Interview with photographer Dylan Perlot
Young and brilliant, Dylan Perlot is an artist to keep an eye on. Not only because of his
history, which brings together Europe and the US, mixing scenarios, cultures and values. But also, and especially, because of his artistic vision powerful and detailed. So much so that one single medium has never been enough for him, and his inspiration asked to be declined in many different ways, from photography to movies.
In the interview, we discuss with him about social media and the never ending possibilities they give to emerging artists, about his past works and especially about 2020, which has been full of satisfactions for Dylan. His photos have been published in some of the most important fashion magazines (Vogue, Harper’s Baazar and L’Officiel, but also Numéro and Cosmopolitan) and he collaborated with several brands’ advertisements. But his career took off also thank to the prizes and recognitions he won, which affirm even more his already vastly appreciated work.
Perlot’s shot LOVE IS LOVE won Best Photograph at Moody Crab Film Fest and at
L’Age d’Or International Arthouse Film Festival in India. It has also been featured in other competitions, the Fine Art Photography Awards among others. With the UNITED series, Perlot has been a finalist at the Belgrade Photo Month and will be exhibited at the Panoramic Festival in Spain this coming October.
Perlot’s density of his photos and the richness of levels of his work build up a language
able to go beyond borders (geographically and stylistically), speaking to the heart of
everybody. This is, after all, what we love the most about photography: it does not have
limits and makes us all the same, in front of beauty.
In the latest period you have been – like most of us – locked up in your house. The pandemic and its aftermaths sped up the already fast growing digital expansion and we have been spending more and more of our time online. What is your approach to social media, on a career level? What are the changes they brought to photography?
I love social media because they bring so much new inspiration to me. Being able to look at and connect with artists from around the world is really amazing. Be active on these platforms definitely helped my career a lot. Nowadays, everything is digital – even more now. It can be a good thing. However, with Instagram, for example, everyone can pretend to be a photographer, so it definitely changed the photography industry. You really have to make a difference in order to be recognized for your talent.
Social media have somehow lowered our attention span, because of the vast and constant load of information we receive on a daily basis. Most of the time we just “scroll down” our homepage and nothing really catches our attention. Does this aspect affect your creative process?
I feel like you definitely need to know what you’re looking for when you’re scrolling down social media for creative process purposes, or you might just get lost into it. I always save random inspo that I see and I’ll go look back at them later on, when I’m needing references to create a specific mood board. It’s always a great way to start my creative process!
Digital media are usually perceived as a facilitator for everybody wishing to start a career as photographer/content creator/etc. Speaking of photography, which platform is the most useful today, for a young artist taking the first steps?
Instagram is for sure the best platform for that. It allows you to create your page and universe to look like a professional portfolio and of course it helps you connect with creatives from everywhere, who have a similar style to yours. It is always a great way to learn and grow as an artist.
We have indeed the impression that you really like the idea of helping new talents breaking into the scene, is that so? First of all, because of your webinars on photography, held on Zoom, which is a great initiative. How did you like the experience? Are you planning to keep it going in the near future?
I always love teaching new talents what I’ve learnt over the years as a fashion photographer. Being able to share my specific tips based on my experience is a great way for young photographers to hear from someone that was once like them, starting and being passionate about photography. I really enjoyed the last Zoom class I hosted about shooting with natural light. It’s always been my favorite kind of lighting, so being able to tell people all the techniques I’ve come to learn from all the different shoots I’ve done is really amazing! I can’t wait to hold more photography classes in the future, stay tuned for the next one!
This year you have also been juror for an art competition, Black and White 2020, hosted by Camelback Gallery. Its goal is to help both emerging and experienced artists to improve their exposure on an international level. What are the characteristics you look for in artists and pieces of art?
I first look for creativity, that thing that makes an artist different from others. Then, I want to feel the passion someone has put into their art. It’s very important for me to feel some sort of story they’re telling through their piece of art.
And what do you look for in your subjects? You have worked with several brilliant names, such as Daphne Guinness (and your work with her is thrilling!). Which type of relationship do you build with them during the shooting? Photography, as much as other art forms, can create a sort of personal connection – between photographers and subjects: do you agree?
Thank you so much for the kind words, working with Daphne Guinness was truly a milestone in my career. I love getting inspired by the subject I’m photographing. Working with other artists, like Daphne for example, totally brings me inspiration right away in order to create new art. It’s great to feed off each other’s inspirations and backgrounds when shooting with creative talents and I think that’s the most unique relationship during a shoot. I would therefore totally agree that photography or other art forms create a personal connection between photographers and subjects. It really brings everyone and their creativity together into one image.
2020 has been a good year for you! You took part in several exhibitions and contests: the Fine Art Photography Award and the Belgrade Photo Month among others. In both cases Love was the subject of your photos. We especially liked the message attached to your United picture for the Belgrade Photo Month – and we want to quote you: “The strong link between two partners in a couple is shown through complimentary clothing […] Differences bring us together, and having all the couples wearing the same simple white tank tops and underwear in the same photo was the perfect visual way to show unity among our differences”. How can photography and fashion together change the way we perceive our world?
I loved working on these contests and exhibitions. I feel like my role as a fashion photographer is to – even when I’m being creative – be real and depict the world for how it is. Of course, fashion photography lets you create whatever vision you want, but I feel like there is always truth and strong messages about the society we live in, in a picture. Thus, I always hope my work inspires people in some ways, how they perceive our world. Photography and fashion are two strong art forms and combining them together can create powerful imagery, which is always my ultimate goal.
