GARY HEERY

Photographer Gary Heery has extensively chronicled people and nature in his work. Most recently he lent his images of birds and flowers to Romance Was Born’s Queen of the Night collection. AP & LS: “When working with you, we have noticed that you are very quick once you are behind the lens. When do you know that you have the shot?” GH: “Yes, I shoot very quickly as I am trying to tap into my gut instinct about what’s in front of me and capture that real and revealing moment. My career has been centred on portraiture and I have had a lot of difficult and interesting people in front of my lens. The game has always been to try and get rid of them thinking too much about what they’re doing, to clear the mind to give it up and peel back the layers. I use many techniques in this process and I suppose being quick is one of them. I need to get a reaction and will do almost anything to provoke one.

“In the case of working with you both in fashion, the whole process is made easier by having a model. Most of the hard work has been done in hair and make-up and styling before they hit the camera. I just stand back and get a frame that will work and let it happen. I don’t over direct; just tweak what is working. I am probably quick because I have done my homework. I spend a lot of time in pre-production and thinking about what I want to achieve.”