a bit of time off for the holidays. I'm from Minnesota, so I'm going home for the week and then I'm going on vacation with my family for New Years. This week actually I don't have much going on, I was going to travel to L.A. on Wednesday, but I decided not to. I have a lot of holiday shopping to do! In terms of work, it's just last minute castings and stuff.
How did you get into modeling?
I got into modeling when I was eighteen. I went to school in Upstate New York, but I was in Brooklyn for the weekend. While I was there, I got scouted and ended up working with a couple different photographers. But, I waited until after I graduated college to sign with an agency and model full time. So, I really started two and a half years ago.
Did you feel weird posing in front of the camera at first? I sometimes feel weird when people take my picture, not everyone knows my angles. [Laughs]
Yeah, I mean the first few times it was definitely a strange experience. [Laughs] But, you know, I kind of got over it after the first time. I was really lucky I worked with really great photographers the first few times I modeled. That always helps, they made me feel comfortable.
Do you get nervous before shows, shoots or castings? I get nervous for everything, like, especially before I interview someone.
Sometimes I'll get nervous before a casting, only if I know it's super important. But that's the worst thing you could do before a casting, is to get nervous.
How do you deal with the nerves?
I just try to snap myself out of it, I try to be confident and hope it works!
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| Photo: Models backstage during the Dior casting photographed by Louise Parker. [Source] |
I feel that way all time time.
Good! It's not just me.
Yeah, it can really be frustrating. [Laughs] You don't have that much control over what's happening, so sometimes it's like "Well, is this the last job I'm going to do?" I know it's not, but you always feel like that!
How do you deal with that sort of thing? One minute being booked for a ton of shows and then feeling like "Ok, well, what's next?".
I try to keep myself busy with other stuff, which is why photography is a good thing for me. Also, I just joined a gym. [Laughs]
[Laughs]
I'm hoping that will fill my time. But, yeah, it's just about staying motivated and filling your time with other hobbies that you have.
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| Photo: Malaika Firth photographed by Louise Parker. [Source] |
“It's really exciting just hearing different people's stories and seeing how they work, what their visions are.”
Do you find that the reality of modeling isn't as glamourous as it appears to someone who isn't a model?
Definitely. I think that's a huge part of it, that some people don't understand it's really hard work. It's kind of like with anything, unless you're at the top, top level -- which you know only a couple girls make it there -- then it's a hustle. You gotta run around, you gotta meet people. Sometimes you end up doing jobs that you might not necessarily want to do. Like, standing outside in the middle of January in your underwear [Laughs] or being in a fur coat in the middle of summer. Yeah, it's a lot harder than most people think it is.
What's the best part about being a model?
Well, I think one of the best parts is that you get to work with different people. Like, pretty much every job I do, it's always a different team of people. It's really exciting just hearing different people's stories and seeing how they work, what their visions are. It could be really inspiring. Also, traveling. It's a huge bonus!
Do you ever get to keep any of the clothes?
People always ask that! Yeah, sometimes we do get to keep some of the clothes. But, usually it's stuff that you couldn't really wear…
Like [French accent] "haute couture"?
[Laughs] Yeah, or sometimes when the designer is new and doesn't have a lot of money, you get paid in clothes. That can be fun but it's also like...
Yeah.
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| Photo: Backtage at Chanel photographed by Louise Parker. [Source] |
Well, I actually went to college for photography, so that kind of came before modeling. I really became interested in photography in high school when I worked for the student newspaper. I was one of the photo journalists!
What made you decide you wanted to photograph your friends backstage at shows?
I kind of always knew that if I got into modeling, I'd have to keep up with my photography. I knew it would be a cool thing to do, to start documenting this whole new world and experience. It kind of started right away, but it took me a little while to figure out how I wanted to photograph it. You know, what I wanted to show.
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| Photo: Models photographed by Louise Parker. [Source] |
“I'm much more sensitive to how the girls feel, how they act, when they're not in the mood to be photographed.”
Has being photographed all the time changed the way you approach photographing other people?
Yes, I think so. Definitely in terms of photographing my friends at shows and stuff. I know that sometimes you don't want a camera shoved in your face early in the morning. I think I'm much more sensitive to how the girls feel, how they act, when they're not in the mood to be photographed.
Who were your influences when you started, who are they now, and how has that changed?
I guess when I started modeling, before I started the behind-the-scenes kind of photos, I was really interested in photographers from the 70s.
Oh my God, such a great era. I'm going through a 70s phase right now!
Yes! We call the photographers from that time the New Topographics. There's Lewis Baltz, Robert Adams and Stephen Shore. Those were kind of my all time favorites. Once I started doing this project, I started looking more at self portrait work by Cindy Sherman, Claude Cahun and Nan Goldin. Just more documentary stuff, also Larry Fink. I still love all those photographers, but there was definitely a shift in focus.
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| Photo: Backstage at Dior photographed by Louise Parker. [Source] |
I used to use a Contax T2, which uses 35mm film. But, recently I bought a Fuji X100, which is a digital camera. I've been using that a lot more recently.
Since the film is limited, how do you decide which moments to capture on your camera?
I think it actually helps me and my process!
Really? I got a polaroid a few years ago and not having a lot of film stresses me out.
I find that now with my digital camera I'm taking too many photos. When you know that you only have a certain amount of frames, it's a really great way to limit yourself. It also makes you wait for the moment, and I'm trying to train myself to do that with my digital camera.
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| Photo: Cindy Bruna with other models at a casting photographed by Louise Parker. [Source] |
“No matter what you're doing, you have to believe in it yourself. If you don't, no one else is going to.”
What has been the most memorable experience in your career?
I think maybe walking my first big runway show, which was Saint Laurent. I'd walked for a couple designers in New York, but that was like my first big show. That was two and a half years ago.
What was the casting for that like?
Well, I had to fly to Paris and meet with the designer, Hedi Slimane. I went there knowing that I could either stay for three weeks or fly home the same day, depending on how the casting went.
Oh, that's nice, no pressure!
[Laughs] I actually wasn't too nervous for that one, I don't know why. Maybe because it was all so new to me. I was kind of just like "Well if this doesn't work out, it's fine, I could do something else." But, it was definitely… weird? [Laughs]
What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
Oh my God.
Yeah, you could think about that for a little.
Um ok, so this is so generic and basic, but just being confident. No matter what you're doing, you have to believe in it yourself. If you don't, no one else is going to.
That's great advice, I think everyone needs to hear that.
Yeah, I just think it's important that if you give off confident energy, people will see that and be attracted to that and in turn believe in you. You have to believe in yourself, you have to go after what you want, because if you don't then no one will.