Keeley Hawes
As an homage to the female-form, Frenchman Antoine Verglas, understands the art of photography. He tries to portray the true beauty of a woman: “One tries not to transform her, one tries to make her inner beauty shine through.”
One thing they all have in common is none of them are overly-styled, no complex make-up or hair-style; it’s all natural. His shoots are appropriate for completely simple natural women, “I love women for what they are.”
The 34 year old, who first handled a camera at the age of 7, now specialises in photographs for beauty and fashion magazines that are renowned internationally — from 1989 working his way from Paris to New York.
“It is easy to deal with photography in which women are portrayed as themselves, in a relaxed atmosphere with their natural confidence, understanding the situation and how intimate it can be… I don’t force anything, expect nothing, just what comes as a result of the models respective personalities.”
He says of his work with the British ex-model turned actress, Keeley Hawes: “I could not do it, could not guide her… therefore I left her to simply be spontaneous and unrestrained with the work, she was very relaxed and playful.”
Keeley is a woman who’s going to go far, her life imitating her art: in Dennis Potters’ Karaoke, where she plays a model giving up everything to become an actress.
Two years ago the 18 year old daughter of a taxi driver from London had left drama school, given up on acting and had become a model. It was on catwalks, magazine covers and a Clearasil commercial, that she began her career only to end up rehearsing in bed with Richard E. Grant in Potter’s film.
“I thought, because nobody had said we had started filming, that it was just us” she remembers. “Then I came out trembling and discovered more than 400 people had been watching us on the monitors, it was then I plucked up my courage, went back in and did it again.”
“It’s great to be an actress… I failed miserably as a model. I’ve forgotten about that and I’m now concentrating on my future as an actress. Be it acting for Luc Besson, or playing a female vampire… I really am ready for everything.”
(Source: Translated from German by keeley-hawes.co.uk)