Back to selection
Shooting the 25 New Faces
Michel Gondry For a stretch from the aughts into the 2010s, Richard Koek was our 25 New Faces photographer. He’d meet our young selections in their homes, in restaurants and on the street, always returning with creative, alive images. He also shot several stunning covers for us, including the Safdie Brothers for Uncut Gems and Barry Jenkins, Wyatt Cenac and Tracey Heggins for Medicine for Melancholy. Here, he remembers his early process and two specific shoots: Michel Gondry and Lena Dunham. — Scott Macaulay
Filmmaker asked me for several years to photograph emerging directors for its 25 New Faces section. As a beginning photographer, it was inspiring to be paired with artists also at the start of their journeys. Hearing about their victories, their doubts, and watching them manage themselves on the other side of the camera was a treat.
I guess Scott trusted my way of seeing because he always gave me complete creative freedom, which helped me develop confidence in my own visual language. Lena Dunham, who was featured in 2009’s 25 New Faces, was selected after her short mid-length Creative Nonfiction, a year before her pre-Girls breakout, Tiny Furniture. While I shot, she discussed museums and art exhibits. I couldn’t follow her conversations much because, back then, I didn’t know much about what was happening in the cultural world. Lena was kind and sweet and felt comfortable because she had a girlfriend present. They were chatting away. The shot here was a short moment when she put her guard down, a split second of vulnerability. I made sure that the photograph of her mother was featured in the background.
Those early assignments were the perfect preparation for photographing the well-known names I was able to work with afterward. Running into some of these young filmmakers, years later, on the red carpet at The Gotham Awards has been a great reminder that dedication and perseverance can pay off!
I shot director Michel Gondry for Filmmaker’s winter 2008 cover. Michel was editing, and we agreed to take this photo at the place where he edited. He was OK that I decorated him with video tape to refer to his latest project, Be Kind Rewind. He was friendly but extremely tired. He is of French descent, so I imagined capturing him like a French emperor.
When I started out shooting the 25 New Faces, I would bring stands and flashes and only slowly embraced the use of ambient light. Today, I try to work with as little equipment as possible, and one camera is enough.
(For more images, see Filmmaker‘s print edition.)
