Christopher Michael: "If I've got a style, it's that I have no style," the sum of your style in your own words...it couldn't have been said better. If you've yet to be limited by any particular branding, what then do you think is the constant in your work that brings forth the Advertising clients and magazines alike knocking at your door?

Sølve Sundsbø: I hope it's a level of sophistication and quality. It's hard to analyze your own work, but I think the constant for me is that the work shows my curiosity and respect for the people I photograph.

CM: You've referenced the incredible amount of dedication that is exchanged during a working relationship between the 'teacher' and his assistant when talking about your time with Nick Knight...Have you run into a similar relationship with one of your own assistants which feels comparable to that?

SS: I have been very lucky to have had incredibly dedicated assistants, and I couldn't pick one specifically. There is no guarantee, unfortunately, that if you are a good assistant you will make a good photographer. Nick has been a persistently good teacher for his assistants over the years, and I hope that I can bring those lessons to my assistants as well.

Rie Rasmussen: We have one of the world's most iconic photographers, 2 decades of being on top in the fashion industry... if you think about the idea that you have worked for so many years and been considered relevant in magazines and advertising alike, what does that make you think about yourself ?
Patrick Demarchelier: I don't think about myself, no.. The way I work, I like a challenge every day, I like to renew myself all the time. I change things all the time, and change the picture and the way I work and that's why I think it is that I've worked well for so long.

Rie: Who was the greatest influence for you in the beginning?
Patrick: I think the very classic photographers, Richard Avedon or Irving Penn, I love Jeanloup-Sieff... and I love Robert Frank but he does more of like a reportage... but I like a lot of photographers, I really appreciate art and good work in general. Any photographer if their work is really beautiful, I like it.

Rie: It seems to me that even though you experiment a lot, you've stayed current because your work has a timeless quality, something you can't put age on... even looking at your work from the 80's and 90's, I could look at it and say it's an editorial from a year ago or today...
Patrick: It's the way you are inside, the way you like things, you project yourself... I like the shape, I like human beings in general, I like everybody, old people, young people, I like men, women...I like to project people... Photography is about what you like, I try to do different pictures but also, like some pictures from the book, they are just a very simple picture... I love dancing, I love ballet, I love music so I like musicians also. I like everything.

Rie: So it would seem that maybe you are a good photographer because you have such a love for life... Have you ever thought while you were in a moment photographing something, "This is the moment of female sexuality, empowerment, sensuality"?
Patrick: Not really because sensuality is everywhere, it's a moment, it's the eyes, it's a look, it's the spirit.. it's not really a 'thing'.. Sometimes I feel as though I shoot too much fashion, I'd like to do more people and more interesting people... with models and actors it's basically the same to me, they're both interesting... I like to shoot artists also.

Rie: You shot a lot in the 90's as well and worked with the "Real Supermodels"... How do you find that time differs from how things are now?
Patrick: At the time the magazines used them more for the covers, and the time was different the girls were more like a woman than model. Claudia Schiffer, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford... these girls weren't really model type girls they were more like a personality, interesting people. Also at the time Vogue used them for the cover more, now it's more actresses.. they don't want the girls to be stars too much, like we used to do you know... The market now is more and more young girls, they walk well but they pass quick too. New girls every year, they push people out more. If you see the ads, there are a lot of the older girls doing the ads now..

Rie: And how did you feel about switching to Digital?
Patrick: I don't mind digital, it's interesting, it changed everything and it's the new way to work. In one way it's more easy, you can do the picture twice, control the color more, everything. Film was more private, I still shoot film sometimes for private pictures.

Rie: And you have a book signing tonight for your new book...
Patrick: Yes it's the Petit Palais from the Paris exhibition, it's a year late but it's finally coming out. Mostly it's sold in Paris. (The title is "Patrick Demarchelier images et mode au Petit Palais")

Rie: Great, we are all looking forward to it, more iconic Demarchelier! One more question, you and your wife created a new generation photographer in your son... do you see yourself in your son?
Patrick: No, he's developed his own style, he's a very good photographer, very arty and I can see he has his own style so that's very good. He learned from me but he's worked on his own, his own style, he's very good...

