Having co-founded the magazine Dazed & Confused, Rankin has remained a prevalent force in publishing and has over 42 photography books to his name. He continues to direct commercials and music videos for some of the biggest artists and brands, as well as directing and producing numerous documentaries and dramas.
We wanted to give you a better idea about the person behind the camera. Therefore, we interviewed Rankin, asking him rather personal questions.
Photographer’s Profile in form of a short interview.
Name: Rankin
Profession: Photographer, Boss, Husband, Dad.
Living in: London/ Born in: Scotland
Your Personal Trademark: I’m not sure I have one apart from I try to collaborate with my subjects.
What’s special about portrait photography/ In your opinion, What makes a good portrait?
A lot of people find photography uncomfortable. They feel like they’re under some kind of microscope. As a portrait photographer, it’s my job to make them feel comfortable and confident about themselves so that they will give something to the camera. At the end of the day, you’re asking someone to reveal something about their personality and capturing it. That’s very intimate. A good portrait for me, is when you feel something when you look at it!
Role Models/ Your Heroes: I really admire David Bailey. He’s a hero of mine. They say “never meet your heroes”, and it’s often true, but with him it’s not.
Projects: I’m working on a few books at the moment.
Biggest Moment: The birth of my son.
Favourite Place: I have a house in Suffolk, which I try to go to as often as possible. It’s very peaceful and though I will never fall out of love with London, it’s good to have a break.
What’s special about Berlin? It’s such a creative community. I’ve got friends who live there fulltime and a lot of British artists make a beeline for it because it seems to cultivate art and artists. My son loves it.