Simon Procter photographer

Ilva

2012-01-30T20:08:00.002+01:00

Article on SImon procter in Thai art Magazine

2012-01-28T15:16:00.001+01:00

Simon Procter, Beauty Jewelery shoot for Stiletto Magazine Paris

2012-01-24T20:37:00.001+01:00

Simon Procter, Beauty jewelery shoot for Stiletto Magazine Paris

Many thanks to the our incredible models Ilva Hietmann@ Women and Paula B @ FORD

Stylist, Franceline Pratt

Hair, Cyril Laloue

Maquilage, Elsa Durdens

"we must have had half the bodyguards in europe on this one"

Bijou

2012-01-13T12:20:00.002+01:00

Beauty and Jewellery shoot for Stiletto. We must have had half the bodyguards in europe in the studio.

Adama

2011-12-16T11:38:00.001+01:00

Paula for Stiletto Magazine by Simon Procter

2011-12-06T09:06:00.000+01:00

Simon Procter shoots Benoit Magimel for Sport&Style Magazine

2011-12-01T01:01:00.001+01:00

Article on Simon Procter in Dedicate Magazine

2011-11-30T18:54:00.001+01:00

A four page feature on the photographer SImon procter.

Article focuses on his experimental iphone series "Under Lutetia"

Portrait of Saoirse Ronan by Simon Procter

2011-11-28T15:18:00.000+01:00

2011-10-30T12:34:00.002+01:00

Lou by Simon Procter, testing compositions on Vs Shoot.

2011-10-18T11:28:00.000+02:00

A perfect Paris that I created for a project with Dior last year.

Gold horse, just painted

2011-10-10T17:36:00.000+02:00

Steve (my neighbour) stepping in to give a hand (and scale)

Simon Procter shoots Noemie Lenoir for Vs. Magazine

2011-09-12T19:19:00.000+02:00

Simon Procter shoots Noemie Lenoir for Vs. Magazine

A personal thanks to my wonderful team and the inspiring grace of Miss Lenoir.

Stylist Barbara Baumel

Hair Cyril Laloue

Make-up Maria Olsson

Wedding on a boat.

2011-09-12T01:10:00.001+02:00

Great to be with Steve and Isabelle for their wonderful day.

My Son running on a beach

2011-09-04T14:48:00.000+02:00

I saw my fathers legs last night as he tottered slowly across the hall in a bizarre nighshirt.
Death cancer thin, ghost white, fragile and pocked with a swarm of pale scars.
My father had been a very big man, a giant. In his youth he had played professional Rugby League for Salford. (Lancashire) Three English pounds for a win, one pound for a draw and nothing for a loss.

In novels I remember reading about hero's growing old and becoming tragic frail shadows but when your young it s not the part of the story that interests and now this is not a story in a book.

When I was sixteen I was captain of the team and thought myself so fast and tough. That summer on a beach (maybe the last holiday when we were all really together) we ran a race across the gleaming sand, sort of a joke. I remember being utterly horrified as he sailed past me at the very end.
And for all the many years after, every time we would meet he would laugh and challenge me to another race.
But not this time.

Girl in a Pink haze, Bescherelles Northern France

2011-09-02T17:01:00.000+02:00

It is amazing the farm house has truly become a home. Upon each new visit the garden gives up new treasures. In these bright days we discovered a walnut tree and a tiny hidden pear tree with 3 perfect fruits.

Loup and the Sea

2011-08-25T09:47:00.000+02:00

Sandside Beach, Graemsey Island, perfect light, mirror sea

2011-08-24T21:40:00.000+02:00

On a near deserted island listen to my deaf fathers roaring and near endless television.

Leaving Northern coast of Britain

2011-08-18T12:39:00.000+02:00

Heading truly North over an endless blue black water. Tiny two prop plane fiercely droning.
Out into the North Atlantic all from the real world is starting to be forgotten.
There is still light.

Close to the village of Saint Loup

2011-07-26T16:32:00.004+02:00

Mons, before the champagne district, northern france

2011-07-24T19:06:00.007+02:00

The golden land seems to go on forever. The season has been too dry. The bails are already cut and stacked. Fantastical straw architecture, often so ambitious, reminds of an evening long time ago in England. Guy stopped the car and ran into the field. He said he always dreamed of rolling the great drum bails. I was so afraid some one would come, I think in this time I was always afraid. But he was so happy and he was right. A Long time ago.

