Nude photographer Stefan Rappo "I'm not interested in intimacy in the sense of nudity"
The new photo book "Tezz" by Fribourg photographer Stefan Rappo is dedicated to the connection between two people: "Last day" - Tezz, South Africa, 2023.
Image: Stefan Rappo
"Together" - Tezz, South Africa, 2023
Image: Stefan Rappo
"After the storm" - Tezz, South Africa, 2023
Image: Stefan Rappo
"The inside sound" - Tezz, Tenerife, 2022
Image: Stefan Rappo
"Morning ritual" - Tezz, Ibiza, 2021
Image: Stefan Rappo
"Listen, so silent" - Tezz, Tenerife, 2022
Image: Stefan Rappo
"Going home" - South Africa, 2023
Image: Stefan Rappo
The new photo book "Tezz" by Fribourg photographer Stefan Rappo is dedicated to the connection between two people: "Last day" - Tezz, South Africa, 2023.
Image: Stefan Rappo
"Together" - Tezz, South Africa, 2023
Image: Stefan Rappo
"After the storm" - Tezz, South Africa, 2023
Image: Stefan Rappo
"The inside sound" - Tezz, Tenerife, 2022
Image: Stefan Rappo
"Morning ritual" - Tezz, Ibiza, 2021
Image: Stefan Rappo
"Listen, so silent" - Tezz, Tenerife, 2022
Image: Stefan Rappo
"Going home" - South Africa, 2023
Image: Stefan Rappo
Stefan Rappo from Freiburg has been working as a freelance photographer in Paris for years. A conversation about his latest book, a shoot in Tokyo with tears and why nude photography is his great passion.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Five years ago, Stefan Rappo portrayed snake woman Nina Burri undressed in the right light for his photo book "Nude".
- The latest work by the Fribourg photographer, who has been living and working in Paris for several years, has just been published.
- The photo book "Tezz" is dedicated to the connection between two people - the model Tezz and the photographer Rappo.
- "I would say that my new book is not so much about nude photography. It's more about the model Tezz as a person, how she expresses herself and how I accompany her on her journey, so to speak," says Rappo in an interview with blue News.
Stefan Rappo, you used to design forestry equipment in your family's company, today you are an internationally sought-after photographer. How did this come about?
I did an apprenticeship as an agricultural machinery mechanic and later attended evening school in Bern to become a TS machine technician. After that, I helped develop forestry equipment in our family business for a while. I was interested in photography from a young age. However, I had the feeling that I wasn't creative enough.
What happened after that?
During a break, I attended a photography school in Toulouse. After that, I planned to return to Switzerland - but things turned out differently. Instead, on the advice of my teacher at the time, I moved straight to Paris to work there as a photo assistant - I was the first assistant to German fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh for almost eight years. I have now been working as a freelance photographer in Paris for five years.
What fascinates you about the genre of nude photography?
I started with nude photography at an early age - initially, however, more in the classic style, i.e. more physical and sexy. It was always important to me not to cross a certain line and not to make the pictures look cheap.
How would you describe your style of nude photography?
I totally changed my approach over the years. Today, I photograph nudes as if I were taking a normal portrait with a person in the foreground - naturally and authentically. My pictures are easy to read and have a clarity because I like to focus on the essentials. Nevertheless, I wouldn't describe myself as a nude photographer, but simply as a photographer.
When do you photograph in color and when in black and white?
For commissioned work, it is usually specified whether the pictures are taken in color or black and white - you adapt to the client's concept. With my personal work, such as my new book "Tezz", I always decide after the shoot. I always look at the photos in color first. If I'm not happy with the result, I also look at the pictures in black and white afterwards. In the end, I keep the version that I like better.
What distinguishes your latest work from other nude photography books?
I would say that my new book "Tezz" is not so much about nude photography. It's more about the model Tezz as a person, how she expresses herself and how I kind of accompany her on her journey.
Tezz and I therefore see the book as a joint project. Tezz wrote the texts and I gave her all the freedom she needed. She chose the pictures she wanted to write about herself. We then incorporated the texts into the layout as harmoniously as possible.
What do you have in common with the model Tezz that made you decide to realize a book together for more than two years?
I photographed Tezz for the first time three years ago on the island of Ibiza. We got on well from the very first second and our working methods harmonized perfectly. Tezz only needs a few instructions and always looks authentic when posing. In other words, it's less a pose and more an expression of herself.
