Fashion Photography, The Collaboration of Tiziano Magni & Peter Rundqvist, Telling Stories with Light
Experienced musicians sometimes speak of the unspoken language between them when they play. When Herbie Hancock remembered his old boss, Miles Davis, he called it, "The thread that connected us."
When everybody in a band understands the thread of that language, boundaries are explored, abilities get stretched, the group becomes one, and audiences go home delighted. That connective thread is similar to the bond between renowned photographer Tiziano Magni and View Imaging's master retoucher, Peter Rundqvist. Together, they’ve built a 15-year body of collaborative work in high-end photography and retouching.
In the world of fashion, the photographer’s goal is to visually arrest you within a microsecond. Their muse is the human form. To capture it, they employ depth of field, composition, cropping, and the raw talent and experience they’ve honed from years of studying expressions, bodies, and movements. But before they snap that first picture, the photographer and retoucher need to be speaking the same visual language. They need to understand the intent of what they're doing and how they're going to get there. So, Tiziano and Peter get together before a shoot and share ideas. They know that once they're on set, they become visual storytellers. And the stories they tell must immediately capture attention and make an unforgettable impression.
The
Alignment of
Two Worlds
Originally from Italy, Tiziano took his first photograph at six years old. Even at such a young age, he knew photography would be his life’s pursuit. By age 14, he had his own darkroom. His biggest influences were Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, and Irving Penn, and he has since gone on to develop his own influential style in fashion photography. A style that is, in Peter's opinion, always changing and relentlessly inventive. "The cool thing about Tiziano is he doesn't copy anyone," Peter says. "Not even himself. But then he gets copied by photographers around the world, shaping photography industry trends."
Meanwhile, Peter grew up in Sweden, worked as an illustrator, then fell in love with photography. Along the way, he became an early pioneer of digital retouching, fascinated by both its challenges and opportunities. He worked in numerous countries, eventually joining Harper's Bazaar, where he did countless covers and campaigns. Then, in 2007, he founded View Imaging, a leading creative production studio. Very shortly after that, Tiziano's and Peter's worlds converged, creating a duo focused on producing high-quality work together.
The
Language of
Light
"Photography is a language," Tiziano explains. "It's not a box or a button. The word comes from the Greeks. It's a composite of words; 'light' and 'graph', or, 'drawing.' So, a photographer is somebody who writes stories with light." Over his groundbreaking career, Tiziano has captured many stories, setting new standards in the fashion industry. He was the eye behind iconic Calvin Klein ads featuring Kate Moss and Mark Wahlberg. He's shot a long list of supermodels, actresses, singers, and sports figures. His work has graced numerous covers of Marie Claire, Vogue, Schon!, Maxim, Elle, and many others. And, of all the retouchers he's worked with, his far and away favorite is Peter.
"The first time we worked together was for Mix Magazine," Peter remembers. "I did a digital capture for him on set. Afterward, when we sat next to each other during the retouching process, I just really understood his visual language. It made sense to me."
© Calvin Klein | Photography by Tiziano Magni
"'Retoucher' is such a limited word," Tiziano muses. "It suggests covering mistakes. No. With Peter, his retouching helps bring to life a vision that was already there in my head. It was something we had already discussed and understood. That's our connection."
Abundant
Technology
but Not Depth
After 15 years of working together, the bond between Tiziano and Peter has only gotten stronger and deeper. Of course, in today's world of color-correcting filters, Photoshop, and emerging AI, the question of abundant technology and whether or not the connective thread between photographer and retoucher is even relevant has to be broached. Neither Tiziano nor Peter rejects technology. Indeed, both realize how important change is in their industry — an industry keen on photography trends and advancements in digital photography. But they also recognize that the value of human collaboration between experts in their fields is incalculable and never going to change.
"You can write with a pen, you can write with a computer, you can write with light," Tiziano observes. "But what's important is the depth of the story."
Peter agrees. "Anyone can remove an element from an image, but we (at View Imaging) realize entire visions the client had in mind. We translate feelings as much as visuals, and we also take into consideration the final use. Is what we're shooting going to be a billboard, magazine cover, e-commerce? This gets into advising photographers about how to shoot optimally for the use case, which is very important."
Another question needs to be asked: How do clients' visions and expectations weave into this collaboration? "You have to be very responsible about time," Tiziano replies. "Satisfy the client's expectations. That's always first. But then, try to make things a little better. You do that in steps. Degrees. So, in the end, the client has choices. And with choices, there is freedom. So, there is always this balance between commerce and creativity, a balance crucial in fashion photography."
