How Photographer Virgile Guinard Captures People’s Essences
Above left to right: Marie Agnes Gillot, Lily-Rose Depp and Paolo Sorrentino for Vogue Paris shot by Virgile
Virgile Guinard grew up watching the classics - Kubrick, Keaton, Lynch. He sold some of his dad’s old DVDs and with the money was able to buy a camera, which quickly led to him realising that a classic is most often not shot at home. With some frustrations, twists and turns, he arrived at photography - an admittedly easier medium for him, and one that tickled his fancy with its unpredictable nature.
Since then, Virgile and his camera are virtually inseparable. One thing led to another, and he became a sort of portrait photographer, although portraits are not all he limits himself to. Working in the fashion world, he got discovered by Vogue Paris and since then did jobs for brands such as Jacquemus, Acne Studios and Gucci. In his portraits, Virgile tends to shoot ambassadors of household fashion names, which led to Penelope Cruz, Kristen Stewart, Tilda Swinton, and Cate Blanchett to all sit in front of his lens.
Virgile is an intimate and meticulous photographer - he is led by emotion, colour and light, and always searches for that connection between him and his subject, no matter if that might be a world-famous actor or a model he meets for the first time. His natural and unpretentious style breathes through his images, while he allows for the brand he is shooting for to also shine through with its own creative direction.
As part of LA/PACs partnership with LBB to celebrate French talent and creativity, LBB’s Zoe Antonov spoke to Virgile about his recent breakthrough in directing, the bravery of connecting with his subject and his experience shooting at the Cannes Film Festival.
LBB> Did you always know you would be working in the creative industries? Was there an inkling of that in your childhood or did it happen out of the blue?
Virgile> I've always wanted to make images, yes, at least since my teenage years. During that time, my dad spent all his money buying these amazing DVDs - that's how I discovered Kubrick, Keaton, Lynch, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Max Ophuls, and so on. I think I saw ‘Clockwork Orange’ at an age where you're definitely not supposed to watch it. It was a huge shock for me. I was a curious and playful teen at the time, so I started a business where I was burning my dad's DVDs and selling them to my friends' parents, and honestly, it was a pretty lucrative job. That's how I managed to buy my first camera. It was a really cool Sony mini DV camera.
But then I had a traumatic experience - I thought you could just set up your camera on a tripod and it would make a film like Ozu's. Or that you could walk around with your camera, following your little cousin on his bike, and it would be as cool as ‘The Shining’. I freaked out at the realisation, and since I was super lazy and way too shy to pursue what I actually wanted my films to look like, I gave up.
LBB> How did you collide with photography and what inspired you when you first started taking pictures?
Virgile> From that first frustration with film, I kind of fell back (a bit by default) on photography. It seemed simpler to me, I admit. There were only three settings already. And then there was this kind of magical thing about film photography - the surprise of discovering images a few days later and the grain and texture that it adds to everything. It's addictive.
LBB> Looking at your photography now and comparing it to your first work, what has changed in your style and the ways in which you work?
Virgile> Now, I'm already having a lot more fun than in the beginning, when every unfavourable situation caused me a crazy amount of stress. I've also simplified the game, I used to arrive with all kinds of equipment that made my life more complicated, even though I thought it was the opposite.
Marion Cotillard for Chaos SixtyNine magazine shot by Virgile
LBB> Assuming a lot of people reading this don't know much about portrait photography - can you tell us more about its ins and outs? How does one take a good portrait?
Virgile> I love photos without artifice, not necessarily spectacular. For me, the important thing is to create intimacy, a suspended moment with the person I am photographing. This requires a process of trust with my subjects. I have a formal side that pushes me to idealise the person I am photographing, wherever the photo is taken. I like to keep this intimate and idealised look in my images.
As for portrait techniques, I think it's important to understand the personality of your subject and work together to find the best way to represent them. The use of light is also essential to create an atmosphere that reflects the personality of the subject. But ultimately, the key to a good portrait is to capture the essence of the person, their personality and soul, and convey it through one image.
LBB> Portrait photography is, as you mention, quite the intimate experience and you work with a lot of big names - how do you make sure you establish that connection with your subject and how do you make sure to take a photo of somebody as famous as Penelope Cruz, while making it yours and fresh?
Virgile> At first, it wasn't easy. First of all, I was intimidated and it tended to inhibit me. I had trouble following through with my ideas. But it wasn't always my fault. I remember the very first time - I'm in Cannes, for the festival, and I have to take a portrait of Marion Cotillard. I was so excited, I arrived an hour early and I thought, "I'm going to take a photo here, another one there, oh and then we'll go over there." I was over the moon. I decided to take the first photo through the window and used backlighting in the frame of the image to create a ‘cinema/ glamour’ mood that I thought was cool. Her whole team arrived, and there was already no more room in the room. I explained the idea to her, she was really nice. I pressed the button on the camera, once, twice, I moved a little behind the glass, and then I went to take the picture inside, and her team said, ‘Okay, thanks, we have to go’. I had a mere 14 images on my card, and I had just photographed her through a damn window, when it was a job for beauty... First job, first lesson.