Mugler Womenswear Pre-collection Spring Summer 2012 by Simon Procter

2011-07-20T13:51:00.000+02:00

Mugler Womenswear Pre-collection Spring Summer 2012 by Simon Procter

2011-07-17T17:12:00.003+02:00

Grace for Mugler by Simon Procter

2011-07-17T16:36:00.005+02:00

Simon Procter celebrations for Bastille day with friends

2011-07-15T18:54:00.000+02:00

In photograph

The English photographer Simon Procter and the Italian architects Federica Hurgon & Francesca Bonesio

Photography by Nicholas Guiraud

Bastille Day. Simon Procter s Official Portrait of the Garde Republicaine presented to the President of France

2011-07-14T12:27:00.003+02:00

Today 14th July 2011, Bastille day.
Simon Procter s official portrait of the Garde Republicaine presented to the president of France
2 years of preparation, 150 infantry and cavalry from the Elite French Garde Republicaine photographed by the english artist Simon Procter.
The Artwork is destined to be the diplomatic gift to visiting royalty and heads of State.

"Pour la gloire de la France, le pays de mes enfants"
Simon Procter, Paris, July 2011

Going to (or coming back from) somewhere. Iphone

2011-07-03T09:11:00.000+02:00

GQ with Stylist Jason Farrer from Archives

2011-07-02T17:55:00.000+02:00

Untitled. NYC 2007

2011-07-02T10:32:00.000+02:00

Untitled. NYC 2007

Studio rouchon, Mugler shoot

2011-06-27T01:56:00.001+02:00

Saoirse Ronan by Simon Procter

2011-06-21T17:49:00.001+02:00

Royal Ascot

2011-06-20T12:20:00.001+02:00

Portrait of Simon Procter leaving for Royal Ascot

2011-06-19T23:16:00.002+02:00

Simon Procter, preview image from last weeks Stiletto magazine shoot

2011-06-17T14:32:00.002+02:00

The wonderful new german model Ilva Heifmann waiting on set for styling.

Simon Procters' beauty & jewellery shoot for Stiletto Magazine to be published next month.

Flying back from Nice, Hotel Negresco Shoot

2011-06-11T09:17:00.002+02:00

Simon Procter behind the scenes at the Elite Garde Republicain shoot today

2011-06-10T18:39:00.005+02:00

Friday 10th June 2011 Paris.
Simon Procters most ambitious Project to date.
A portrait of the "Garde Republicaine" (elite french Cavalry Regiment) 2 years of planning and involving 100s of cavalry and infantry in full ceremonial uniform. These are a few backstage photos actual images are literally government state secret for moment. More news later.
Reportage photography Virgine Devaux.

Article on Simon Procter in Photo Professional Magazine Britain

2011-06-04T22:36:00.001+02:00

Gil Scott-Heron dies aged 62

2011-05-29T15:57:00.001+02:00

"The revolution will not be right back after a message about a white tornado, white lightning or white people,"

Masha Voronina visit studio procter

2011-05-28T15:14:00.002+02:00

Simon Procter shooting in Versailles, Portrait of David Marvier, Simons first assistant

2011-05-26T14:13:00.000+02:00

Test shot in the Palais of Versailles, by the photograher Simon Procter.
Portrait of David Marvier, (Simons first assistant)

QVEST Magazine, 10 page story on the english Photographer SImon Procter

2011-05-03T20:40:00.001+02:00

AN ODE TO BEAUTY...
text YORCA SCHMIDT-JUNKER
Qvest Magazine, artists portfolio edition out now.

AN ODE TO BEAUTY...
text YORCA SCHMIDT-JUNKER
Qvest Magazine, artists portfolio edition out now.

AN ODE TO BEAUTY... no less: photographs by simon Procter, widely considered as the grand master of haute couture photography. His signature style, presenting fashion as a mise-en-scène, imbued with an iconic aura, is legendary. mr. Procter delighted us with beautiful images from his private archive of the chanel cruise collection 2009/2010, shot on the Venice lido. the photos published as an exclusive here demonstrate just why this englishman is one of the top names in his profession ...

