365 Nus – Interview w/ Fernando Schlaepfer

Former music and fashion photographer, Fernando Schlaepfer runs I Hate Flash, a collective of photographers that work with fashion and music around the globe. A few months ago he started a project called “365 Nus” (365 Nudes), which involves taking a nude portray every day. Curious about how such thing would work, we had a chat with him about his work, future plans and photography in general.

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P: We understand that photography is the one thing you are most passionate about. Among all the types of art out there, what is it about nudes in particular that caught your interest for this project and how did you start it?

F: Most of the jobs I get are related to fashion, where you have to focus on the relation between product and representation of the collection/positioning of the brand. So in order to challenge myself, I wanted to propose something that would give me the opportunity to exercise my creative skills. That was when I thought it would be a good idea to come up with a project of 365 nudes, in which my concerns would be more conceptual and I wouldn’t have to deal with any aesthetic limitations.

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I wasn’t sure how I would manage it, but at the first shot it became clear to me that it was the right thing to do. The first official picture I took was from Mr Hugo aka my grandfather. He was the vice-president of the Naturist Association in Rio de Janeiro for many years. During my teenage years I often visited with him nudist/naturist environments. Although I don’t frequently go to places like that anymore, nor does my grandfather due to his age; it is obvious that the way he sees liberty, detachment and acceptance are still present. Even before I completed my invitation, he had already accepted to participate in the shooting with a big smile on his face. It was when I realized everything would be fine.

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P:  How different for you is artful and tasteful erotic art as opposed to full-on pornography? How do you draw the line between them?

F: Any discussion about the polemic question “what is art?” is a matter of personal opinion. Art is everything one considers art. In my project specifically I don’t mention the sexual act and there is no conscious intention to sexualize the body. And even if I would intend it,  that wouldn’t automatically transform the picture into pornography or “non-art”. So if the question is “how do you draw the line between them?”, the answer would be “I would just doodle”.

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P: We know for a fact that your work is mostly focused on fashion. How did people react to this new idea and how did your knowledge about fashion photography influence the portraits?

F: Since I have some previous personal works in which I treat nudity in a very natural way, my friends weren’t surprised. But for some fashion clients, it was a huge and very good surprise. I believe that some details which are important in a fashion shooting, might be completely irrelevant when there is no clothing in the composition. But there are for sure many ways of looking into a fashion picture that apply to any kind of photography: the aesthetics, the disposition between different themes and also the behaviour of the model who is being photographed.

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P: How do you find your models and choose your location? You shoot both indoors and outdoor. What is the relation between the person photographed and the site of the shooting?

F: Most of the models I photograph are close friends. Very few of them are people who I met through the project, but the ones I did, became good friends too. Sometimes due to the fact I was in a different city/country, I also photographed friends of friends. Funny thing is that after shooting so many people, I realized that most of them obviously have a relation to nudism. Of course all of them get naked (I hope!), but almost all of them also have an opinion on the theme. The thoughts and reasons behind it are infinitely different, varying from self acceptance to overcoming traumas. Both landscape and people also range constantly: I always try to go for locations where the models feel comfortable and preferably that they are somehow related to. And when possible, I like locations that infringe the law.

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P: What will you do after the 365 days are over? Any plans to carry on with a similar project?

F: I definitely won’t start another 365 days project. Maybe I will go on holidays! No, I am kidding. But it is very, very hard to dedicate yourself to such a project when you have other things going on. Also it is non profitable, so when I finish it, I will definitely have to work as much as I used to work before starting 365nus. There were MANY days that I didn’t eat or sleep so I could manage the project. But there is no doubt that I won’t stop photographing nudes and I will also try to keep on going with my personal works. And most likely, I will do both at the same time, but not as an obligation!

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Check out more of his work under:

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365nus | I Hate Flash | facebook

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