Penelope Cruz and Kristen Stewart by Virgile
LBB> And how did you collide with the world of fashion? Did you always aim at it or did it just happen?
Virgile> I was making images for an online magazine in Paris and I was spotted by the digital team at Vogue Paris. It was a real springboard because the images were being seen by a lot of people in the industry. Vogue is kind of a reference. It was a lot of work and we had to work really fast to deliver the images. It was crazy to find myself in the backstages of the biggest fashion shows all over the world. I also photographed parties with a lot of well-dressed people. It was a really good school, and the team gave me complete creative freedom. At the time, I wanted to avoid using flash, so I played as much as possible with existing lights. This has greatly influenced, even today, my work and my ability to adapt even when there are obstacles.
LBB> Is there a difference between taking a regular portrait compared to taking a portrait for a fashion brand - how do you carry a brand like Chanel through a photo of somebody's face?
Virgile> I tend to photograph in the same way, no matter who is in front of me. In Chanel’s instance, it's such an iconic brand - there are visual codes to respect that I've learned to understand over time. The challenge is to capture the essence of the brand through the portrait, to evoke a sense of elegance and luxury. It is also important to work closely with the brand's creative team to understand its vision. Ultimately, it's about creating a visual language that speaks to the brand's values and aesthetic.
LBB> Tell me about your most challenging project and your best lesson from it?
Virgile> The Cannes Film Festival always has a special flavour. It's long and very tiring, and nothing ever goes as planned. You have an appointment at four in the afternoon to take photos that won't actually happen until six. You find yourself in places that are not at all suitable for taking the photos you had hoped for, but you still have to arrive at the expected result. You wait a lot, you don't really get much sleep. However, you still have some great encounters and learn a lot. A. Lot. It's a good lesson in ego and adaptability.
Wanda Nylon for Vogue by Virgile
LBB> You directed your partner, Alexia Gredy's very first music video. How did that experience compare with photography? How are the two different and similar and do you think you will do more directing in the future?
Virgile> I have always been interested in directing music videos, but I was also scared of failing at it. When Alexia proposed that I direct her first music video, I was excited but also scared. However, after we finished the first video, I knew that we would make more. Since then, I have directed four more music videos, and there will be many more in the future. Directing is a different language to photography, and the energy on set is different too. But I love it because I am surrounded by passionate people (shoutout to Jérôme and Lola), and it's great to make images just for the sake of making images. It takes a lot of work, and it may not be the most financially profitable, but I enjoy unravelling my references and turning them into a personal story.
LBB> You've taken photos for Jacquemus and Gucci - two polar opposite brands when it comes to art direction. Is there a lot of research that you do before you take your
photos, on how you can make your own art direction resonate best with theirs and how does that process work? Is it difficult to switch up your approach so rapidly between brands?
Virgile> I am lucky to work with brands that have such a strong creative direction that it's almost ‘easy’ to integrate my work with theirs. What I mean is that if they approach you, it's rarely with the idea that they will completely change your work - your style corresponds to what they want for their brand at that moment, so they choose you.
For Jacquemus, I've had the chance to accompany them on different projects and it's always been a joy to create images for them. Simon [Porte, founder of Jacquemus] and his team have such an inspiring creative spirit.
Virgile's work for Jacquemus
LBB> How does your art direction and ideation process begin - do you set the colour scheme first, or do you always work off a brief, or do you pick your equipment? What are the steps you take before the photoshoot takes place, and how does it take shape in your head?
Virgile> I don't have a standard process, it really depends on the project and context. Sometimes I'm guided by colours, sometimes by light, and sometimes by emotions. I think the most important thing is to understand the brief and the brand's universe to be able to adapt to it. I often do research and watch films to get inspired. And then I try to talk to the people around me, I ask for their opinions, I listen to other people's ideas. Sometimes it allows me to find paths that I hadn't considered previously. Then, I try to organise a meeting with the people I'm going to photograph, to discuss what we're going to do together. During the shoot, I remain open to unexpected events and try to adapt to what's happening in front of me. That's often where the most interesting images are born.
LBB> What are your biggest inspirations when it comes to art and photography?
Virgile> I'm crazy about cinema. There are too many directors I admire and films that have left a mark on me for me to make a list, and I've always been a big fan of Meyerowitz's work as a photographer.
LBB> What are your passions outside of photography?
Virgile> My family (including Belo, my cat), my friends, and Kylian Mbappé. I won't tell you in what order.
