The Magic of Enzo Beretta
Few images ever seen have created such impact
with such simplicity and style. interview by Mark Richardson
Enzo Beretta creates what seems impossible with his camera. The highly complex artist and master explorer of light and movement creates original prints displaying unparalleled depth and dimension. His work sets a new direction in photo-illustration.
I asked him his thoughts about the development of his style that he calls syncopated movement, a result of 20 years of work and skill in photography.
M: How did this style come about from your photographic background?
E: It involves an idea dating back to my college days, but recently developed several years ago during my first trip to Asia when I realized my travel photos offered nothing new. My objective list of requirements was to: 1 - create a unique visual style, 2 - create exhibit style images, 3 - reflect the culture without intrusion of privacy, and most importantly, 4 - get back to doing unadulterated photography in the most creative way possible without altering the images digitally other than enhancement.
M: Thats a challenging list, what events made this all come about?
E: I looked at the past for answers. Several things came to mind. During my college days in Manhattan, as VP of Publications and news photo editor my social affiliations gave me access to exclusive events and places like Studio54 in Manhattan were the creative community and celebrities gathered. Though my contacts I photographed Kelly Emberg, a top model with over 100 international magazine covers. I experimented by shooting slow speed motion photos of her dressed in leather couture horse riding outfits, branding a whip and running around in a large 1000 square meter studio in Chelsea. When I took the pictures to ad agencies they were all amazed that a student could have worked with one of the worlds most requested models. However I was told that the pictures were blurry and that I needed to use a fast electronic flash to stop motion when doing jumping pictures. It was implied that I should have shot a world famous model sharp and in focus, to impress people. Everyone missed the point, it was a creative expression, and the famous personality was just coincidental. I have always been highly technical with photographic skills and with access to the best equipment money could buy. They didn't get it. Professionals, should have known that the work needs to be judged based on creativity and quality, not by who is featured in the work.
Trying to develop a new style, I experimented with a rare Nikon F2H High Speed camera I was given after college. Believing I could benefit by the pellicle mirror system of this equipment, I had two others sent directly from Japan. At the time I believed that equipment could be used as a substitute for creative skills and I was dependent on the instrument for technical superiority. I now know a creative individual is only free to the extent of his own self-mastery, and as it turned out I still have those rare cameras sitting brand new in their box never used. As a professional today I believe in dedicating myself to mastering technique, not to use as a substitute for creative inspiration, but to be in full possession of the skills needed when inspiration does come.
My work with top models lead me to employment with Italy’s and Europe's largest model and talent agency, living with and photographing models on a 315 acre water front historical estate. My position and close affiliation with the owner gained me first hand insight into the model and fashion industry in a way only few people are privy to. It was the early eighties and we were part of an elite crowd. For almost 15 years, I continued to work in the fashion industry wile dating and living with the same model for 10 years, giving me further inside perspective from a models view.
M: That sounds like an amazing story, how the change from models to your project "Life in Motion"?
E: Yes, It was a unique and an amazing time. The reason I brought this up however is that after 15 years of shooting 1000’s of models, I one day looked at 1000's of boxes of slides and I realized only a few images had any exhibit value. It was simple to see that although my work was technically proficient it lacked exhibit quality due to its commercial nature. I had a difficult time finding photos I could hang on my wall. I mean, do you really what some catalog model or a sexy model showing off the latest lingerie on your wall? What do you show as a retrospective of your work, that the hairstyles and makeup was dreadful at some time? Do you see what I’m saying, no one really cares, its all really meaningless. I hate to say it but its true, unless the shot was extremely unique or historically significant. Another experience came to mind, making dye transfer prints during an internship with one of the worlds only laser dye transfer labs in the world that used direct separations from a 5000 dpi laser to make prints that were remarkable in quality and color. Equally impressive was the atheistic beauty captured perfectly in the originals without retouching or alteration.
Years later when the computer industry started to develop digital photo tools I began to experiment with systems like Sun and Silicon Graphics. I went around showing corrected images on my Powerbook 180. People were skeptical it had any use in fashion untill I created what may be the first digitally composited female beauty image. It was published in 1995 and latter in 1997 in a fashion book called "The Style Engine," by Pitti Press.
My skills helping advertising agencies and top photographers that relied on post production experts like myself to make their sloppy work look good by image correction, detoured my career. Today the people that I'd trained in digital imaging are dependent on retouching and corrections for their photography. This dependency like any type of dependency concerns me, and when I realized I was substituting a computer for a camera, I knew it was time to find a way to change.
One cold day in NY during a talent casting, an Asian model offered me a trip to a warm Asian country with her in exchange for beauty shots and promotional marketing help. At the time I was so involved with computer work that my photograph had further shifted to internet marketing using my skills and knowledge of techniques developed by brilliant psychologists like Erickson and Lüscher. The work was both visual and text based. Using large databases we could reach special interest groups in the 100's of thousands. Welcome to the internet, its powerful to destroy the reputation of a company or bring down a government, such as what took place in Finland. The photos from this trip to Asia directed me back on track doing photography. I now spend as much as five months a year shooting and vacationing in Asia for my Life in Motion collection.
M: How is shooting this work different from the advertising work you do?
E: Advertising work is simple, controlled and predictable, especially when working together with top talent. On the other hand because my “Life in Morion” work is not planned and my environment changes by the second, it is exciting and pushes my skills to the limit. It's challenging because not only does the picture need to be creatively atheistic, but it also needs to be shot successfully at very slow speeds. This not only requires a high degree of skill, but before a shot is taken many factors need to be evaluated in a split second or you miss your shot. With reportage work there are no second chances, you have to think very quickly.
M: Do you shoot models with this style?
E: My work is primarily advertising & marketing, but I still do some fashion and beauty on request by people that have known me for some time. Most of my requests are for beauty and personality photos due to my strong lighting and beauty skills. My retouching skills are rarely necessary and this makes the person photographed feel good about themselves. As for fashion, I am always available for any assignment. I dont shoot political or staged events, unless by special invitation and I dont shoot violence or exploitive disparagingly denigrative material.
M: Are there places or cities you prefer to shoot?
E: Yes, but as a professional it really doesn't matter to me. Every place is special and gives me a unique look. There are some unpredicable issues with some countries, including constantly changing Visa regulations without notice. Bangkok holds a special place with me as the people of Thailand do, that I have an affinity for. I have over several thousand remarkable images. It may be the most comprehensive documentation of its kind. I hope it will one day be used for an exhibit and book to benefit the less fortunate people of it’s country that helped make the images so notable and colorful. As for proposals for the use of the images I am always easily approachable and I also welcome the privilege of photographing any city for tourism, promotion or other use.
M: As a marketing expert, how are you marketing this work?
E: I do little marketing on this work due to time, I should do more but I have always kept extremely low key. The work is relatively unadvertised but well educated people recognize it, understand it and appreciate it immediately. The real magic of this work is that the images come to life when exhibited. As you've noted the images tends to give an optical effect of three dimensional depth that pulls you in from a distance. The color saturation and luminosity are remarkable in part due to my printing system. Companies whose products I use like Schneider Optics, exhibited some of my images taken with their superb line of B+W filters, and on my request Tamrac, Inc., USA was kind to supply me with some of the finest photo bags on the market to protect my equipment. Of course you will always run into those that dont get it, they're also the same people that can’t distinguish between intaglio engraving and thermally raised text, they should not be doing advertising or marketing.