Lynn S.K.

Hello Lynn, tell us a little about your background.

My name is Lynn S.K., SK being an acronym for my real name. I live in Paris, I'm 22. I graduated in cinema at La Sorbonne but I don't know if that's really interesting, actually. I don't really know how to define my artistic situation Ð except for the fact I probably belong to "alternative photography", somewhere between theoretical accuracy and rock'n'roll.

What/who inspires you ? What would you say are your major influences ?

First, models are an inspiration. Actually, they are not really models, because I generally shoot people I know, friends. I get my inspiration from that reality : how they live thru time and space, their faces, tattoos or clothes. I want to give a purer meaning to their reality. We are not really misfits, the 70's are over, and we live quite comfortably, with hot water and all that stuff. But we all belong to different subcultures - some of them being quite difficult to define - that keep "decadence spirit" alive. I want to shoot this kind of people. Even if I tell them how to dress or behave on the picture, I'm looking for their truth. A pretty dress is less important than the person wearing it - I need her to be the expression of something, to carry her own universe. My artistic inspirations are mainly cinematographic. Do I need to talk about David Lynch ? I love the way he creates dynamic atmospheres, his taste for textures, lights, and everything inanimate. I also want to tell about a French director, Georges Franju, because he's been sadly forgotten. His own definition of "insolite" - a French word meaning "weirdness", more or less - is obsessing me. Some have defined his movies as "fantastic realism", that's what I seek. I wrote an analysis of his work, "The abnormal of normality", that title tells a lot about the way I work and feel. Concerning photographers, I often like feminine work - Francesca Woodman, Sally Mann, Sarah Moon...

How would you describe your photos for someone who's never seen them ?

I would depict them as part of a universe which is sometimes dreamy, poetic, and sometimes strongly set into "everyday life". They will show you pretty girls with torn tights and red lipstick, strange lights and saturated colours, but also objects from your daily life... but not in the "right" place. Nothing really conceptual - I don't despise the taste for "beauty" (which is not the same as taste for "cuteness"), so I think my work is accessible to anyone.

Have you got any standard or paragon in the world of art ? If so, which are they ?

I don't think I have any. I've sometimes been assistant photographer, but I can't follow anyone's footsteps. Because I'm always looking for my own truth, and probably because I'm so full of contradictionsÉ I hope this will last, even if being out of "standards' generally doesn't help to achieve commercial success !

Before you put your work "out there", do you have it critiqued by someone else, or do you just go with what your heart tells you is right ?

I just follow my intuitions. Sometimes I ask people their advice, but I generally come back to my first intuitions. Different people have different opinions about the same picture : some tell me it's too saturated, some tell me it's not saturated enoughÉ I only can trust my own feelings. Well, sometimes I'm unsure about a small detail and I ask someone, but the overall movement of my work follows my intuition. I wouldn't be able to create without it.

What are your favorite types of projects to work on ?

As I said before, I prefer shooting people I know rather than professional models. So my favourite kind of project is : spending a sunny day in a cool inspirational place, explore it, get surprised, and have fun with the person I shoot... The beauty of photography lays in the unpredictability of some factors. The light, the momentÉ You never know what you'll get in the end.

What's the strangest request you've had ?

It was three years ago. I was taking pictures on the Champs Elysees, just for fun, actually I was back from shopping. Then a German who had come for some kind of football match bought me a cappuccino and asked if i could take pictures of him in bondage. He told me he'd pay for that... I grabbed the money and ran away. Fast.

What makes you happy ?

Feeling some kind of inner "vibration" when I create something ; watching a movie and feel like it has been shot just for me, listening to music in the street and feel like it has been recorded just for that moment. Almost anything about creation and its reception can make me happy. The simple thought of well-done work, of valuable work. Very simple things make me happy too : watching my man as he sleeps ; the light Ð a sunray wakes me up in a second, but I can be in a very bad mood if the sky is grey-whiteÉ But as soon as the light gets warmer, I feel like I'm shining too...

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