The widely celebrated German fashion photographer Ellen von Unwerth is known for her gleeful images of women unapologetically being themselves and having fun in front of the camera. She’s taken photos of Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss playing and laughing in the bathtub, Madonna stuffing her mouth with cake, and models just generally letting loose — splashing spaghetti on each other’s chests and pulling down their underwear. “I just love to see women being powerful and oozing femininity and oozing their personality,” von Unwerth tells her daughter, Rebecca Fourteau, from her vacation home in Saint-Tropez.
In the ir conversation, Fourteau, a New York-based filmmaker who’s collaborated with her mother on shoots since she was a child, asks her mother the questions she’s always wanted to ask about photographing women and fashion for over 40 years. Rebecca Fourteau: Before you were a photographer, you were a model. You’ve mentioned that you found most of your self-confidence when you became a photographer and that it was much better suited for you.
You hated having to pose for hours in the same uncomfortable position and to be told to move one millimeter at a time. Do you think having been a model influences the way you take photos? And do you think about the models’ experience when you photograph? Ellen von Unwerth: Yes, I think about it all the time. Because when I was a model, I was only judged for my exterior, my face, and I wanted to also show my personality.
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