Paris, a hot muggy July day: the thermometer is already indicating a tropical 24 degrees celsius at 9 in the morning. it’s been that way for days. and is gradually starting to get on my nerves. i rush from the »bastille« metro station through the 11th arrondissement, first along the boulevards, then through narrow streets and finally down tiny alleyways, doing my best to be on time. at long, long last i reach the street i’m heading for and spot the house number above the large heavy wooden door. i enter the code my host has given me into the electronic security device by the door. a quiet buzz, i push hard against the door and step carefully over the threshold – and find myself in another world. i forget the heat, my lack of sleep and the ever-present bustle of the metropolis, still so tangible just outside the doorway. looking at the magnificent, sweeping courtyard, surrounded by old trees covered in a thick mantle of creepers, not to mention the fragrant bunches of jasmine that seem be tumbling in cascades down the walls of the houses, i feel as if i’ve suddenly landed in the 19th century. Full of amazement, i stroll past small picturesque ateliers and workshops that have set up shop here, including an old tapestry workshop. as if that weren’t enough of a cliché, the courtyard is also bathed in a light so lovely that not even william turner could have done better. everything here has a wonderful aura of the archaic about it, untouched by the high-tech world outside.
the atelier of the man i have arranged to meet for a photo shoot of the exquisite pieces from the Chanel haute couture, presented the day before, looks more like an artist’s studio than the work- place of one of the world’s most famous fashion photographers: a light-filled maisonette, the glass roof strikingly draped with ruffled fabric. the centrepiece is a generous set of sofas, with my host’s children and cats taking turns to leap across them – or simply tumbling around together all at once. the real heart of the space however is the open-plan kitchen, where assistant aimee is just baking croissants and pains au chocolat.
it is important to give such a detailed description of the surround- ings in which simon Procter works. that is the only way to understand why his images look the way they do, and to grasp the signature style of this self-taught photographer, who is one of karl lagerfeld and Vivien westwood’s favourite photographers when it comes to creating unique stagings of their work. John galliano is a fan too. but more about that later.
Simon Procter’s works are different from his colleagues’ photographs: whereas fashion photography – particular in the blog era – always seems to be trying to be as up-to-the-minute and as much in keeping with the zeitgeist as possible, often deploying aggressive sexualisation as a stylistic device, this english photographer’s work seems downright old school. not in the sense of being old- fashioned, traditional or from bygone times, but instead in terms of artistic virtues such as careful composition of the image, a coherent setting, virtuoso play with light and a generally ethereal air far removed from any kind of artificial posing or strident attitudes.
In keeping with this, Procter, who has made France his home, has an english Fine art Honors degree to his name, with a particular emphasis on painting and sculpture. He came to Paris in the late 1990s, in order to survive, he had to take on all kinds of jobs, and sometimes these seemed more like a kamikaze mission than artistic work. One of these jobs turned into his first photographic assignment: when he happened to meet James kaliardos, make-up artist and co-founder of new york’s Visionaire magazine, kaliardos suggested he should just take a few photos. For example, of the next Dior show. to top it all, not only did he send this beginner straight off to face the Galliano circus; the next surprise awaited the novice on the spot. the idea was that he would shoot the catwalk from above, balanced 35 metres up with only wobbly scaffolding beneath his feet. he rose to the challenge, producing brilliant work, which shaped his dazzling entrance into a new metier. »the day before my first photo shoot i didn’t even know how i was going to pay for the batteries for my flash. Five weeks later i was already shooting a global advertising campaign for Nike«, he recounts, summing up how it all began.
however, his artistic home has become the world of haute couture, for with his flamboyant, sensual and opulent style he fits into that milieu better than almost any other photographer. his work always exudes a sense of enchantment and rapture; the models seem to be literally floating in the space, elevated beyond the here and now. his admiration for the legendary painter and illustrator gustave doré can be seen shimmering through in these photos, whilst other works by Procter recall paintings by gainsborough and reynolds, as exemplified in the current Royal Ascot campaign showcasing creations by Vivien Westwood and milliner Stephen Jones. Procter transports us into another age, another world; he breaks out of the rapid pace and short-lived apparitions of fashion, which he describes in the following terms: »the speed is the most fascinating thing about fashion – and the most exhausting«.
with hindsight, a photo that Procter took of his compatriot John galliano backstage in 2006 seems downright visionary. it shows Dior’s former chief designer shortly before the show when the acade slips for a moment and his traits reveal the extent of the burden he was struggling with. this is not the radiant countenance of fashion: this is the face normally so carefully concealed, resigned, painful. For all its bluntness, it is still a lovely portrait, revealing a glimpse behind the mask of genius. a record that seems to presage his demise. an image that exposes the fact that fashion is no gentle muse but a tough business. this is no excuse for galliano’s unspeak- able outbursts, which signalled the end of his days at Dior. yet per- haps an explanation, already documented here. simon Procter is aghast at galliano’s inglorious demise: »this whole affair makes me really sad, something within it is deeply wrong«. nevertheless he still wishes galliano – to whom, indirectly, he also owes much of his career – all the best.
here we see another of the hallmarks of this master photographer’s work: his closeness to people, the unconditional benevolence and friendliness he displays towards them. when i met simon for the first time on that hot July day the first thing he did was give me a
glass of homemade iced tea. his greatest concern, alongside making sure that everything was perfect for the Chanel photo shoot, was that the whole team hadn’t had a proper lunch. that’s why his assistant, aimee, was put to work preparing a thai curry, whose spicy aroma promptly infiltrated the exquisite Chanel gowns, a state of affairs, which, it is rumoured, made monsieur lagerfeld’s right- hand man utterly furious. Simon Procter is a family man through and through – which means at times he ends up holding his vivacious 3 year old son in his left arm whilst shooting fashion with his right, with his six-year-old daughter scurrying around the set in the background. the quality of his pictures doesn’t suffer at all from this: on the contrary, all the animation of the moment seems to seep into his shots, giving them their uniquely authentic yet magical air. Procter, from a working-class background in the north of england, a region shaped by the unglamorous influences of mining and heavy industry, never let himself be taken in by the dazzling surface beauty of the fashion world. despite his dealings with supermodels and gowns with a price tag approximately the same as for a luxury car, this father of two children feels deeply linked to his roots – growing humble at times as he comments: »on a personal level, the class struggle in britain is a darkness that touches in an oblique way. i think there is a whole generation in the north of my country that has been neglected and utterly forgotten. my brothers do not have the same life as me«.
in all probability this insight also has a decisive influence on his work. and turns fashion photos into visual poetry. that makes him a worthy inheritor not just of the tradition of gainsborough or turner, but also of John milton.