The Next Level
The fashion shoot itself is just one stage in the lifespan of fashion photography, filled with concepting, sketching, location scouting, model casting, and creative direction. But once the shoot is over, Peter notes, "the next phase of work begins." That connective thread between photographer and retoucher starts to sew together a larger story involving client objectives, media uses, scalability, and setting new visual standards. "Depending on the client and discussions with Tiziano," Peter says, "the list of things a retoucher might do is endless. What do we need to bring out of the image? The beauty is there, but it's knowing how to make it stand out. It could be the way a model stands, or their smile. It could be the beautiful glass highlights of a perfume bottle. Sure, there are filters and software you can use, and they're all fine — but they're all mainstream. Everybody has those filters, and you can spot them. In artful retouching, you don't see them. If I do my job correctly, nobody sees what I've done. When clients come to us, whether it's fashion, product, or e-commerce, it's because we provide more than the mainstream."
"If I do my job correctly, nobody sees what I've done."
~ Peter Rundqvist
© ZOO Magazine | Photography by Tiziano Magni | Retouching by View Imaging
The Importance of Play
Rising above the mainstream requires something else — and both Tiziano and Peter used the same word independently. Each project requires a certain amount of "playing."
"There have been many times in the retouching process where I'm just experimenting, playing actually," Peter reports, "and Tiziano would say, 'Stop! I like that.'" Conversely, Tiziano concludes, "Peter has the capacity to interpret things correctly. This frees me to do different things. Be spontaneous." Then Tiziano remembers the French literary theorist and philosopher Roland Barthes, who said that photography "creates a livable moment that touches the viewer."
© ZOO Magazine | Photography by Tiziano Magni | Retouching by View Imaging
© Schon | Photography by Tiziano Magni | Retouching by View Imaging
Circling Back to Light, Best Advice, and Goosebumps
That connective thread — telling stories in photography — all eventually circles back to the knowledge of light and how to use it. “There is no other photographer I’ve worked with who has Tiziano’s feel for light,” Peter concludes. “He’s really a bit of a genius.” Insofar as advice for the next generation of photographers, Tiziano wants those coming up behind him to “go into the darkroom and know how to use it. When you do, you’ll learn more about depth of field, how to work with light, and how to print.” Peter similarly has words of advice for rising retouchers. “Know how to draw. Don’t ignore the original craft. Learn how to treat textures manually as opposed to just filters. At View Imaging, we don’t hire retouchers who can’t draw. You need to understand perspective, shadows, depth of field, and so on. Believe me; it makes a difference.”
Naturally, when you’re talking to Tiziano Magni, who’s worked with everyone from Iman to Julianne Moore to Cindy Crawford, one can’t resist asking if he has any special memories of personalities he’s worked with. He doesn’t have to think long about an answer. He vividly remembers two assignments that gave him “goosebumps.”
The first was an assignment for Interview Magazine, where his subject was Lauren Bacall. “She arrived alone at an ABC studio,” he recalled. “No agent, publicist — just her. And, of course, I was young. She asked, ‘Are you nervous?’ And I said, ‘Yes. Very!’ She replied, ‘Don’t worry about it, kid. You’re going to take a great picture. I’ve seen your work.’”
© Esquire Magazine | Photography by Tiziano Magni
The next was when he was assigned to Detroit shooting Aretha Franklin.
“For many reasons, I had to wait a long time for her. Hours. And by the time she arrived, I had only like five minutes to shoot. But she delivered. She was such a powerful woman.”
An appropriate end to a piece that started out referencing musicians.
When asked if there is a dream assignment — a story with light that he and Peter have yet to tell — once again, Tiziano doesn’t think long about an answer:
“The next shoot. The story we’ll tell tomorrow.”
Header Image © ZOO Magazine | Photography by Tiziano Magni | Retouching by View Imaging
Footer Image © Sophie Theallet | Photography by Tiziano Magni | Retouching by View Imaging
Special thanks to:
Schon | Iman | Styled by Lejenke
Sophie Theallet | Model Hind Sahli | Styled by Sophie Theallet
ZOO Magazine | Model Alana Potter
ZOO Magazine | Model Sara Blomqvuist
ZOO Magazine | Styled by Joanne Blades
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