We took an incredible number of great pictures on this first shoot, so we decided to do another shoot in Tenerife. After that, we recognized the real potential in our pictures. Later, we worked specifically towards producing a book and subsequently also traveled to South Africa and Normandy.
The connection between Tezz and me is certainly based on the fact that we share a common vision of photography, but also on the fact that we get on well as people. That is extremely important for me as a photographer to be able to realize a book project like this.
Which moments impressed you the most during the photo shoots for the book?
My nude photography often takes place in impressive landscapes, and that fascinates me again and again. We were often on our way to the locations very early in the morning. The moods we found there were simply incredible. There were rarely any other people there either.
I really enjoy these solitary moments. I always take some time to let the landscape work its magic on me. What impressed me the most, however, was how harmonious the shootings with Tezz were. Working under such conditions is a dream come true for any photographer.
How much time do you need for a nude photo?
I never calculate the time per photo, but usually think in series. In a series, I end up with 10 to 20 photos that I keep. That takes me about two to three hours. You have to know that I always take a lot of photos per shoot, sometimes up to 5000.
This also has to do with the fact that I take a lot of photos in motion and rarely look for a static pose. I like the so-called pictures between the pictures because they often create something that you wouldn't be able to capture if everything was static.
Do you talk to the person you are photographing?
I usually communicate quite a lot with my models before the shoot. It's important to me that they understand what my pictures are about so that they can actively work in this direction. From time to time I also show them what I have in mind or use mood pictures to illustrate it.
During the actual shoot, I tend to talk less and give the models a lot of freedom. I only intervene if I notice an aspect that I would like to explore in more depth or if the shoot comes to a standstill and I feel that creative input is needed.
Are there any pictures that you don't publish?
I only publish pictures that I think are good and that fit in with my other work. But that has nothing to do with the nudes; I do the same with my other photographs. They always say that the quality of a portfolio is as good as the worst picture you show.
Incidentally, I always show the pictures to my models first before I publish them. This builds additional trust during the shoot because the models know that I won't publish any pictures that they don't agree with.
Nude photography should not aim to sexually arouse the viewer. How intimate do you find the nude shoots?
There are certainly nude photos that focus on exactly that, and there are also nude photographers who work in this direction. But that's not the case with me. For me, the focus is always on taking a good picture that focuses on the person and their emotions.
It can happen that nude photography or portrait photography is very intimate. However, I'm not interested in intimacy in the sense of nudity, but rather in the fact that you get something personal from someone that you can capture in pictures that you might not otherwise have access to.
Do you have an example of this?
I once took a portrait of a model in a hotel room in Tokyo, and suddenly the woman started crying. I didn't know why, and at first I wasn't sure whether I was allowed to continue taking pictures.
Afterwards, the woman gave me her consent with a sign. For me, it was one of the most intimate shoots I've ever had the pleasure of doing. After the shoot, the model told me that she had recently lost her father and wanted to use the shoot to give free rein to her emotions.
What do you want to trigger in people with your photographs?
When I started photography, I never asked myself what I wanted to trigger in other people. It was much more about what photography triggers in me - and I'm not just talking about the end product, but also about the moment in which you take the photo. This moment can be incredibly intense. I admit, you almost become a little addicted to these emotional moments - much like a musician who is addicted to performing in front of an audience.
During the "Tezz" project, I had many moments like this, where the emotions were particularly strong during the photo shoot. My aim was to capture these emotions and the energy that emanated from Tezz in the pictures. The aim of the book is now to pass these incredible moments on to the viewer of my pictures as well as possible and to share them with them.
Who or what does a man who is allowed to photograph the most beautiful people in the world for a living find exceptionally beautiful himself?
Photographing beautiful people is not unpleasant. But it's important to me not to limit myself to external beauty. You don't have to photograph a beautiful person to experience an exceptionally beautiful moment.
Apart from that, I naturally find my home, the Sense-Oberland in the canton of Fribourg, exceptionally beautiful. Barbecuing by the Sense in summer is still something wonderful for me, even after all these years. I also like to go biking or hiking on my favorite mountain, the Spitzflue.
"Tezz", 192 pages, 135 pictures by Stefan Rappo and texts by artist Tezz in English, published by Edition Belle Étoile, price: 58 euros