 Christopher Michael: Your first camera was bought for you at age 8, my initial thought was what signs could you have possibly shown at such a young age for your parents to have bought you a camera but something tells me that it was more likely you who came out and asked for one, am I right? What sort of mental process occurred in your mind as a young boy that brought you to wanting a camera?
Miguel Reveriego: I did ask. It was my first communion, in Spain you turn 8 and they dress you like a priest. Since I was very young I have been obsessed with pictures and models. I still remember those Revlon ads with all the big girls, the supermodels. I was very into the movies as well - so I didn't really know if I was asking for the right camera or just more something to look through. I wanted to look through my own new world, my own movie. I was quite shy when I was little and I had to find my own way of surviving that moment and that's what happened. It was pure infatuation to be honest, with pictures of models... I'm not sure if I was so conscious at that age of what I wanted to be or if I was just trying to be those personalities, just having a camera for me was that instrument 'they had' that I wanted to have, because I wanted to be like the movie directors or the photographers more than being self conscious at 8 of what I wanted to do. It was more of a fascination with the whole spectrum of personalities and energy they created.

CM: Well said... Amidst the surge of relevant new names in fashion today, your name comes along with a noticeable brand... 9 times out of 10 I'll recognize your work before reading the credits, whereas I think that some of your contemporaries although very talented, may be a tad more 'in the process' of developing their trademarks still... How did yours come to be developed? Or is it more so the way you've always made your images from the beginning?
MR: I think at the very beginning I didn't really know where I wanted to go. I thought that the only way to do something personal was to be true to myself and follow my gut instincts.... I always take the photograph that I like, it is the woman that I like, the hair that I like, the type of energy that I like, just because it's what I like. I explored that world, rather than trying to do different things or having a brand... its actually letting myself go. My agent Camilla told me in the very beginning, just do what you do, follow your roots, follow your passion and follow what you've been surrounded by your whole life and it made sense because it was really easy for me to just do what I was... Kind of natural, not contrived.

 CM: It's said to be the secret of success, only by being different are we able to be indispensable. Camilla gives good advice! During a period that can only be explained as 'cross generational' both photographers and editors are having a chance to work with their heroes so to speak and the now iconic generations seem to be enjoying the dabbling into of the new community kids... Is there any particular editor or stylist that you would love to work with and have not just yet?
MR: There are a few of them, if I had to say just one, I would love to be on set with Grace Coddington. You know what I appreciate, I've worked with very few but very particular editors in my career. I chose to do it that way because I thought that it was very important rather than just doing fashion pictures, doing something that was more of a collaboration and working with people whose point of view I really respected, rather than just working with anyone. When you look at her work, you always see it goes beyond the dress, beyond the lip, it goes beyond everything, it is a "whole". Like the editors I'm working with now, they go beyond the outfit, they are actually interested in creating an image and they spend their days thinking about and working on it and they follow the process from beginning to end. Even when you finish on set they keep going with you and I think that is really great when you collaborate with people. I have not had the pleasure of meeting Grace yet but when you view her work it seems that this is the way she works as well, and it's amazing..

CM: Indeed, she's a personal favorite of mine as well... London, the eternal magnet for creative minds also nabbed you early on in your development... how was it that you started working with Mert & Marcus at that time?
MR: That was the reason I went to London. I was in Madrid, already assisting fashion photographers. I followed the magazine The Face a little bit but it wasn't really my time...but then POP magazine came out, I still remember not as much of the first cover they did but the second cover with Solve and Lucas, this Argentinean guy, I still remember exactly the black background and yellow logo. Then M&M became the stars in POP, it sounds really silly but I used to literally take the magazine and "lick" every one of M&M's pictures because they were so amazing. They used to shoot in Metro Studios so I said to myself "I'm going to go there and ask for a job, I would love to work with them". It was very difficult because I obviously didn't speak fluent English but after trying several times, going there over and over again, I got the job. I met their first assistant at the moment and through her, I got an interview with them. At that time they have just bought their house in Ibiza and they were looking for someone who could speak Spanish and it happened. It was amazing, an incredible experience... the whole thing. If I were to attribute anything to that period, it would be how clear the concept of the woman was, I really discovered that it was about a woman, it wasn't about a shoe.. it was about a shoe on a woman, it was a dress on a woman, it was hair on a woman, and it was a particular woman that was wearing those clothes.. and I think that inspired that whole brand that you mentioned before.. because they used to always shoot the same style of woman, it didn't matter if she was in couture or a pair of sneakers...it was always like that, every shoot with them was so inspiring that there were moments where you were holding the light and you couldn't even react to what they were asking because you were in this kind of trance and couldn't believe that that was happening..

