Errikos Andreou

More than anything, I feel like a documentarian of Beauty

Errikos has been passionate about fashion and photography from an early age and has studied the work of designers, stylists and photographers alike. At the age of 18 Errikos moved from Greece to London where he studied Fashion Design before going on to Central St.Martin's to complete his masters. He went on to working in various positions within the Fashion Industry as a designer, stylist and since 2009 as a photographer. 

Errikos is an amazing story-teller who weaves strong emotions into his images. He is a photographer with a profound interest in the human body , he loves people and considers 'good chemistry' as an integral part of creating his  stunning and provocative images. 

Wellcome to Chromatica Magazine, thank you for joining us, How are you? how are you coping with the pandemic?

I am doing well. I have been at home in Greece since the beginning of the lockdown. It has affected my work in the sense that there was no work and that gave me a lot of thinking space. Thankfully mostly positive. About myself, work, the future and mostly about my friends and family and what it means to have everyone in my life. I think we are all going down the same wormhole pretty much. Also, Netflix is the new Xanax. 

At what age did you discover your passion for photography? 

I was extremely interested in fashion since I was 11-12. I would buy tones of magazines and look at photographs every day but I was examining different elements at the time (the clothes, the models). At the age of 17, alongside with school I did a year-long photography seminar which was mostly about art photography and had nothing at all to do with fashion. I used to develop films and my own prints in a made-up dark room, in my mom’s kitchen, but still I never considered that it would ever become a profession. It was much later, at the age of 30-31 that I started systematically taking photos and turned this into a full-time job.

What are your main influences? Which artists have informed your art?

I was very interested in photography and cinema since a very young age. I love all ages and genres of both media. I would watch films as old as from the silent era when they would come up on TV. I loved the atmosphere and the light from the 1930’s or 40’s films. New Wave cinema was always a favorite genre. Same with photography. I grew up with the fashion photographers of the time (Weber, Avedon, Ritts, Lindbergh, Newton) who influenced me very much, but I had the luck to discover photographers like Bresson, Kudelka, Adams, McCullin at a very young age and to be around a circle of photographers that made me appreciate them early on. 

You have been named by Vogue India as photographer of the year. How does it feel to hold this title?

It was great!! I felt very flattered. For better or worst I don’t spend too much time on things that happened in the past or on titles and awards. I look at where I am today and what happens now.

You have worked with numerous celebrities all over the world, Who is your favourite celebrity to work with and why?  

A few years ago, I photographed a cover story for Hampton’s magazine with Lily Aldridge and Michael Kors styled by Paul Cavaco. Both Lily and Mr. Kors were truly amazing but I was really star-struck with Mr. Cavaco. I grew up with images he had worked on, tapped to my bedroom walls. His working ethos was incredible and had we had more time I would probably would have followed him like a puppy. In my eyes he was a Rock Star God and working on a project as equals was a tremendous honor.

What’s your most outrageous moment on set? 

I think it was during the shooting of the Dieux du Stade calendar. We had big rugby-men walking naked all day, there were 5 cameras flying around and a crew of 25 people present. I thought it was pretty outrageous how that was just “another-day-at-work”.

In this issue, “The human form” we celebrate the body. What’s your perspective on capturing the body and how do you handle nudity on set?

I love doing nudes. They are so personal, every time you end up with a different result. I think I was also formed as a photographer by doing nudes. Every time you ask someone to remove their clothes in front of you immediately there is something that is being said and it is amplified when you point a camera at them. So before shooting I started to pay attention to this unspoken dialogue between the naked person and the dressed one (model and myself) and see if there is anything about that, that deserves to be captured first. I don’t know if that makes any sense. However, I have come to I apply the same method to shooting everything. 

The way I handle nudity is by creating the most secure and safe space possible for my model. I have had models who have never done nudes saying to me that it was a very therapeutic experience. That to me says a lot.

What’s your view on censorship?

It is a strange, varied and broad topic. It depends a lot on what form it comes. There is Instagram censoring nipples, there is political correctness censoring language, there are regimes censoring thought, there are countries censoring sex and sexuality… Personally I don’t think anything good comes out of it. It is a pretend form. By not allowing someone to call another person a derogatory name for example, you haven’t taught the first person respect, it just changes the “energy in the room”. By not allowing a minor to see female nipples, how exactly are things “safer” or more “proper”? It doesn’t really concern me nor do the people who find use for censorship. I prefer dialogue. Also, if you are in the creative field, it can be limiting. My work for example could have been a lot more explicit in terms of how I approach it and what I choose to present. We are all somewhat gagged in that way. 

From idea to the final image, can you walk us through your steps? How complicated is your process?

VERY uncomplicated. Until I hold the camera in my hands everything that comes before is logistics that don’t concern me much. I always thought too much preparation kills the magic. My go-to strategy is “let’s see what today brings”. If you have a good team and a good location you can hardly go wrong.

Sometimes a might have a concept in mind and I try to look for the best people I know to work with because I don’t want to be concerned about anything but the photography. I am more of a documentarian than a director. 

What are you trying to convey through your work? and what are your plans for the future?

I was very concerned about what my work has to say and what my general narrative is in the earliest stages of my work. Now I try to make myself happy. Enjoy the process, love the moment and be creative. If people like the result even better. Plans for the future???? After 2020 that question should be banned!

What’s your motto in life?

If you don’t have anything good to say, mute yourself! Not everything needs an opinion.

For more info and updates visit errikosandreou.com.

You can follow Errikos on Instagram @errikosandreouphoto