Late-Night Editing and Cato in the Field of Flowers

Featuring Walter Pierre Words by Nastasia Khmelnitski

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Walter Pierre is a South-African fashion photographer currently based in Amsterdam. He has a sharp eye and a visionary approach for creating a cinematic frame, each time telling a new story. The models on set depict different types of characters caught in the middle of a narrative in a story that is evolving, and we never know all the details pertaining to it. Location plays an important role in giving a background to the story, allowing for a deeper interpretation of the frame. Themes that Walter deeply cares about are inclusion and diversity, which he will continue to focus on this year.

Walter frees some time to speak with us during the recent holiday season, and in between work on the studio, he opens with a friend. We discuss his way of breaking off a routine, his love for Amsterdam as a city for creatives, and his path from party photography to fashion. He explains how an unpredicted occurrence in life can affect a person to reevaluate his own steps. Read on to discover the story behind Walter's most favorite photographs with Cato and his goals for 2020.

‘A regular Monday doesn’t exist for me’

Hi Walter, so happy to have you on WÜL. What were you doing during the holiday season, anything special?

Thanks for having me! It’s been quite a busy few weeks, so most of the holiday season went into wrapping up projects and working on a new studio I’m opening up with a friend. In between, I did get to spend some time with family at my parents' home, which was special to me, since we don’t all live in the same country and we’re not altogether that often.

Could you walk us through your routine or the regular Monday? How do you usually prefer to structure your day?

A regular Monday doesn’t exist for me, which is something I love about this job. Too much routine makes me restless, but I know I need it to keep sane, so it’s a constant resolution of mine to be more structured where possible. Still figuring out how to do that with traveling a lot and a schedule that changes weekly. I’ve gotten into the bad habit of late-night editing, which is something that will need to change in 2020. The only constant is a cup of coffee and a walk with my dog when I wake up, which is normally around 8 am when I don’t have an early call time.

‘After the loss of a good friend in 2016, I reassessed life and decided to pursue the dream. I didn’t dare before to try and become a full-time photographer with my own work’

Amsterdam is such an inspiring and welcoming city with people from so many different countries coming to visit. What about the not so well known locations to the tourists and places of gathering for the artists of the city? 

For the last few years Amsterdam-Noord, which is the part just on the other side of the IJ river, has turned into the go-to place for a lot of Amsterdam creatives. There are many small and authentic restaurants, galleries, and other cool spots and events by artistic locals. For me, one of the favourites in Noord is FC Hyena, a small film-club with two screens and great food with an amazing view.

What’s your favorite place in Amsterdam?

I’ve lived in Amsterdam for over a decade now, and I’m still so in love with this city, it’s hard to pinpoint one favourite place. The first thing that comes to mind is Warung Mini on the Van Woustraat just around the corner from my apartment. It’s this small Surinamese/Javanese hole in the wall that I go to after I’ve had a shoot in the city to get my habitual after-shoot Saoto soup and Roti roll. The best comfort food in the city, in my opinion.

How did photography come to your life, was it a mere accident leading you to this direction, or was it an occupation you have planned for yourself? 

It happened quite naturally, but definitely not planned. It started as party photography on the side of managing a creative collective of partykids I co-founded in 2010. After the loss of a good friend in 2016, I reassessed life and decided to pursue the dream. I didn’t dare before to try and become a full-time photographer with my own work.

From the start, my biggest love was film photography, and I didn’t believe it would be possible to build a serious career around that. I now realise how little I knew about the industry and its possibilities.

For me, it really was not fashion-oriented, to begin with, but it kind of happened organically when I realised that there is room for a more artistic approach to fashion photography, which made it very interesting.

What is success for you or the main milestone you would like to reach in the short term future to feel you are one step further in your career?

I am currently working on a special book and I feel that would be a big milestone. To have something very personal and tangible to leave behind that is my own vision and work instead of something commissioned.

You’ve posted a photo with Cato van Ee as one of your favorites from ‘19. What makes it one of the best shoots from 2019, in your opinion? Tell a bit about this set.

It’s an image I made in collaboration with friend and artist Marije Seijn. It was an editorial commission on which we got total creative freedom on everything.

There was a very intimate and fun atmosphere within our team. The experience felt like playing around, even though we made a detailed shot list and planned everything out. There was a lot of going with the moment, doing spontaneous shots, and the whole team being a part of the creative process. That particular image we shot on the way home when we saw a field of flowers. Cato changed in the back of the car, and we ran in and out before the flower farmer could catch us.

That kind of energy on set where everyone is down for going with what feels right to get a great image is very inspiring.

What’s the last book you read? Tell a short episode from the book.

I rarely laugh out loud when I read, but the last book I finished, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris, got me every few pages.

It’s a series of autobiographical short stories about everyday situations and his view on life, himself and others, written in an extreme, witty and dry way. Especially the stories about his youth and his relationship with his siblings. I couldn’t give a specific episode that would do the book justice since it’s all about character building, but I strongly recommend reading it for a good laugh.

Some of the most taken directions for a photographer usually include being featured in magazines, a publication of the book, exhibitions, commercial projects. What are some essential steps, in your opinion, for a photographer to build his name in the industry?

This is a hard one to answer because honestly, I have no idea how I got to this point. I think the main thing is to be visible, which is easier nowadays with social media and to just keep shooting and sharing. Try different things and don’t be afraid to expose yourself. I believe that if you do that and have a unique eye for images, you will be noticed, and if that happens, you have to run with it.

What is the most unique location you have worked in? What made it special for you?

The first big campaign I did was last year, and I got to go to Jamaica for a week and visit spots I would have never gotten to see by myself. Of course, the country is amazingly beautiful, but what made it special was that on that trip, I actually felt like a professional photographer for the first time.

Today, some of the most prominent themes are diversity, inclusion, sustainability. What do you think will be the most popular topic in 2020, or what do you plan to focus mostly on?

I don’t think those themes have developed enough to go on to other ones yet. There is a lot of progress still to be made on these topics, especially diversity and inclusion, and I think it’s important to see it as more than hype but as an on-going process in which we all need to be a lot better. I really hope these stay ‘popular’ in 2020.

You tend to photograph a lot outside, exploring very different locations. What are the most challenging aspects of making a successful fashion shoot outdoors?  

In the Netherlands, the most challenging aspect is definitely the weather since it rains here. A lot. Actually, the weather is the one thing, everywhere, that is the biggest challenge since it’s almost impossible to prepare for every type of situation.

I had a shoot in Miami last summer, which got a bit ruined because of rain, so you’re never safe. Cold weather is also a struggle since my analogue camera really dislikes it and gets unreliable. But at the end of the day, no challenges are big enough to outweigh the images you get when shooting on a beautiful location, it’s always worth it.

What’s next?

This year I’m opening up a creative studio in Amsterdam Noord with one of my best friends, Simone. It will be a multi-disciplinary rental space, but we’ll also do art-direction and production. We’re currently still renovating the space but will open in February of this year, and I’m excited about this next adventure. Photography wise I’ll be taking steps to work on my book, still figuring out its exact form, but for me, that’s the fun part! Also, focussing on cool editorials and projects to get to the next level.