Parc de Feline, Northern France

2011-04-23T15:55:00.003+02:00

The roar is incredible, everyone rushes to the barriers. Beneath the woodland canopy two Siberian tigers begin to fight. They are huge and terrifying in action, rearing up eight feet tall. Their White, grey bodies like forest ghosts pale yellow stripes almost invisible. They circle and then again come together, a few children are crying everyone is tense. It is truly fearful to watch. I realize my daughter is tugging at me, she says, "this is boring" she wants to go see the baby goats again.

View from studio Procter

2011-04-16T12:49:00.005+02:00

The wisteria has exploded, the scent is heavy, dense flowers buzz electric with hungry insects. Entranced strangers are drawn into the courtyard to bear witness. If you touch the engorged blossoms they instantly disintegrate and drop like pink snow. Im using way too many adjectives.

Saoirse Ronan, fashion shoot for Bullett Magazine, Staten Island, NYC

2011-04-10T13:04:00.004+02:00

We drive far out of the city.

Strangest house, eighteen Peacocks patrol the gardens.

The shoot is fast, the team is perfect our young star is sixteen years old, one day she will be a legend.

Chateau de chantilly, Oslo , Percheron

2011-03-31T15:41:00.003+02:00

Another great day working with our friends at the Chateau de Chantilly, museum of the living horse.

Interview with Simon Procter for "Invisible Paris"

2011-03-23T10:21:00.005+01:00

Tuesday, 22 March 2011

Simon Procter: a spy in the house of fashion

Paris-based Simon Procter is one of the world’s most renowned fashion photographers, but his glamourous lifestyle today is a long way from his working-class roots in a small industrial village in the North of England. I talked to him about his unusual journey, and about how he is trying to transcend the fashion genre to create truly great works of art.

“A long time ago I wrote a poem called Lockwing, which was about the swift. It's a bird that can lock its wing and sleep while still flying, and I wondered what it would mean to be a creature that had no nationality and no need for contact with the earth”. Dividing his time between New York and Paris, as well as on location shoots across the globe, Simon Procter is seemingly in the perfect position to answer this question.

As yet though, it is an enigma that he has not solved. The name Lockwing has also been given to his studio space in Paris, as well as to a mysterious ongoing project. "We are not sure what the Lockwing Project is yet" announces the website he has set up in this name, and when I ask him directly he is no more forthcoming; “I’m afraid you will have to wait and see where that one goes” he explains, “it’s a bit confidential at the moment”.

Will it be his life-defining project? Procter's artistic progression has been a curious mixture of intense self-belief with splashes of serendipity, but when speaking to him it is clear that he is constantly questioning his work and attempting to move back the boundaries of his discipline(s).
His creations - often based around monumental and dramatic compositions - have been described as “a unique synthesis of classical painting and fashion photography”, but this is a label he refutes. He is happy to keep the ‘unique’ tag, pointing out that he is always “trying to do something that no one else is doing”, but seems annoyed to have his work thought of as some kind of fusion. “My work is not a pastiche or a reference to the great classical art works. I am truly trying to produce things of that level” he explains.
His ambitions, and the creations that have stemmed from this, have also provoked a minor storm in the worlds of art and fashion. In 2008, British newspaper The Independent discussed Procter’s monumental ‘Galliano Royal’ creation for Harper’s Bazaar and its later starring role at the prestigious Art Basel Miami art fair, and asked ‘it may be fashion, but is it art?’ Describing his work as ultra-flamboyant theatricality the article also asked ‘does a Galliano shoot really belong in a gallery?’

For Procter, though, the more relevant question was the one posed at the end of the article; "it may be art, but is it photography?". As Procter has himself admitted, "most of the time I don't consider myself to be a photographer". He is working on projects that involve both painting and photography, and is a thoroughly modern artist, tacking along the digital line that today blurs traditionally distinct artistic boundaries.
The reason behind his approach may come from his background. Procter is classically trained. He studied fine arts, and for many years concentrated purely on painting and sculpture, considering photography to be a discipline for the rich. His drift towards photography was part accident and part design, but he believes that his wider training has given him a certain edge. “There was a whole genre of painting that was not really relevant to me when I studied Fine Art. But once I started taking photos something - a whole tombe of composition and pictorial structure that I was trained to understand and analyse - clicked. This was a massive advantage” he explains.