CM: Recently you've been added to the growing list of new additions to the Bazaar US roster, the magazine has an incredible history of collaborations from the Warhol illustrated days, to Avedon & Lindbergh etc... Do you think that there is definitely a new wave going on at the house of American Harper's as well or do you see it as a natural turn over / update that perhaps has occurred since the magazine's conception?
MR: I would like to think that is the organic way, it has to be normal at some point. There are absolutely amazing photographers out there who have been doing amazing images for 30 years and it¹s great that they are still there and have longevity in inspiring the world with their work. But at the same time I think that there are a lot of new talent that have a lot to say, that also have a lot of ideas to express in a very complicated moment in the industry. I am finding it very refreshing as Harper's is one of the biggest magazines in the world with a super talented team, from Glenda to Zoe and all the Photo Team, they all really want to do something... they fight for what they believe in. It is more challenging to shoot for a magazine with a bigger audience than if you were pitching a creative idea to a more independent magazine like a Dazed or an i-D.

 CM: You are not the first person to mention the Photo Dept over there, they often get referred to in the way you just have which is a rare occurrence, I find in general at publications they are usually very behind the scenes..this team must be quite incredible... In the days where Fashion is under constant scrutiny for its negative effects on the self image of people both young and old, its positive influences are something that clearly need to be acknowledged as well, and I think that magazines are doing a great job with it and bringing more attention to the Models who are involved in various charities and such... Is there any particular world cause that has your attention right now?
MR: This is a personal subject. I do appreciate these girls doing it and talking about it because they are very much a group of public figures, and it is so important that they do bring awareness to these issues. Most of these girls, of the names you've mentioned, are some of the most inspiring women I've met in my life, Eva.. or Bridget.. For instance when I met Bridget Hall, I was scared I was going to meet the myth and be demystified by what they are in person, but it ended up being a very special moment and someone really inspiring. These girls are so strong and have been around so many things and so many situations that for them to go up there and be like 'look we also can do this, and we are also interested in helping people' and it's not all about the shoe and the clothes... it shows they are humanitarian.

CM: You've been on your own and done with assisting for about 4 years now and you are in quite a pretty place in the scheme of things... Do you think it's all happened quite quickly or does it feel like it's been years that you've been at it by now?
MR: It felt natural, I did everything when I was ready to do it, I learned from my mistakes. Sometimes life can spin too fast especially in our industry and I think it gets to a point where you have to be honest with yourself for the process to be natural. I love my work and it is a great part of my life. I am enjoying my journey.

CM: Some photographers go to the shows, others just stock them on style.com.. Some pay little to no attention... How interested do you find yourself in the runway action during the chaos of fashion week?
MR: I normally do as many shows as I can and go to Paris during fashion week for the shows and also to see a lot of friends and people from all over the world. I love going to shows for many reasons, you see what will happen the following season, new girls, old girls, how everyone is doing and what shape they are in. I also think a fashion photographer has to be involved and aware of what's going on in fashion. I chose to work in fashion so I enjoy the energy of the shows, the new collections, it is a kind of theatre... You can send me a link of a girl and the shows she did, but it's when I see her performing that I realise her potential, the way she carries herself, the way she walks, the little cheeky face, it's kind of amazing. As long as I can I will keep doing it, it's super inspiring to see the girls in action... they are all buzzing and you can see the buzz also behind the scenes and backstage. That intensity, every single person of the industry is so alive and the adrenaline is pumping...

Q: I'm not sure if I'm wrong in this fact find but it seems as though you finished up at St Martins and went straight into working at Self Service, how does one lock down such a stellar start in the business?

A: I was looking for an internship after school, I always loved the magazine. I think that was the first place I called and they told me to come in....a week after I was there working and I didn't leave..

