One of the most prolific and versatile photographers of all times. In his well-known magnificent style, he has photographed everything from royal family members to plants. As a Latin American woman, I can identify with the intense colours and the energy that his photos reflect.
“At one moment, I thought that if I didn’t do a picture in a certain way, then it wasn’t a ‘Mario Testino Picture.’ And I’ve realized that Mario Testino is everything, Mario Testino is whatever he feels like being, because it always ends up looking like me, whatever I do.”
Testino was born in a very conservative community in Peru. He went to a catholic private school and found himself amazed by the luxurious outfits worn by a cardinal during a mass. That was the first sign that fashion was part of him from a very early age.
“South America was not really that open – you had to fit in, and I didn’t fit in. I was different – my tastes, my point of view – were a bit weird, and I found in Britain a sense of calm, that I could just be.”
He moved to London when he was an adult to pursue his dream of becoming a fashion photographer and to be himself. He was very persistent, trying to seek opportunities with fashion magazines, like Vogue, without much success. At that time, he only worked with natural light because he did not have the technical knowledge of controlling artificial lights. Therefore, Testino could only take pictures until 3pm because of the low light conditions in London. Even though, on many occasions he had to ask the models to stay still in order to not have movement in the images as he was shooting at very low shutter speeds.
“Grunge came from a group of English photographers, and they were documenting their own reality... I’m South American - we celebrate life.”
Like most photographers, he also faced the problem of finding his own style. He finally understood that pretending to be British was not the way. He has a genuine South American spirit. He grew up in a culture that is vibrant, colourful, and full of passion. In South America we love parties, to be sexy and to embrace eroticism. When Mario accepted who he was, his career changed completely.
Testino expresses without guilt the fun, the luxury and pleasures in life. He is truthful to who he is without apologising, and I love him for that.
Bye for now.