His vision may have developed early, but just how did he land in Paris and the fashion world? Following his art school studies, Procter explains that he did many things, and lived most of his adult life without very much money, which although "a bit exhausting and scary at times" was also a way of life that he "always believed to be for the sake of something".
After drifting to Paris, his break came following a chance meeting with “a wonderful guy called James Kaliardos (one of the founders of V magazine) who really supported me without asking for anything in return”. At the same time he stumbled into the fashion world, which he describes as "a very strange land, much stranger than people realise", but also one which changed his life.

The world of fashion gave him freedoms that he had never had before. "I had rather naive but very strong ideas about what an image should be, and by sheer chance I was put in a situation where this had great value. One day I was worrying about having enough money to buy batteries for my 10 dollar flash on my first V magazine shoot and five weeks later I was shooting the Nike global advertising campaign. The speed is the most fascinating and exhausting thing about fashion".
Simon Procter may be one of the key movers in this industry today, but he remains something of a non-conformist. When I ask about his influences, he mentions 19th century French artist Gustave Doré, whose work he describes as "very immediate, very graphic", but he also lists a far more surprising influence. "On a personal level the class stuggle in britain is a darkness that touches in an oblique way" he explains. "I think there is a whole generation in the north of my country that has been neglected and utterly forgotten. My brothers do not have the same life as me".
When I ask if this is not a little incongruous in the elitist world of the fashion industry, Procter hesitates. "I think its mainly an outlook on the world, seeing both the bottom and the top. The consumption of luxury brands may be elitist but the creative forces and ideas can come from anywhere" he explains.

Some of his recent photoshoots back up this theory. A Chanel project was snapped in the workshops of the artisans who live and work alongside Procter, but above all, it is his series 'Death of a Painter' for Christian Dior Haute Couture that gives an insight into this world-view. The shoot is the recreation of the 'life, art and death' of Procter's aged painter-neighbour, a lady called Rolande who had befriended his young daughter. It is a difficult subject matter, and one that could be deemed in bad taste in the wrong hands, but with the elegance and craft of Procter's photography it stands as a haunting eulogy.
Simon Procter's vision and motivations are undoubtedly complex, as are his often hyperreal airbrushed photographic compositions. Perhaps as an antidote to this existence, he also runs a blog called ‘Under Lutetia’ which focusses mostly on Paris and features much more intimate and personal photography shot entirely on his iPhone. When I ask him about it, he seems almost surprised. "I didn't think anybody else looked at it" he says. However, it is perhaps here where the real Simon Procter can be found. "It's more a kind of diary for myself" he explains. "Its not very glamorous. I think it's about what it is to be human". It's a subject that Simon Procter seems to know a lot about.

Simon Procter’s Paris"I love Paris, I truly love Paris. I have grown up in Paris, but always with - and as - a bunch of outsiders, who dont know much about St Germain and the Latin Quarter. I lived in Belleville a long time - a kind of china town in the east of the city - and it’s a wonderful place. There's duck drying on the balconies, and you can see live eels for sale in the street. Everywhere is energy and industry, but no one has a free ride here.

My recommendations for visitors are always the same. Everyone once in their life should go to the menagerie in Jardin des Plantes and see the snow leopard. After that a bowl of soupe satay sans boulettes in the vietnamese Tin Tin restaurant just next to the Belleville crossroads".

Simon Procter shoots Royal Ascot Advertising campaign.

2011-03-15T17:51:00.000+01:00

Simon Procter shoots the new Royal Ascot advertising campaign with the designer Vivienne Westwood and the milliner Stephen Jones.

A few Strange Hours ago in Paris, Christian Dior by Simon Procter

2011-03-04T19:22:00.002+01:00

"The Strangest atmosphere, all was sadness and ghosts. John Gallianos last collection for Christian Dior with no John Galliano.

The House did an impressive job of guarding decorum but the Musee Rodin was filled with a hyper intense crowd of people either saying too much or not a thing. Meanwhile outside the great wooden gates an ugly mob had gathered heavily armed with iphones."

Simon Procter, Paris March 4th 2011

Galliano Waiting by Simon Procter

2011-03-04T13:06:00.001+01:00

I shot this backstage three seconds before the Haute Couture show started in spring 2006.
I was watching him for a while and this was the one moment when the mask dropped and for just an instant you saw the terrible weight of it all.

Im getting ready to head out to the Christian Dior show at the musee Rodin, Gallianos' last show with the house of Christian Dior, some say his last show ever This whole affair makes me really sad, something within it is deeply wrong.

S

Still a magical city.

