The Great Shots of Piper Carter |
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By Will Yakowicz
Piper Carter is a woman of many distinctions: the first black female photographer for British Elle, technician, artist and a storyteller. The quality of Piperิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s pictures suggests sheิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s been a photographer all her life, but the truth is sheิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s only been shooting for 16 years.
For most photographers, such a late start would doom a career, but not Piper. She first picked up the camera as a junior at Howard University majoring in dance and musical theatre. She became bored with the major and decided she wanted a change. Piper explains, ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘my friend said, ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘Hey letิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s flip a coinิ๘ิ๘ิ๘ and he flipped a coin and it was heads and that decided I was going to study photography.ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘
From then on she pursued her passion and has succeed to make her name into a brand. She was on VH1ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘The Shot,ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘ and is heavily involved with her own private projects.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMAGE (SHOT)?
ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘My first image was some friends of mine sitting on a bench, they were just sitting there and I saw them and I said, ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘Oh thatิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s a great photograph right thereิ๘ิ๘ิ๘ but now I look back I go, ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘Oh man!ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘ It wasnิ๘ิ๘ิ๘t as great as I thought it was [laughs]. At the time it was pretty advanced for a beginner to notice something like that.ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘I grew up in Detroit, Michigan. That was in the 80ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s, the height of the crack era. I ran to and from school everyday [laughs].ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘
DID YOU GET IN TO TROUBLE?
ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘Not me, I was a good girl. I was what you would call a ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘cool nerd.ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘ I was captain of the cheer team, class president, and National Honor Society. I wasnิ๘ิ๘ิ๘t a street kid. In Detroit thereิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s only two kinds of kids in the street: heิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s either running the street or heิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s dead. I definitely wasnิ๘ิ๘ิ๘t the one running the streets, definitely didnิ๘ิ๘ิ๘t want to be deadิ๘ิ๘ิ๘so I kept my butt in the house! [laughs].ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘
DO YOU HAVE ANY INFLUENCES?
ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘Steve Klein, heิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s my main influence. I love his work; heิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s incredible. I also love The Northern Renaissance, I love the light and style; Iิ๘ิ๘ิ๘ll probably have to give that up to Vermeer. I have different influences for what shoot Iิ๘ิ๘ิ๘m doing and the story I want to portray.
I SEE A DIFFERENT CHARACTER AND STORY INSIDE EACH OF YOUR IMAGES, WHERE DO YOU GET THESE STORIES AND IDEAS?
ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘Iิ๘ิ๘ิ๘m very much a story teller, my stories are not necessarily linear with a starting point or an ending point, but there is the evidence of a story there. I usually think of the story first [before I shoot] like who is she, what is she doing, where is she from, what season is it, what colors do I want?
ARE YOU ANY DIFFERENT WITH A CAMERA AROUND YOUR NECK?
ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘I am, I get really quiet. Iิ๘ิ๘ิ๘m really fun and bubbly [usually]ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘ but I get really serious, and intensely focused. Some people say Iิ๘ิ๘ิ๘m a little mean, but Iิ๘ิ๘ิ๘m still crackinิ๘ิ๘ิ๘ jokes, Iิ๘ิ๘ิ๘m not aggressive with the camera, Iิ๘ิ๘ิ๘m more of the type of photographer who wants a little more from the model. If I gotta bend a little thatิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s fine they have to too, either way weิ๘ิ๘ิ๘ll get a good picture. Itิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s like a dance.ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?
ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘Making images honestly, just the idea of making great images, and seeing great images. When I see amazing images, it inspires me and motivates me, to go out there and DO.ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘
WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF IN YOUR LIFE?
ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘One thing that I was proud of for a long, long time was being able to shoot Erykah Badu. I think sheิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s so incredible. She was really sweet and giving with herself. When it came to shooting she had a great attitude and I got a great picture out of it [published in Spin Magazine]. She respects you as an artist.ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘
ANYTHING ELSE? MORE ABSTRACT PROJECTS?
ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘Other things Iิ๘ิ๘ิ๘m doing are portfolios for models and ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘look-booksิ๘ิ๘ิ๘ for designers. And also Iิ๘ิ๘ิ๘m doing video as well. I make videos for designersิ๘ิ๘ิ๘ shows and I also started doing what I call web-based ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘fashion film.ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘ Iิ๘ิ๘ิ๘m not doing the film in the traditional sense with interviews; Iิ๘ิ๘ิ๘m doing something more creative. Itิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s like a magazine editorial in Italian Vogueิ๘ิ๘ิ๘ a twenty page spread of dresses, coats, boots whatever, Iิ๘ิ๘ิ๘m doing that just as a video. Itิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s a little more creative and abstract. No talking, no dialogue, there are no stories, and itิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s not linear [featured on YouTube]. You just see a girl running through the forest, sheิ๘ิ๘ิ๘s got a dress on with no shoes, or weิ๘ิ๘ิ๘re walking to a house and opening the door, just abstract moments where each piece goes together but not in the sense of a traditional story.ิ๘ิ๘ิ๘
There she is: Piper has just finished her first campaign for Vanilla Star Jeans featuring Nastia Liukin USA Olympic Gold medalist; which will be on buses in NYC, and in most teen magazines, like Teen Vogue. She also just finished an editorial in Trace Magazine featuring the model Georgi. She expects to re-launch her brand as beauty and fashion photography in September and has been working in NYC, L.A., Philadelphia and Detroit. For more info, go to www.pipercarter.com.
For the full article, please go to www.willyakowicz.blogspot.com/
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