Conductor of Light - Interview with Errikos Andreou

When I first met Errikos he was sitting at his desk surrounded by his computers. He was having countless images and books around him anywhere you could see. A darkish room, filled with bookshelves and an artsy breath into it that made you feel that this is a place that can alone stand as an fashion background.

You know,when you get to a studio and expect that weird feeling of being a stranger among people who know each other, Errikos is going to be the one making you feel as a long time friend.It is one unusual feeling that you get when you get to talk with him like you know him for years, he instantly becomes a friend of yours and passes all his positivity into your space.

By the minute he enters a room, that space is instantly filled with laughter and fun. And in fashion this is the best way to get a great result in everything! Natural excitement to share your passion with others.

Errikos is a Greek photographer. He started his career in France , then moved back to Greece and finally ended up in India doing wonders with his covers. His openness is, perhaps, at the root of his chameleon-like ability to move through different societies with ease.

His work has been on covers for Vogue, Elle, GQ, Bazaar, L'Officiel, Grazia and some of the biggest magazines in any country he is based on. Anyone who knows him can reassure you that he is a child in the body of a grown up and he has a creative mind that many in the industry would envy.

For me Errikos is one of those photographers who has managed to cross the line from commercial mainstream to the world of pure art without a sweat. And the result is just amazing from the first picture to the last.

Web page: Errikos Andreou Facebook: Errikos Andreou Photography

 All images and materials are copyright protected and are the property of Mr. Errikos Andreou 

Interview by: Apostolos Hatzimeletiou


Hi Errikos, were you born with a camera in your hand or did it take you some time to find the hunger for photography?

My father having been an amateur photographer and artist himself did a lot to awaken any hidden talents a child might have. He presented me with my first camera at the age of 3, an Agfamatic 1008 that would take cassette films and disposable flashbulbs.

Later around the age of 15-16 he gave me his vintage Canon EX camera and he thought me about developing film and processing in a dark room. I also did various seminars on b&w art photography, but during all that time photography was nothing more than a hobby.

I was very interested in fashion and wanted to follow a career as a designer (which is what I studied). What attracted me in the idea of working as a photographer was the beautiful images of other photographers and the idea of creating this entirely new universe and make it as beautiful or as dark as you wanted.

The love for the medium itself came when I started working and I was trying to learn more about the technical aspects. Photography is a very long journey. You learn something new every day, you discover something about the medium or about yourself every day. It keeps you hungry!

It’s interesting to note that although you're from Greece, your work has mainly started in France and now you are based in India. Was there something specific that drew you to Asia?

Asia was new! Nothing I had seen or experienced before. New people, new opportunities, new life! Sometimes I feel I am running away from things. I go to to a new place, I settle down, I create a home, a circle and a reputation and then I am off again to somewhere new. Asia is also massive. There are plenty of places to discover and lives to re-invent.

Did your time in France had an impact on you and your work? What do you remember the most in your journey there?

It was a wonderful period. I deeply love France, I love Paris and the French people. They are very big Grecophiles and I felt right in place. When I left to go there I had been working only for about a year as a photographer in Greece. I didn't know much about what I was doing or who I was as a photographer.

My friend Jeni Rose director of IMG Models in Paris was a huge support in the beginning of my career there. I was shooting for models’ books and I was very soon drowning in work. I was producing an incredible amount of images without any thought or hesitation. That process on its own helped me discover more and more about my photographic narrative and the context of my work.

Paris is the perfect surrounding for a fashion photo and the models one can find there I believe them to be the most diverse and any other fashion capital, at least during that time. Models of the moment were Andrej Peji?, Lea T, Rick Genest and Saskia de Brauw. However set in its classicism Paris may be, there is always an unbeatable modernity. Which is what attracted me the most there.

What did chance in your vision as a photographer in the multicolour portrait of India?

Not much in my vision. I still photograph the same way and I always did. However here, there are social and cultural rules that prevail here maybe more than anywhere else in the world. The idea of what is beautiful, or tasteful, what is sexy or modern, all gets filtered through the history and culture of this country which is very conservative in terms of family, morality and social appearance.

There is a great interest in everything modern and western, including people from the west, but it is thoroughly filtered though Indian traditions. The work produced is predominantly if not solely for the Indian audiences. That creates certain restrictions that you have to learn to work with when you are an artist.

Your experience brought you from fashion & styling, to model scouting and you ended up taking pictures with a distinct sense of all these elements in your work. You love colours in your pictures, you are drawn by amazing hair work, you know when to click and what to shoot, and you know how to use the best out of your models. It's like a whole group of people combined in one. Do you feel the same?