2011-03-02T10:49:00.001+01:00

Simon & Loup by Brune

2011-03-02T10:46:00.001+01:00

Galliano enters the Grand Palais

2011-02-27T09:51:00.001+01:00

"Galliano enters the Grand Palais "
His return will be even greater.
Good luck John.
S

Simon Procter new photography for Bloom Magazine

2011-02-22T09:34:00.001+01:00

Simon Procter new photography for Bloom Magazine, (just out.)
Liberty Print on Liberty Print.

featuring new faces Loup and Brune Procter and their freinds, Billie, Celia, Jade, Maeli, Valentin and Ulysse

Photography Simon Procter
Styling Camille Hammerer
Hair and Make up Magali Pilloux

Simon Procter shoots cover Bloom Magazine

2011-02-22T09:31:00.000+01:00

Cathedral of Provins, In the medieval city,Northern France

2011-02-13T18:52:00.001+01:00

The winter light is falling fast, the old city is almost empty. I Can still smell the insense from the beautiful mass.
Feels good to be so far from paris.

Giant plastic soldiers, I was there it was real.

2011-02-11T22:34:00.001+01:00

Simon Procter "Death of a Painter" Christian Dior Haute Couture

2011-02-10T18:47:00.001+01:00

Last summer the friend of the international photographer Simon Procter, Rolande, an aged but still very wild paintress died.

The family of Rolande agreed to open her studios one last time before all was cleared away.

Simon Procter with help from his friends at Christian Dior Couture and his paris creative team shot in this extraordinary space.

The young french model Pauline Serreau was given the daunting task of embodying the dead artist.

The following image,are a unique example of life, art and death interpreted through contemporary fashion photography.

Photographer Simon Procter

Stylist Donnatella Musco

Model Pauline Serreau @ elite

Make up Ismael Blanco

Hair Marc Orsatelli

The article in bloom magazine is accompanied by the personal text;

"We found dear Rolande the painter dead today. She lived just beneath my studio a mysterious recluse, when i first came to this place i only ever heard her, then she appeared one day,just like in a a fairytale. She had the head of a cat and was permanently shrouded in cigarette smoke. She came to tell me my footfalls were almost silent and she much appreciated i didn't wear shoes, then disappeared. The second time I saw her i enticed her with vodka , she liked vodka and told me my brand was wholly acceptable but not the best. She declared she was "sauvage" and then disappeared and we were friends.

Much later the strangest of things her friendship with my 5 year old daughter. I would sometime watch them from the window as they talked together. 80 years of life between them. Brune earnestly explaining birthday cakes and butterfly masks and Rolande discussing cats and sauvagery and the liberty of beasts.

The last time i saw her she told me of her boat. Henri was her dead husband they had had a magnificent sailing boat , together they voyaged all over spain and greece. She told me once of a great storm that had come in fast and how they were afraid but had survived. She told me that they had planned to sail to egypt but there was some reason i didn't understand and they had never got there.

Xavier bravely climbed through the upper window and peered down through the trapdoor, he saw her body that had been there for many days, and then the forces of order descended and asked us all such ordinary questions, and the dream was over."
Simon Procter , Paris August 2010

(A few Hours ago) Simon Procter at Christian Dior Haute Couture SS11 show

2011-01-24T19:01:00.002+01:00

Fermette, Becherelles northern France

2011-01-22T04:23:00.001+01:00

Bought a Fermette today,(mini French Farm) in the peaceful countryside close to Provins, Northern France.
Can't quite believe it.
So many possibilities.
So many rooms for freinds,
Life is sweet.

Pinhole Camera experiments, Dior Haute Couture

2011-01-19T22:53:00.004+01:00

Holga Panormaic Pinhole camera No Lens; made of plastic, F128 , 180 degree field of view , 18 second exposure infinte depth of field , 30 euros from Hong Kong, Strange little machine indeed

underlove

2011-01-17T20:53:00.002+01:00

Self Portrait Simon Procter, The Gore Hotel, Queengate London

2011-01-12T20:16:00.002+01:00

Albert Memorial, dusk queensgate london

2011-01-12T09:38:00.001+01:00

Chanel Haute Couture, Outside studio Procter last summer

2011-01-09T16:19:00.000+01:00

Procter auto portrait with merry Xmas light

2011-01-05T23:22:00.002+01:00

New Years Day

2011-01-01T17:34:00.002+01:00

Xmas Funfair Bastille, 11eme

2010-12-29T15:13:00.001+01:00

Came upon by accident.

Children cast adrift on a yellow sea while a monster ape, in his castle, laughs endlessly.

(he may be evil.)

Christmas Day, place des Voges 3eme

2010-12-25T16:40:00.001+01:00

Peace & Love
Sxx

Simon procter Interview

2010-12-24T13:18:00.001+01:00

[Un]Discovers: Simon Procter

I have been a fan of Simon Procter ever since I have the chance to look at his Blue Angel animation photo. What you are about to see is an interview that will satisfy your curiosity of Simon Procter.

Hi Simon, I am so glad you are willing to be featured on this blog! So, how did you become a photographer? Did you consider to be a photographer as your career when you were small?
When I studied art only the rich kids did photography because it was an expensive pastime, such as developing film, equipment etc.. It was another country, many years later (after i shot my first nike ad) I remember buying an ancient but still powerful camera on ebay and marveling that it was mine. It is one of the underrated facets of the digital revolution that anybody now can create, the walls have fallen, only creativity and truth really matter. these are exciting days.

