Nickie McGowan fashion styling photographer
[Up and Coming] Nickie McGowan’s photographs tell a story where the viewer can interpret it in any way they desire, full of atmostphere and electricity they lure you into a mysterious world. I caught up with her in Manchester to find out more
‘wires’ model’s name is samantha sexton
Tell us about your photography background, when did you start taking photos?
I started gig photography when I was at college. It was nothing to do with the course, I was doing fashion design at the time but I took a rubbish little camera to all the gigs I went to and tried to capture moments. I pretty much hated my course and was stuck in a class full of Paris Hilton’s, taking photos outside of college made me realise what I really wanted to do. However, I couldn’t actually take it up properly until I could buy a decent camera so I just carried on with my artwork instead.
When I left college I decided I wanted to go onto fashion styling and image making and started doing my fashion shoots in university. I continued to do music photography as well as fashion and have been juggling them both ever since.
‘The Dresden Dolls’
How old were you when you decided you wanted to make a career from Photography?
Apart from the gig photography I was doing, I didn’t actually start doing proper photography until I was about eighteen. I was more interested in looking at images in books and magazines and spent hours collecting pictures I liked. I started painting before I started photography, and couldn’t afford a proper camera until university… so I just had to wait it out.
Once I got my first camera and started doing shoots I knew instantly that it was what I wanted to do forever. I worked assisting shoots for Kerrang! magazine in London last year and it made me realise that I can do all three of my passions as a career if I work hard enough at it. I also try to combine styling and photography as much as possible because I see them as one thing rather than being separated.
Brian Viglione from the Dresden Dolls
What was the first camera you owned?
The first camera I owned was a Nikon F75 film SLR. I had worked a really shit job over the summer and used the money I had saved and some of my university loan to pay for the camera and a couple of lenses. I still use the camera for bits and pieces; mostly if I’m working in black and white… but last summer I changed to digital and bought a Nikon D70 SLR. I love using film for fashion shoots, but gig photography is quicker and cheaper with a digital camera.
Amanda Palmer from the Dresden Dolls
What artists or creative people influence your work?
All my inspiration comes from people, film and music. I am a complete film geek, I own so many I can’t even put a number on it. John Waters is one of my absolute icons and his films have inspired so much of my styling and photography. The person that first inspired me to do anything at all was Tim Burton; if I didn’t have his films whilst I was growing up I don’t think I would be the person I am today. I am still obsessed with him and his work, and I will use it as inspiration forever.
Thinking about it, a lot of my influences are film directors… others being Wes Anderson, Michael Gondry, Spike Jonze, Vincent Gallo and Terry Gilliam. Musically, inspiration comes from The Mars Volta, I try to include them in every shoot I do, and I feel like it’s bad luck if I don’t.
Music is just as big of an inspiration to me as films, other people who inspire my work are Adam Ant, Gogol Bordello, The Dresden Dolls, The Red Paintings, Courtney Love, Joy Division and my absolute biggest inspiration for most things is Patrick Wolf. There is one artist in particular that I have loved since I was about fourteen, and that’s Frida Kahlo. I will be completely in love with her life and work until I’m six feet under.
‘The Proposition’
Name your top three contemporary photographers who have changed the face of photography, and explain why?
I guess the first would definitely have to be Diane Arbus. Her work is just so beautiful I don’t think anyone will ever be able to capture people the way she did. Her photograph of the two teenagers on Hudson Street in New York just blows my mind, but then so does all of her other work. The subjects she chose to photograph were never quite normal; she always chose to capture people who were considered too strange and disturbing for mainstream society.
My second photographer would be Ralph Eugene Meatyard. I could look at his images forever and I can’t even put into words how amazing his work is. He has been so inspirational to me and one of his photos with a young boy in an old man’s mask is probably one of my favourite photographs of all time.
My third choice is Manuel Alvarez Bravo. He was a Mexican photographer and took the most divine photos of life there. Some of his work hits hard and his work is quite political, a lot is about the Mexican Revolution, he also took portraits of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. In my opinion, they are three of the most important photographers of all time and their work continues to create emotions that no other photographer will ever be able to match.
Nick Urata from the band ‘Devotchka’
Tell us about some of the photo shoots you have done?
I recently did a shoot that was pretty interesting; it’s for a university project. I invented a character called Cedric and created his entire life, he has split personality so I used two models for the shoot. I had six scenes throughout the shoot and did twelve takes in order to get my two models in six identical shoots; it took ages and was on the moors so it was freezing cold. When I got home I overlapped the twelve shoots to bring it back down to six representing Cedric’s split personality, the effect ended up being pretty eerie.
I have worked a lot with The Dresden Dolls this year; the first time was a shoot for Amelia’s Magazine. We really get along well so whenever they came to the UK I did photos for them, the best time being a whole weekend in November. They played two nights at the Roundhouse in London and had the most amazing people supporting them including The Red Paintings and Jason Webley, I just got to run around for two days documenting everything and have been working on the photos ever since. My personal favourite from this year would have to be Eugene Hutz from Gogol Bordello as I worship him and his band.
Brian Viglione from the Dresden Dolls
What are you future plans? do you have any projects coming up?
I have six fashion shoots coming up soon and a couple of music shoots. I’m really excited about the styling/fashion shoots as they are all completely inspired by films. It has taken me months to decide which films to use but I have chosen Buffalo ’66, True Romance, The Lost Boys, Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, Fight Club and Hedwig And The Angry Inch.
I’m also doing a shoot inspired by 1950’s – 1970’s television cook Fanny Cradock. I have always been intrigued by her personality and the fact that most of the time she looked like a drag queen. Even though I mostly work on men’s styling now, I really want to do a Fanny Cradock shoot as it has always been an idea I have wanted to take further. The only other shoot I have where I will be styling a woman is going to be inspired by Dancer In The Dark, and I’d love to do it in the photographic style of Ralph Eugene Meatyard.
Check out more of Nickie’s work
www.myspace.com/nakanickie
