A Few Words With Melbourne Photographer Piers Fitton

Piers Fitton – Photographer based i Melbourne Australia, His work has a theme of people and identity. Photographing many things we fell for his fashion photos and got a few word with him.

What inspires you?

I grew up in the heart of Melbourne city, in fact I still live here. Growing up in a concrete jungle has influenced me since I was a kid, I took constant inspiration from my surroundings, the culture, fashion, style, and general city aesthetic. I can see a lot of that inspiration in my work to date.

I am motivated by the energy of cities all around the world. Especially huge metropolis like London and Tokyo. The diversity of the people and the energy… the first time I ever played around with a camera was when I was 12 years old navigating the streets of London with family. I still love to document the people I meet overseas and who I see day to day on foreign streets. But I always come back to Melbourne.

Melbourne is and isn’t like other cities I’ve been. We have a sense of being relaxed. We are fashion- forward… people here care about fashion but I don’t see it as being ‘loud’. Fashion here can be quite simple and neutral with a focus on style. Of course, there’s a lot of diversity in that too.

My focus in photography is people and fashion in the context of the city. I photograph people with a common interest in fashion. I want to share their personal fashion choices, their personal sense of self-expression. People are relatable, that’s why they’re interesting.

Photographers such as Ben Clement therefore inspire my work. He photographs fashion in a non-traditional sense. It never feels staged. I want my work to feel equally as organic, atmospheric and contextual. For me it must feel fresh.

How does your workflow usually look like during a shoot?

Not much is planned, basically a location is chosen and then we go with the flow. If I’m photographing fashion it’s all about who the subject is and their self-expression, so I never choose a full wardrobe. Natural, ambient lighting helps achieve this relaxed feel to a shoot while it’s happening and this is expressed in the final product… preferably in the afternoon sun so light isn’t as harsh. This also creates shadow and therefore adds dimension to the image.

If they’re not already a friend of mine (I take quite a bit of inspiration from my own friends) I also like to spend time with the subject, get to know them… this makes them more comfortable in front of the camera so we can simply hang out and document what goes on.

Whilst one on one shooting can achieve a more personal, organic shoot and end product, I also love working with teams. Everyone can contribute their ideas and this makes for a more dynamic project… someone might show us their favourite hidden location, or bring along their personal favourite piece of clothing to contribute… collaborating always means a fresh result.