Q: Off to a nice start you were..... After 5 years at the magazine you seemed to have undergone a sort of Big Bang theory and your works were suddenly amongst the pages of numerous publications from i-D, Another Magazine to Russian Vogue Covers, Vogue Paris stories etc...what brought on the sudden expansion?

A: I think it happend sort of naturally in a way. I mean, I became freelance and I worked for Mixte for about 6 months, and then I started working for English magazines like i-D and Another, while still working for Self service, as well as various Vogue publications. The more you do it, the more you learn, and sort of experiment in different areas, doing something that is more independent and more free creatively and more polished. To do different magazines like this helps you also to explore different sides of what you do.

Q: Definitely. As you know, the Modeling world can be a fierce jungle and in some cases even, girls decide that the fame and glory is not worth the gruesome travel schedule and endless competition the business brings forth...how would you explain it from the stylist side? Is the world equally ferocious amongst the climb that occurs in the career of an editor as well?

A: It's competitive, and I guess the more you do it maybe the more competitive it gets, but every industry is competitive in a way. Especially now with the economy I hear it has become more competitive, but I don't know. I just try, like everyone else, to do the best you can and to have fun with it as well. That's why you did it in the first place, but the more you do it the more you sometimes forget why you do it in the first place, so I think it's important to remind yourself of why you started doing it to begin with and not be too completely serious. Of course, you want to try and always push things, to bring out a certain quality in your work, pay attention to detail, but there are always going to be things you can't control! And that's what makes a great picture too, that special moment.

Q: Right now there is an incredibly unprecedented moment occurring in our business where the range of generations all working in tandem is far more diverse than before, and the new up & comers are getting the chance to share the platform with their idol's who are now considered living legends...what do you think made this new found era come about?

A: It's true actually. I didn't think about it before, but now that you mention it, it's true.... I think maybe it is because the industry grew and it's much bigger than it was before. There are many more magazines than there were before, so there are more pages as well. I guess it opens people's minds a little bit. I think after awhile you want to try something new and work with someone new because I guess they can bring something, and they (the idols and living legends) also bring you something very valuable-experience. When you are new, you maybe have some kind of fearlessness in your creative decisions. I think that perhaps it seems fresh for those who've been around longer to work with, and they bring you their experience, with the incredible body of work they produced..it is interesting...

Q: I personally love it, it's not just a range that is happening with the photographers and editors but also with the Models as well which has been great. Up until now the 2000's seem to remain unbranded by any particular fashion revolution, what has the first 10 years of the new millennium represented in fashion for you?

A: I was in high school and the beginning of college during the 90's and I was always wondering what that decade would be remembered by, and now it's 2010 and you look at something and say 'oh well that's so 2000, you sort of picture the excess or the logos or all these kind of things, but there were great moments and amazing pictures. It's maybe a bit too soon to look back on?

Q: Excess, that works...The Tale on how Anna Wintour met the boys of Proenza is a funny one, what is the story behind your collaboration with them and how that whole thing come to be?

A: I think we just met and it kind of clicked really well, which is interesting because they are American and I'm French, but they do work with quite a lot of French people. I think it's a good mix, and feels quite organic in the way that it works, the dialogue and the dynamic... you have to get to know each other's taste and interests. Working with designers involves everything. It's not only research, its conversations and bouncing ideas. I don't know if the right word is organic, but that's how I feel like explaining it...and we are also from the same generation, which is great.

Q: Speaking of Generations, you yourself are a part of a generation fast in the coming, in a few short years at this rate Marie Chaix will be a staple name in the world of fashion, seeming as though you were always a part of it. However, with you being you I think that its rather difficult to see the picture the same as it is from the outside..What does it look like from your standpoint being inside the picture?

A: It's very different. You don't really realize these things because you're just in your mind and you just continue working, preparing the next shoot so you sort of lose track of actually where you stand. It's only when other people tell you but you're always the last one to know...you know what i mean?

Q: Indeed, however I think that your standpoint is an admirable one, not being too quick to look back on your accomplishments...You mentioned earlier that there are a lot of magazine's right now and that there has been this kind of major growth in the business, the points of view on this matter vary..where do you stand? Do you think it's a good thing or no...

