Art has always been a big influence.
We had large paintings on the walls
emile W
e first noticed the
photographic art of Emile
Maximillian Ashley while
looking over images from eco-
Maximillian designer Leila Hafzi’s 2010 Bridal
Collection. Flashback to the first six
ashley
pages of our last edition and the
gossamer gowns that literally
danced their way across each page.
There was an intuitive quality to the
FASHION pictures that seemed to bring
PHOTOGRAPHER Leila’s designs to life. A perfect
pairing, an amazing panoply w
here photographic function
“My favorite setting gracefully merged with form and
fashion. The results of this symbiotic
is putting mystery into pairing of art forms so intrigued us
that we were compelled to contact
the images so people Emile. The following is a portion of
our interview.
who see them stop …
ADS: Please give us a bit of back-
and wonder for a ground information: Where you’re
from originally? When your interest
moment.” in photography began? How you
settled in Oslo, etc?
Emile: I was born in London but
consider myself Norwegian since
I’ve been living here since age five.
of my family home: Dutch masters
with figurative classical images. My
involvement in photography grew
from working as a diving instructor
and taking underwater photos. I was
fortunate enough to work for one of
Norway’s best photographers, who
was an assistant to Richard Avedon
in New York. I also studied
photography in Florence … amazing
art galleries there! Currently I have a
photo studio on the west coast of
Norway in the oil city of Stavanger.
ADS: How did you originally connect
with Ms. Hafzi and why do you think
your visions blend so beautifully?
Emile: Well, I’ve known Leila for a
long time and have admired her
work since she first started. It must
be 15 years ago when I saw her first
fashion show, and her collection was
already eco-friendly and ethical.
Working with her is surprisingly
easy because we [inherently]
understand each other regarding the
feelings the images reflect. We kind
of jump into things from the start of
each shoot and improvise as
we go along.
ADS: Which subjects spark your
creative vision? Which do you find
most challenging and which have
been the most fun?
Emile: I guess my interest lies mostly
in pictures of people. I’m not into
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ADISTINcTIvE STylE mAGAzINE 71