Do you remember that scene from “The Devil Wears Prada” where the character of Meryl Streep, Miranda Pristley talks about the cerulean tone of the color blue, how it was used by influential designers, and then showcased by magazines and then translated down to all levels of the market…

Fashion is quite complicated like that. There are rules and sub-rules that are labyrinthal and an all-round knowledge of what is going on now and of fashion history is fundamental, not only for a photographer but for anyone who wants to work in fashion.

As a fashion photographer, the biggest struggle is to identify your work. Who is is your “woman” or your “man”. That comes from your background, you taste, your personality and of course by your knowledge of fashion and photography and that vision is essential.

A fashion photograph however is is the collective work of everyone involved, not a "one-person-project”. As a photographer you should also have the role of the conductor (how much of what) if you want to respect that identity you are trying to create or sustain.

Very often I feel very strongly about the hair or the make up or the styling as an effort to stay true to this but when you work with new people all the time, it is difficult to defend that position and it feels like a confrontation sometimes which you don’t always win. So creating a team that shares the same vision is very important. Also, despite the difficult state of the world market today, I figured that editing out clients is another way to go.

You prefer the natural light more than the studio one. It is an absolute signature of yours that in every picture on a landscape photo-shoot you will use the light as a partner in your picture. And usually it's like you are presenting it as a co-star with the model you shoot. How long did it take you to understand the growing influence that natural light will have in your work?

I love the natural light - or ambient light if you will. When I was starting my photography I was thinking: “I would have better results if I had a better camera, if I had a better lense, if I had better lights”. Then it dawned on me that I cannot wait for all that, so what do I have available.

I was in Greece at the time which has some of the best sun light on the planet. So I made a point to figure out how light works. What results you have at 5am, at noon, at 2pm, at 7am etc. It also means traveling lighter. No photo lights, no cables, no generators and fewer assistants.

Even today when I bring all of that for “safety” reasons, I never combine natural and studio lights together. I just don’t like the result. I do however love to work in a studio as well. The effect it gives you is totally different.

Do you read any Photoshop related books/articles or watch any on-line tutorials?

Yes I did and I still do! As a self taught photographer-retoucher, I had to figure it out somehow.

I know that your photographic style ,not your ''working'' glam style, has a more darker core than the shiny fashion one. What drives you to become darker on your personal project?

Being myself! I am not a shiny, glam fashion person at all. I view the world and life with a certain darkness and inevitability. I chose to do fashion photography, because I cannot stand reality. It depresses me. I need beauty, but I cannot escape what is in my head either.

A very dear friend of mine Predrag Pejdic, a photographer and artist himself, taught me the importance of always having a personal project on the works. Something completely separate from my commercial work. And he was right! It fulfills me in ways my commercial and editorial photography never could because I approach it with no restrictions. I say exactly what I want to say, which I guess is somewhat dark.I have been working on a personal project for years now. It feels complete, but I have to put it in paper which is a whole new procedure I have to figure out!

What was your scariest moment as a photographer?
No scary moments! I have been the happiest I had even been doing this job. It is all I imagined and more. There are every day moments, when you deal with money and security (or lack thereof), or work logistics that are difficult, but that comes with every profession. Before starting this job, I thought how beautiful it would be to be a photographer, and it is!

You worked with Vogue, Elle, GQ, Bazaar, L'Officiel, Grazia & you had quite a big amount of supermodels around the globe sitting in front of your lense, fashion icons created unique images with you. What is the next piece of success you want to put on your path?

I have been doing photography since 2009. I am entering my 8th year. I feel I have just begun. I am learning every day and I am discovering things every day. I would love to go as far as life allows me to go and as far as this job allows me to go.

I would like to do more personal projects, travel more and live in more places, maybe publish some books, a magazine one day. Work with creative people and do beautiful things.

Several photographers complain about the downfall of fashion photography, because they think that it lacks originality and freedom. What is your stance on the subject?

There is no downfall of fashion photography. Quite the contrary, there is an explosion of it. Maybe a lot of people feel it has become too congested, which may be true, but on the other hand there are more magazines than ever, more blogs and websites to give a voice to many, many people…

Magazines, printed or digital are businesses that have to make money to survive so yes, a photographer might have to compromise, but any artist who believes that he or she cannot be creative or original because of some third factor, especially today with all this exposure on social media, they better stop working and do something else. There are kids on Instagram that prove both counts to be wrong, so stop complaining!