A: I think it's a good thing that people want to do things and have the energy to start something. I always kind of admire people who just get on and do something and they believe in it. I think if that portrays a certain kind of positivity then it's a good thing when the magazine has a different point of view, a strong identity, which is very important. People always talk about saturation of images and it is true but I think that somehow the internet adding on to it accentuates that even more. If people want to do a magazine it's great-it's a lot of work and a lot of responsibility, and I think that if people want to do that, yeah, it's a positive thing. We also need the magazines for new generations to express themselves, you need a voice and a magazine provides a voice. I love Acne paper, for example you know Matthias, and also Thomas, whom I know from St Martins, so they're people who share this kind of aesthetic and sensibility, and we can have a conversation on the same level as well, which is always good when you want to do something creative like that-it feels like we are part of the same generation which is nice.

Q: One of my favorite things about you is your blunt way of speaking laced with the English accent, and yet you've claimed to be shy... how does that work?

A: I think it is important to say what you feel. I have never been good at small talk. When I shoot portraits I can talk Non-Stop as I feel a different person behind the camera. I also like to listen to people who speak their mind and express themselves freely.

Q: I've seen a few Still life photographers whose work is incredibly beautiful, but it is not the most common for such Photographers to turn around and shoot a model with as much precision and beauty as they do an object. You however seem to be capable of executing a consistent amount of beauty regardless of what your subject is..Aside from what we would assume as the obvious differences, how do you approach a photo differently in these two scenarios?

A: For me working with a model usually involves collaborating with a team. I like experimenting with hair and make up to change the face. To this day it still amazes me to see the transformation that is possible with still life, it becomes about looking at what you have in front of you. I look at trying to find the essence of the object. Unlike beauty, still life stays much closer to what it is and photographing still life can often become rather mechanical. You choose to light it by experience or even by what you have at your disposal. Recently I have tried to not make it look like it was lit in a studio. Still life photographers seem to use the same light and take fewer creative decisions.

Q: You've said before that when you do portraits you go in having your own opinion of the person and manipulate the shot into the way you see them, a favorite was your regal and dignified portrait of the Grand Madamme Vivienne Westwood...what is a personal favorite of such portraits for you?

A: This is much harder a question than it sounds. These days I rarely shoot portraits and I find it impossible to take a picture without an opinion and without extensive research. I like a picture that I did of Matthew Barney. I wanted to manipulate his appearance in some way like he does in his own work. Too shy to ask directly I chose to skirt around the issue. Anyway, he turned up with this plastic of sorts and his intention was to place his hand in the plastic. I let that go for a minute and then told him to push his face into it. I like this photo a lot and the experience holds great memories.

Q: The October Vogue Italia beauty story by you and Nicoletta Santoro left us with a beauty Cover that I could picture hanging on my Wall as an incredible Painting, what type of Art may we find hanging around on your walls?

A: I have 2 pieces by Adam Fuss, but they are leaning up against the wall. I also have a beautiful picture taped to a wall of Tilda Swinton that I ripped out of a magazine.

Q: There is something really great about torn out magazine pictures taped to a wall, brings you back to the high school days and collages all over the bedroom walls or something.... Lately there have been a lot of articles and heated discussions on the subject of re touching, so much so that France has even considered including a 'credits' section on the page stating what alterations had been made to the photo. As someone who considers re touching nearly as important as photography and comparable to hair and make up, where do you stand on this new wave of Re touching Ridicule?

A: Why do people find this controversial? I don't see photography as real or truthful in the first place. It's all manipulation and a huge Lie. I have gone too far in some cases looking for something pushed to the limit. It's like plastic surgery, too much is hideous. It is a Valuable tool, the trick is how to use it.

Q: Well Said. As an artist, there is always a driving force at the base of one's work....Anxiety, frustration, passion, ambition, curiosity....what would be the word to sum up the root of your cause?

A: OBSESSION

Q: A tidbit of info that many may not know and quite a claim to fame in it's own right is the fact that it was none other than Alexander Mcqueen who designed the wedding outfits at your Marriage...how is it that one gets Mcqueen to Custom design their Wedding outfits?

A: PASS

Q: Your beauty photography is renown and unlike the typical aesthetic in most beauty photographers casting, your girls tend to be special and different and of a more 'edgy' or 'quirky' nature...what quality draws you most to a model when making decisions on casting?

A: I look at their books to see how much of a chameleon they are.