Anouk Morgan Interview

Anouk Morgan cut her hair. Really short. And although that may come as a surprise to some, I knew it was coming. Anouk Morgan takes beautiful photos. Her style has that dark, mysterious edge that everybody wants in their photography. I became obsessed with Anouk when I found her photos of Naleye Junior in the We Own the Night issue of ILOVEFAKE. There were six photos. Six photos of this brazilian guy just blowing some smoke. Just sitting around. But she made it feel like I met this guy.

Trey Taylor: Can you fill this out?
Name: Anouk Morgan
Occupation: Freelance Photographer
Age: 24
Currently Resides: The Hague, Netherlands

Trey Taylor: So tell me, how do you spend your days? What would a typical day be like for Anouk Morgan?
Anouk Morgan: I live together with my boyfriend who is a photographer as well, so either one of us is shooting or we are both editing.. there is a huge dark wooden table in our living room with our computers, we spend a lot of time on them. Besides work, i love spending time with my close group of friends who are all involved in the industry somehow.. and i watch movies a lot. I am a movie freak. I guess you could say my days are extremely visual. And i go to school too.. I am in the process of graduating from the Willem de Kooning Academy, so that is a big part of my days as well.

TT: What do you try to say with your photography? Is there ever a message?
AM: With photography, I am purely feeding my own obsessions. Intimacy is a big deal to me, i love to combine that with sensuality. It is a lot about exploring femininity , the model , and trying to connect with her (or him). I mostly shoot girls.. 

TT: When you were young, something must have wanted to make you become a photographer. What was it? What was your youth like?
AM: My dad works in the oil-business, so as a kid we always travelled and moved around. I loved it. Got to go to distant, exotic places. I was very introvert. Not having any stability or a regular group of friends to play with, i turned to myself and my own fantasies, i have always been painting, drawing, writing.. that is why i ended up in artschool. but i was a few years into artschool before i discovered photography.

TT: What are your five favourite songs at the moment?
AM:
1. I’m me - Lil Wayne
2. Bitch please - Lil Wayne
3. Rock and Roll Queen - The Subways
4. Heartless - Kanye West 
5. Coldest Winter - Kanye West

TT: What inspires you?
AM: It will be terribly cliché to say, but everything. more concretelly, the girl and her
body. her face.. 
TT: Your work is very dark, and has that film quality. What do you usually use for light?
AM: I love natural light. its my absolute favorite. when i started photography i started with natural light, shooting on location. unfortunatelly, winters in The Netherlands can be very dark and cold, so i am forced to use alternatives. I usually shoot with one strobe. Also, I like the effect of hotlights , especially when i use multiples, it can create such interesting shadows and effects.

TT: Do you make conscious choices when you are taking photos, or is it more of a flow type deal?
AM: It is always a surprise, I have to improvise and see how the model and I are connecting, even if I plan carefully ahead it can go any direction. I prefer to improvise more, that way I can come to surprising new things I couldnt have thought of. I love it when a model surprises me and takes me onto new paths. I am always pressing the shutter, that way there is always something interesting I might otherwise not have caught.

TT: Who do you look up to? Do you have a hero?
AM: Of course, my parents and my boyfriend. But besides them, there are a lot of people I admire in photography, and in art in general. My heros are the ones who live with their heart and passion..   

TT: What is one thing about you you would like people to know?
AM: My work

TT: What do you know?
AM: Everything and nothing at the same time 

Thank you Anouk. For some reason I see you as being different from all the other fashion photographers out there. There is something about you that stands out. You’re awesome.