Aurelie Lagoutte Interview
Aurelie Lagoutte Interview // Check out this intimate photo series from Aurelie Lagoutte.
Do you have any good stories from taking these photos?
I remember I wasn’t feeling very inspired the past few days. The Mandrake Hotel, based in Soho, London, kindly offered me to spend some time there. I came out the next morning with this self-portrait series called ‘The Night before’ and realized how important it is sometimes to change your surroundings.
I photographed these images in the Morning, it was very quiet and peaceful. It felt like a very long meditation, being on my own waiting for the click of the camera.
What moments were you trying to capture?
I didn’t plan the series in advance, I wanted to let myself go with the mood and the atmosphere of the place. I started capturing myself playing around with the furniture and it all came very instinctively along the shoot. Hotels are full of stories, therefore it was a great setting to create a narrative of my own. I could have stayed there for weeks…
Are you looking for anything specific when taking photos?
A sense of feeling and an atmosphere. It varies with the mood I am in.
What’s the best memory you have with your camera?
I can’t think of one specific memory. My camera is just a tool, my medium for expression.
How did you get your first camera?
I got my first camera in a vintage camera shop in Paris. I only work with analogue photography so all my cameras are second hand which means they too have a past and a story of their own and that is very inspiring for me. But the camera I’ve used for this series is a Leica M6. A good friend of mine lent it to me a few years ago. I still got it with me. It’s an amazing camera and I am so grateful for it.