I have to agree with you that only creativity and true talent can define if you are a professional photographer or not. Who are your influence? Did you apply their styles when you are shooting photos?
I was forced to study 500 years of art history and photography was almost non existent in this.
My training is to create an image from scratch, an empty canvas, composition, draftsmanship . I don't suggest this method is higher or better but it's important to state that the way I create an image is not the same. Most days I dont consider myself a photographer.

I can totally see your photos are influenced by the history of art! Well, I read from your website that you started your photography gig by shooting the Dior show 100 feet above ground. Was that one of your most memorable experience ever? If not, what memorable experience can you share with us?
I Was lucky enough to meet by accident James Kaliardos and later Stephen Gan of Visionaire. it was the first time I had seen a fashion show.It was all very strange. My most memorable "fashion" experience was the first time I worked with Mr Lagerfeld, it was a crazy multi location shoot in NYC with 10 models and Karl himself. I was an unknown photographer at the time and it was a big risk for Stephen (Gan). It was very much a make it or break it moment. Luckily It all fell into place and Larl was so friendly and helpful. We finished the shoot in Time square and so many people came to see to a point we blocked the traffic.

Ah, how much I wish I could meet Karl in the future. I am sure it must be a good experience! I started to follow you after seeing the Blue Angel video. How did you come up with that concept? Did you take any reference from the history?
Many people have reported widely this work is based on italian renaissance painting but this is not true. The main influence is a French 18th century engraver , Gustave Doré. He illustrated many religous and biblical scenes that are very graphic, very dramatic. Also I am inspired by an English Painter John Martin that produced massive apocalyptic canvases.

I just have to say The Blue Angel is probably one of my favorite series I have ever seen. Out of all the editorials you have done to date, which one is the one you like the most? Why?
Well tricky, The big Galliano Royal shoot i did with Nicola Formenchetti for harpers US still brings me a lot but also the very first time i took over completely the art direction was a piece called "Red Dragon". It was the first time that I realized what Fashion photography could be .

So, other than fashion photography, what else do you like to shoot? Are you planning to explore other photography fields in the future?
Well I always produced a great deal of work that is not for publication and i have returned to writing recently. I am very lucky that my works are bought by international art collectors which gives me freedom to concentrate on projects for a long time. I am currently working on some new giant canvases that are half photography and half painting and who knows where this will lead..

------------------------------------

I have to say Simon has a very interesting career path especially he gets to meet some of the people I hope to meet in the future. Anyway, we should continue this feature with some trivia questions!

Paris or London?
Two great loves impossible call.

Coffee or Tea?
Coffee. lots and lots of coffee.

Ready To Wear or Haute Couture?
Couture forever or possibly vintage motorbike racing leathers.

Color or Black & White Photos?
Depends the weather.

Rock or Pop?
I grew up in the 80s the two were unseperable.

Perrier or San Pellegrino?
Badoit, perfect drink for the morning after.

Red or White Wine?
Always cold beer, sorry La France

Mac or PC?
Whats a PC?

Nikon or Canon?
Canon, but cameras are jus cameras, the least important part of the equation.

It is truly my honor to be able to feature Simon Procter ! Readers, keep your eyes open because when Simon has any new editorials coming up, this mag will be one of the places you will see his works! All photos are courtesy of Simon Procter and feel free to visit his official site.

Disintegrating Polaroid

2010-12-17T13:59:00.001+01:00

4x5 Polaroid, Chemicals were too old and unstable, Image has not fixed properly, fades and decays more each month.

2010-12-07T17:00:00.001+01:00

"I hear, I forget; I see, I remember; I do, and I understand."

chinese proverb

Studio Procter, this morning, exterior view.

2010-12-03T09:10:00.001+01:00

Simon Procter, Untitled, from the series "Le dernier Jardin"

2010-11-24T20:59:00.000+01:00

london

2010-11-23T22:36:00.001+01:00

returning from london
westwood,ascot shoot went so well
saw many amazing thing s in the city

alphabet pasta

2010-11-13T16:20:00.000+01:00

Big Love, Musee Guimet. 16th

2010-11-11T16:25:00.000+01:00

14th Century Tibetan Painting Silk.

Canal Street, New York

2010-11-07T19:03:00.000+01:00

Sparkling.

catalogue of evil, Bond Street NewYork

2010-11-07T16:44:00.001+01:00

All saints, Broadway New York

2010-11-07T12:22:00.001+01:00

Saturday on Broadway, a huge tunnel of consumer desire. Magnificent, cavernous shops engorged.

New York City, burning

2010-11-04T11:03:00.000+01:00

amazing to be back!!!!

Coming into Land, New York City

2010-11-04T10:52:00.002+01:00

Sunday is the Marathon.

The plane is full of wiry runners with manic eyes.

They cant sit still, theyre bouncing around excited.

Its cool.

