Timothy Saccenti: I Like to Choose Artists to Work With Whose Music I Love
After attending the School of Visual Arts in New York City I took the route of assessing some great photographers, including David LaChapelle, Mile Aldridge and Platon. At this point in time it was extremely difficult to learn about lighting and photography techniques, and especially the psychology of it unless you were on-set. There weren’t YouTube “how to” videos, one had to be in the mix with the actual photography of the time. It was a very exciting time and place to be and I learnt more than I can remember from these greats. However, like all artists, I felt there were images I wanted to see that weren’t being made, a point of view that wasn’t being expressed.
Skrillex
This was connected to my love of electronic music and the art around it, in New York, and the world at this time period it was quite new and exciting. I attempted to create new images that reflected the new attitudes and visions that this music and art energy created. From there I was quite lucky to work with many of my friends, who went on to become musical legends, such as LCD Soundsystem and Flying Lotus. As their music and sound developed in our creative scene so did my work, eventually evolving into music videos, art installation pieces and the like.
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_02.jpg”, “text”: “Pharrell”}
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_04.jpg”, “text”: “Tricky”}
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_06.jpg”, “text”: “M83”}
Every project is different, and music and portrait work is very very different than my advertising work, as far as process. Generally, in advertising, I receive a brief of what the client is looking for. They are usually coming to me to get a certain energy or look and feel. Then I respond to them via my agents with my ideas to how to approach it visually and we build from there.
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_07.jpg”, “text”: “Kid-In Magazine”}
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_08.jpg”, “text”: “Kid-In Magazine”}
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_09.jpg”, “text”: ” Oneohtrix Point Never”}
With portraiture and more personal work sometimes I am contacted by a record label or artist and if it seems a good fit we collaborate together on the ideas. Currently the artists I work with are often very visually literate, the world now allows artists to not just be musicians, but also have an understanding of visual art and film, due to the Internet/Tumbler etc..it’s a very exciting time because in the past most of the musicians were not as open to that dialogue.
Phantogram
I like to choose artists to work with whose music I love, but that also can bring something to the process visually, that have some element of interest and are interested in being photographed..this is not everyone.. But as for the legends, I’d still love to work with Bjork at some point, I think we could create some magic together.
For myself, usually the latest project I am working on is my favorite. I’m working on a series of print books with the designer BUILD.
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_20.jpg”, “text”: “With Build”}
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_21.jpg”, “text”: “With Build”}
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_22.jpg”, “text”: “With Build”}
I think a bad album cover doesn’t help with sales, but I believe that most people are buying music now without knowing what the album cover looks like until they buy it.
Simple ideas still work the best, you cannot beat the emotional connection of a large face on an album cover, even if it is distorted or manipulated.
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_23.jpg”, “text”: “With Build”}
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_24.jpg”, “text”: “With Build”}
The first ingredient to a great music video is a great song. There can be no way around that. So I am very picky about the songs I choose for my music videos. There are many ways to have a great video now though: sometimes it is a simple story, sometimes a really great gimmick, such as in some of Gondry’s best pieces.
I think for me I do like to see the performance and feel the visceral quality of the music, so that is my approach, and then we wrap it in the texture and tone of the music. But mostly it is all done by intuition.
Phantogram
My roots are in the underground music world, so I always come home to that. Now that the larger world, of say Usher/Depeche Mode/Drake etc is connected more to the underground world I tend to move between them more..And I feel comfortable in both worlds. I am happy to try to bring an interesting edge to a big artist or even a big client that is a brand.
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_10.jpg”, “text”: “Squarepusher”}
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_11.jpg”, “text”: “”}
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_12.jpg”, “text”: ” Big Sean”}
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_13.jpg”, “text”: “Kelela”}
All projects have their nightmare moments, but during our video shoot for Depeche Mode’s “heaven” video we had to shoot the “tree of life” sequence in a swamp outside of New Orleans. After filming it, we went back to our truck to find it stuck in the mud and covered with fire ants. I still have scars from the ants though!
Plain Pump
Depeche Mode are heroes. It’s quite difficult to create something new with a band with such a strong visual history, but we tried to mix my world and their world and bring a new perspective…even a bit more humor to them.
I often work on a sliding scale for the smaller artists, they are the ones usually who are doing the bravest work so it can be very rewarding to work with them as they start out.
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_16.jpg”, “text”: “Charli XCX”}
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_17.jpg”, “text”: “Charli XCX”}
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_18.jpg”, “text”: ” Flying Lotus”}
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_19.jpg”, “text”: “Chromeo”}
The most difficult shooting ever was when we did a campaign for the World Cup, which meant flying to every country the players were practicing in, setting up a huge studio on a football pitch in the morning, shooting them for 20 minutes, then wrapping and sending a truck with the mobile studio to the next country while we flew there overnight. After many weeks of this schedule I couldn’t see straight.
Pharrell
My love of art and music, philosophy and science has driven my work much more than simple photography itself. I would suggest to find something you love that will influence you outside of photography.
Trying to replicate what someone famous does will never work. The best thing to do is create your own scene with your own friends and make it as interesting and inspiring as possible, then the world will come to you.
Awards are not something I think about or enter into, but I would very much prefer a show at the MOMA of course.
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_25.jpg”, “text”: ” With Sam Rolfes”}
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_26.jpg”, “text”: ” With Sam Rolfes”}
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_27.jpg”, “text”: ” With Sam Rolfes”}
{“img”: “/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/saksenti_28.jpg”, “text”: ” With Sam Rolfes”}
