ALEX CAMERON

At Marfa Stance we are huge fans of photographer Alex Cameron’s work. There is an honesty, mystery and a reality to her photography, shooting herself and her subjects in natural light. Georgia met with Alex in their hometown of Cambridge and asked her to shoot a series of entrepreneurial muses who are change makers and leaders in their own industries, including herself, in her beautiful and individual style. Each muse inspires how we can wear Marfa Stance so individually and personally, whoever you are and wherever you go.

Alex Cameron is a photographer who specialises in natural light and portraiture. She lives in Cambridgeshire with her boyfriend, Will and their dog, Bunty and is inspired by film, textures and natural day light as much as she is drawn to the aesthetic of the 60s and 70s.

#marfamuse


ON A CAREER IN PHOTOGRAPHY

I was a loud child -one of four- who grew up near Stanstead. I was the middle girl and dyslexic and I learnt to be loud and love performing. I really wanted to act and was always doing art or something creative that eventually I decided to do a film degree. Working with film can take weeks, months, years even and I soon realised I loved the immediacy of photography. In my final year, I bought my first SLR and never looked back.

ON PHOTOGRAPHERS, FILM DIRECTORS AND TEXTURES

Sophia Coppola was a big inspiration. I love the dreaminess and muted tones in her films. There are beautiful scenes in the Virgin Suicides and Marie Antoinette which are shot outside at sunset and these golden hour moments mixed with really soft stills inside. She has a way of filming people, which as much as it is aesthetically beautiful, is also quite character driven.

I’ve also been really inspired by Cameron Crowe of Almost Famous which is my all time favourite film. I’m definitely drawn to the 60s and 70s. The work of Tim Walker has also inspired, particularly as his pictures aren’t manipulated in post production and I grew up in an age where my peers were strongly manipulating in photoshop because technology in film was really changing at that point.

What I loved about his work was that he creates these completely wonderful, fantastical sets but they feel so real. I love how immersive his work is and I have a series called the Giant series which is heavily influenced by his work.

ON THE MOOD CURRENTLY

Well we’ve just come out of a couple of years which have been really challenging. We talk about it a lot with Gen Z and wanting to know their thoughts but the thing I notice most is this need for acceptance. I think back to my life in 2009 with its gossip magazines and diet culture, only one type of woman being displayed in the media and the general lack of diversity. It was very prescriptive 10-15 years ago.

I re-watched Ugly Betty a few months ago and it was so interesting to recall the way people spoke to each other. The series centres on how people dress and making fun of other people’s cultures as well as the size and shape of the main character and the way she dresses, which ironically is ahead of her time as she is a Gucci model now.

It’s wonderful and refreshing though that there are more people who are represented. Gen Z is championing LGBT plus and different sizes and diversity and pretty much saying, whoever you are is great. What I’ve noticed too is that if you work on a project which isn’t very representative, it feels wrong. And that’s a change.

ON OPENING UP A CONVERSATION

Black Lives Matter saw a huge shift which we so needed to happen. It’s very positive. I grew up in diet culture and I have very poor self-esteem which I’m constantly working on. But I see more and more women coming into my studio who are so self- accepting. We have one life and it’s not just about acceptance, it’s about celebration.

ON VARIETY

As I was getting into photography, I observed that some photographers are only known for one thing. I love it all: documentary photography, fashion, portrait, location, landscape, all kinds. But yes I do gravitate towards natural light, and recently, light when it comes through a window is very beautiful.

Interview by Carolyn Asome