Avenue Gambetta 11eme

2010-11-04T10:46:00.000+01:00

Fear and Wonder, working sketch

2010-11-01T18:56:00.002+01:00

Xin Li, actress

2010-10-28T19:37:00.003+02:00

Hastens AD, from archive unpublished version, Photographer Simon Procter

2010-10-20T07:28:00.001+02:00

Now, in the magic kingdom

2010-10-18T21:20:00.001+02:00

Prague, the long good days

2010-10-17T20:29:00.001+02:00

We were in Prague, the shoot was going great, everyone was happy, the talent was beautiful, the talent is always beautiful. These are the long good days, we all exist for a moment in suspended fantasy. But we all knew tommorrow we fly back to the real world and our normal lives and this moment will slowly be forgotten.

"Security mobilize!" Lie Dream of a Casino Soul , The Fall

2010-10-17T19:21:00.002+02:00

The Fall

Lie Dream of a Casino Soul

Well, I didn't eat the weekend
But I put the weight back on again
And our kid got back from Munich
He didn't like it much
Has a psyche that hadn't been synthesized
Just like machines
It's getting like that here now
It just goes to show
I got no nerves left Monday morning
And I think I'll cut my dick off
The trouble it got me in
Went home to my slum canyon
On my way I looked up
I saw turrets of Victorian wealth
I saw John the ex-fox
Sleeping in some outside bogs
There's a silent rumble
In the buildings of the night council
Executing the mind controllers
I drive right through the gates
Sucked in my roll tops
And I guess this just goes to show
The lie dream of the casino soul
I'm a Mick Jaggar right now
In a tongue-tied, wired state
Cause Sunday morning dancing
I had an awake dream
I was in the supervision dept.
Of a bigtown store
Security floors one to four
They had cameras in the clothes dummies.
A man came up to them
He wanted sex in the dummies eyes
Then came up the cry:
"Security, mobilize!"
Meanwhile in the sticks
Proles wretch, dance in cardboard pants
And I guess this goes to show
The lie dream of a casino souls scene

Lyrics: Lie Dream of a Casino Soul, The Fall .

"Jana" Archive photograph, Simon Procter for Flair (unpublished)

2010-10-11T14:04:00.002+02:00

Joseph Conrad, Karain a memory

2010-10-09T16:38:00.001+02:00

We knew him in those unprotected days when we were content to hold in our hands our lives and our property. None of us, I believe, has any property now, and I hear that many, negligently, have lost their lives

simonprocter.com

USBEKA pure arab, many thanks again to owner madame Prada

2010-10-02T12:33:00.002+02:00

Vivienne Westwood, Paris, just back from show quite wonderful

2010-10-01T21:10:00.001+02:00

2010-10-01T15:22:00.002+02:00

Cavalli, early Daystar working rough from archive.

2010-09-16T11:47:00.002+02:00

Simon Procter Shoots Chanel Haute Couture Fall Winter 2010 with actress Nora Von Waldstatten

2010-09-13T13:17:00.000+02:00

Simon Procter Shoots the german actress Nora Von Waldstatten in Chanel Haute Couture Fall Winter 2010 for Qvest Magazine.
For the first time ever Procter uses his famous Paris courtyard garden as location, his neighbors (Painters and artisans) give over there ancient ateliers as studio spaces.

"A big fashion shoot is often a beautiful monster not something you might want to bring home.
But this is Haute Couture, the day after the show, rare and unique, and i had being thinking for a long time there could be another way to work, quieter with more compassion, less hysteria..
Nora is beautiful and intense she has unusual almond eyes that flicker with an artists intelligence, her film Carlos is just out.
My neighbors open their homes, we create stories in the spaces that had been theirs for a 100 years we make good food for each other.
It was a beautiful day we catch the last of the gold light and then the garden fades to blue.
Sometimes there is another way to work....with Love"

Simon Procter, Paris, September 2010

Incandescent, Nine Portraits of Cole Mohr

2010-09-07T17:22:00.005+02:00

"We shot the young Texan Model Cole Mohr in NYC this year. He reminded me of a character from Kerouac, he beguiled and burned. Totally alive and painfully, completely real, almost incandescent." Simon Procter

"Real holy laughter in the river! They saw it all! the wild eyes!
the holy yells! They bade farewell! They jumped off the roof! to

solitude! waving! carrying flowers! Down to the river! into ..". Allen Ginsberg

“All of life is a foreign country.”
Jack Kerouac

'angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to
the starry dynamo in the machinery of night,'' Allen Ginsberg

Hoy Hills, Last week in the Orkney Islands

2010-09-06T12:42:00.000+02:00

Seems a long time ago now, back in Paris , Back to work.

Inside the machine, CHANEL

2010-09-06T12:20:00.001+02:00

To the Lighthouse, Sandside.

2010-08-28T17:27:00.001+02:00

Back home, Orkney Islands

2010-08-23T11:34:00.002+02:00