Fashion is all about image, so it is no surprise that the men and women driving the looks from behind the camera often become some of the most powerful and in-demand people in the business.
In an industry dominated by gay men and well-to-do women, only the role of the photographer has traditionally been reserved for straight guys, who often command six-figure sums for a day's work. In Japan, where photography is a national obsession, the kameraman is even more venerated than overseas.
Jonathan Savoie, a 30-year-old Canadian, is the latest foreign photographer to join the hallowed ranks of Tokyo's top creator-management agency AVGVST. However, in between shoots on a typically jam-packed day recently, he squeezed in time to speak exclusively to The Japan Times.
What kind of work do you do here?
I do a wide variety of jobs, from fashion editorial to architectural photography and poster campaigns for Sony, Panasonic and JAL. I try to maintain a balance between creative stuff and more lucrative jobs.
How is working in Japan different from working overseas?
I spend more time in traffic here than abroad, and there are a lot of long meetings. I think it's generally more hectic here. There's also a higher level of technical expertise in the studios, which makes my job much easier.
How do standards of creativity differ?
There are a hell of a lot of magazines here, but not so many that are really pushing boundaries creatively. I think that's why foreign photographers are popular -- people think they bring a little extra flair to an image; give it a different spin.
Is the money better in Japan?
Because I didn't have an established client base here, I knew that I was going to be taking a pay cut by coming to Tokyo. Magazine jobs barely cover expenses here, but on the other hanbd, commercial jobs pay more than in the States or Europe.
Is the life of a photographer as glamorous as it is made out to be?
I have traveled a lot in the year since I started here -- Bali, Switzerland, Beijing -- and I've stayed in some fabulous hotels. Sometimes you get picked up in a limo, but I don't think it's so glamorous. Compared to New York, there's not much of a party scene here. The fashion industry isn't as dominated by gay guys as it is abroad, so things tend to be a lot more low-key.
Can you deny or confirm the myth of the promiscuous photographer?
It's true that photographers meet a lot of models, and I have friends in the business who have done all that, but my girlfriend keeps me in check these days!
Have you had to deal with any difficult models here?
A lot of the girls who come to Japan are very inexperienced. Some are as young as 15 and they're very difficult to work with. They're very nice, but they don't know how to pose.
Some of the older ones can be very touchy to work with; I did one shoot where a Hummer had been brought into the studio. When the model arrived she took one look at it and, horrified, screeched' "This is not fashion!" She called her agent and threatened to walk out, but eventually we managed to persuade her to stay. When the story appeared in the magazine, we gave it the title, "This is not fashion!"
