“Photography is just a tool… a good photograph is like icing on the cake.”

TAXI Hello Virgile, thanks for hopping on TAXI. Could you share with us a little on your background and how you kick started your photography career?

Virgile Simon Bertrand I wanted to be an architect, but while I was studying Applied Arts in Paris, I did a photography workshop and discovered that what I really enjoyed more than taking photographs was the work in the darkroom. Then I went to study graphic design and photography at the National School for Photography in Arles.

The first photograph I licensed was a portrait of a principal dancer Fanny Gaida at the Opera National House in Paris. I was 21 and have never worked as a photo assistant but spent a lot of time going though contact sheets at Magnum Paris. Koudelka and Raymond Depardon were my heroes at the time.

TAXI Coming from a country with such rich cultural background, what made you decide to base yourself in Hong Kong?

Virgile Simon Bertrand I enjoyed growing up in Paris very much - huge diversity of cultures, museums, cinemas - but as I got older, I did a few trips to Asia, including bicycle trips around Japan, Vietnam and Cambodia.

For some inexplicable reason, I always enjoyed being in Asia, and I ended up in Taiwan for a while before settling down in Hong Kong in 1999. I do go to America and Europe regularly to see things that I would be missing otherwise. Hong Kong is quite far behind when it comes to contemporary art and international level museums, oh, and air pollution is a problem. But otherwise, I'm perfectly happy where I am.

TAXI With so many pieces of works under your belt, could you share with us the ones that are closest to your heart?

Virgile Simon Bertrand The 7 minutes with Giorgio Armani were pretty strong - but what I like best is getting to spend time with the ones I photograph. Getting to talk about anything and everything whoever they may be - famous or unknown, rich or poor, it makes no difference to me. Photography is just a tool to get to meet people - a good photograph is like icing on the cake.

TAXI You're known for taking the relationship between people and the spaces they inhibit and putting that elusive quality into your pictures. How is the creative process of arriving at that conclusion like?

Virgile Simon Bertrand More than taking a photograph of someone of something, photography is more like a mirror of the one who is making it.

There is one photographer that made a strong impression on me: Arnold Newman, who captures perfectly structured images with a strong emotional impact. Filmmakers such as Dreyer and Antonioni were also fundamental in my training.

Everything we do is affected by the space around us and that connection - as well as the distance between me and the subject - is really what drives me when I make a photograph. I never became an architect but in a way, photography can contain the same fundamental process in architecture. Writings by Le Corbusier or Louis Kahn told me a lot more than the few critical essays I read about photography (and totally forgot about).

TAXI Photography is emotive by nature. Who are your inspirations? Would you say the way you work is instinctual or more of a well-orchestrated effort?

Virgile Simon Bertrand I'd say that it should be a balance of both. When shooting editorials, I'm free to do whatever I like, and if I get a good connection with the sitter - we can get anywhere ... "Well-Orchestrated" is a requirement on bigger productions and I really enjoy working under pressure with lots of people involved and substantial budgets at stake.

The risk may be that predictability does not mix too well with "flashes" of inspiration. Memorable photographs are often the result of an accident, which tend to be avoided at all costs in the corporate world.

TAXI Do you agree that architectural works by themselves evoke little emotion, and therefore is a particularly challenging genre of photography?

Virgile Simon Bertrand Good architecture is about light, time, sounds, movements, interaction. Architectural photography can only tell that much about the overall experience.

TAXI Before taking a shot, what kinds of elements help you to build a particular scenario or mood that you're aiming for?

Virgile Simon Bertrand I get to walk around the space and let my imagination running without a camera. At some point, I visualize the frame, set the light, and start shooting. It feels like throwing everything up in the air, hoping that everything will fall back into place eventually.

TAXI It's almost impossible to re-create a moment, especially when it comes to taking portraits. How do you ensure you always get your best shot?

Virgile Simon Bertrand That's precisely what is great about portraiture - it's more of an attempt to get it right rather than a guaranteed success. There is a lot involved in the process - getting to talk, telling stories and listening. It can all happen in 3 minutes, 2 hours or even NEVER happen. I like and need the challenge.

TAXI Please share with us an image of your workspace.



TAXI Before we end this interview, tell us, where would you like TAXI to bring you to in any part of this world?

Virgile Simon Bertrand To the National Assembly in Dacca, please.