Interview
part – seeing all the women at the launch saying really nice things and sharing stories about how they had kept the campaign secret until the commercial came out. Two of the women we photographed that were pregnant have now had their babies, so it’s nice to think how these images are going to immortalise that moment for them. More than anything, I hope
it’s special for the women. As a storyteller, artist and
photographer, are you always going to want to do more or think back to what you would change if you could do it again? Of course – I’d love to spend a week with all of the women individually and photograph a day in their life, completely naturally. It can be hard when you have a whole crew around you, which it was on the day. Q. Where will the campaign go next? A. Continued conversation is important. I’ve asked everyone involved so many times, ‘What’s the feedback from the images?’ From the world, social media, the women themselves. I want to stay involved because we might realise in a year’s time the campaign hasn’t worked – and in that case, we need to look into why. If this approach wasn’t the right one, what do we need to adapt? A continual conversation led by the very people who the images and campaign are targeted at is the most important thing. Q. What’s the role of a photographer in a time when most ordinary people can make photographs very easily? A. It’s about a story. I probably spend approximately 2% of my time with a camera in my hand, and the rest is about designing a story. What are the messages that we want to come from this? How could we do this stylistically? Sometimes, it’s technical conversations about lenses and lighting, but most of the time these are emotional conversations – about the journey or purpose of the groups we want to connect with.
the subject is at ease, which means I can’t stress if something’s not working with the lighting. My main focus is not losing the trust or energy that my subject is giving me. I’d rather change the angle than keep trying to finesse it to get it right because we don’t always have the luxury of time, and that stress can rub off on the subject. Q. How about post-processing? A. I like to get it right in-camera as much as possible on the day. For We Like the Way You Move, I didn’t want the images to look overly retouched because the campaign needs to feel real and relatable. Heavy retouching would go against the objective of what the images are about. Q. How do you feel about the finished photographs now? A. I really like them. It was amazing to see the images out in the wild – the feeling you get when you see your images driving past on a bus for everyone to see across the UK is incredibly special. What sticks with me the most is the feedback from everyone that took
Madeleine. She’s the one I actually remember from the shoot because she was so nice to me. She made me laugh and we just had a good time.‘ For me, that’s the best feedback ever. I don’t want them to think of me as the one with the big set-up who’s telling them what to do. That was important to the approach, but also to have that much power and quality inside a little compact camera is amazing. And I just love the way the colours look on Fujifilm because it looks real. Real skin tones; real light. Q. What was your approach to the lighting? A. I worked with the natural light. I did bring lighting, but it was to add to what was already there. I wanted to keep it natural because they’re all natural environments and settings. But I do want it to have a nice look to it – so no harsh or unflattering shadows. It’s about bringing out the best of what’s already there. In this instance, we didn’t have loads of time to light or do tests. But my number one thing is making sure
FUJIFILM Focus Magazine 17
January/February 2026
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